Download Chapter Five—Designing Meaning

Chapter Five—Designing Meaning
Chapter Summary
How is meaning communicated? Meaning is a deeply intrapersonal function, but meaning
fuels all human interactions. To convey meaning people use a variety of symbols. Symbols
have different meanings in different contexts and individual symbols have unique associations
for different people. Still, with planning and attention to the process of converting meaning to
symbols others can understand, business communicators can plan and send meaningful
messages successfully.
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Meaning in communication depends on interpretation of the symbols used when
interacting with others. Even when communicators have much in common, people tend to
interpret meanings in very different ways. Personal experience dictates such
interpretations because personal experience is unique to each individual.
We tend to assume others who share our cultural background will understand our
messages because of the common language we use and the cultural experiences we share.
However, language itself is mutable: quite often, a phrase may be perceived differently
than intended because the receiver may not be thinking along the same lines as the
communicator. This is called the conveyor-belt fallacy: just because the message is
transferred and received doesn’t mean that both communicators will perceive it in the
same way.
Meaning is not always interpreted in the way it is intended. Intended meaning is the
purpose or goal the sender of a message has when designing the message. Interpreted
meaning is the meaning that the receiver decodes from the sender’s message. When these
do not match, misunderstanding occurs.
Meaning is communicated using sensory perception of the world around us, through all
five of our senses. We select some stimuli out of the multitude of sensations around us to
concentrate on and understand. The process of understanding selected stimuli includes
perception, organization, and interpretation, often using signs and symbols.
o Perception occurs when an individual receives and mentally records various types
of stimuli. It is the process of becoming aware of one’s surroundings and the
changes in the environment.
o Organization occurs when we mentally order the sensory input we receive:
relating perceptions to previous experiences, making concrete and abstract
associations with other concepts floating around in our minds. It contributes to our
initial understanding of a situation.
o Interpretation occurs when we begin to analyze the perception we have
interpreted. We compare current perceptions to previous experiences and begin to
formulate emotional or intellectual positions in relation to them.
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Chapter Five—Designing Meaning
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Signs and symbols allow us to experience this process in a split second. They are generally
associated with a specific concept or bundle of concepts that we recognize and assign
meaning to. Signs are the basic unit of recognition. Groups of people agree that a certain
sign represents a behavior, activity, circumstance, or situation. Symbols, however, are
abstract forms that are used to represent signs, much like the words on this page, each
represent a particular concept.
Much of what governs how we interpret meaning is determined by context. Context is the
environment in which the communication takes place, and includes the communicators’
physical location, social circumstances, and psychological situation. If the context for a
message is inappropriate or unexpected, misunderstanding can occur.
o Context begins intrapersonally, with the receiver processing stimuli presented by
the outside world. The process of decoding such stimuli is called intrapersonal
decoding. When working through the process of understanding the information
gleaned through intrapersonal decoding, the receiver engages in intrapersonal
encoding: organizing and translating the information internally into a form he or
she can respond to or absorb totally.
o We perceive events from a perspective furnished by our previous experiences. The
personal history context determines what and how we will understand new
information. It influences not only our initial perception of the data, but also how
we will interpret and organize it.
o The culture in which we live and have lived also influences how we perceive
information and events. The cultural context that surrounds us provides a
framework that dictates behavior and values as members of a distinct social group.
Some of our cultural context may also be ingrained in our personal history context.
o Our relationship with the communicator sending a message also influences how
we will perceive it. The interpersonal context is the relationship we have with the
person/persons we are communicating with: friends, family, business partners,
strangers. Likes, dislikes, trust, and distrust may all influence how we perceive
information.
o In the workplace, we form perceptions based on meanings derived from coworkers
and the corporate culture surrounding us. The business context is derived through
learned meanings from these sources. Messages created in this context may differ
significantly from messages sent and received in other circumstances because
business messages usually need to be interpreted from a different perspective, with
a more holistic attitude toward company goals.
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Chapter Five—Designing Meaning
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The conveyor-belt fallacy (described above) assumes that just because people send
meaning along a particular path, the receiver will understand it as meant. One of the
conveyor-belts we use to communicate is language. Just because communicators share a
common language does not mean that both will have the same association with the
individual words in that language. Semantics is the relationship between words and the
meanings they stand for, since words are essentially symbols that stand for other concepts.
The more we interact with specific people or groups of people, the more likely it is we
will associate the same meanings with the same words. Words fall into two categories:
concrete and abstract.
o Concrete words are word symbols that are connected to objects and events that we
can perceive through our senses: a rock, a tree, a party. These words are usually
easier for people to understand in the same way, although in some cases, these
words still have multiple meanings (do we all see the same tree in our heads when
we hear the word?).
o Abstract words are word symbols that are connected with concepts or emotions,
rather than tangible objects: beauty, sadness, greatness. Since these words depend
more on intrapersonal connections rather than connections to the physical world,
there is a greater risk of being misunderstood when using them. However, given
the right contextual values, abstract words can communicate complex concepts
effectively.
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Depending on the factors described above, a message meaning sent to a receiver can be
vague or specific, depending on the way the message is created and the contexts in which
is it sent and received. Both have a purpose in the business world.
o Specific business messages are designed to be clear and understandable to the
majority of receivers. They usually focus on concrete meanings, actions, or
activities.
o Vague business messages are designed to be ambiguous. They are useful when a
communicator is unsure of the receiver’s response to a subject, and can therefore
be interpreted in various (hopefully, positive) ways. Context can give clues about
intended meanings.
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If a message is vague, the receiver can respond badly if he or she cannot understand the
sender’s intentions. Although it is tempting to blame the receiver for not understanding
our message meanings, the responsibility for message clarity is the sender’s task.
In Text Exercises
 Creative Challenge: New Meanings
Examples of words, concepts, and job titles might include things that are related to recent
events (terror, security, home), current slang and vernacular (dope, chill, mad), or changes
in attitude reflected in the corporate world (administrative assistant, maintenance worker,
data entry technician). Ask students to think of all associations they can connect to these
terms, good and bad, before presenting their findings to the class.
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Chapter Five—Designing Meaning
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Creative Challenge: Word Meanings
Most of these concepts have different implications to different people depending on their
value systems and goals for the future. Since students tend to feed off the group gestalt,
encourage them to discuss the first thing that flashes in their minds when they think of
these concepts, then look at how that image changes as they discuss and consider them
more fully. Ask them to speculate on this change in perception.
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Jump In!: Receiver-based Messages
1. It could be a compliment, implying that your colleague thinks of you warmly, but the
implication of the movie name “The Jerk” in connection with you at a time you are
trying to appear your most professional may make you angry. You don’t want to be a
jerk, after all.
2. This makes the politician look rather illogical. If they are misstatements, they were in
error. Is he saying he stands by all the errors he has made or that he supports incorrect
information he has given, although he now knows it is incorrect?
3. Is there a difference between “pollution” and “impurities?” There well may be, but our
associations with those words are equivalent. Would this make sense to most
receivers?
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Creative Challenge: Housekeeping
When making business contracts, it is vital that both parties understand clearly what is
meant by all terms, even those that seem obvious. In this case, the concept of
housecleaning should be enumerated; what tasks are going to be expected by the
employer? What is the housekeeper willing to do? How can this be resolved?
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Creative Challenge: Abstract Meanings
Examples: close I worked hard to close that sale.
It was close, but I managed to sell the stocks before the deadline.
trade Construction costs vary widely in the building trade.
I will trade the stocks before the market closes.
level You need more seniority before you can be promoted to that level.
The foundation must be level before anything is built upon it.
make I will make arrangements for the sale of the furniture.
All cars of this make are being recalled.
value A good business practice is to value loyal customers.
Honesty is a value we hold dear in this company.
clear Let’s clear the air and get our differences out into the open.
The clear plastic cover protects the profit charts.
money Is there enough money in the account to cover the luncheon expenses?
Money is the root of all evil.
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Chapter Five—Designing Meaning
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Jump In!: Bank Disclosure
Diagramming this statement will help students understand what the purpose of it is.
However, restating it in clear English can be a challenge. Essentially, the disclosure
statement says that if there are four or more checks or debits from your account, or seven
or more transfers or payments to a third party, there will be a $15 charge for all activities
over the limit.
Discussion questions
1. Why do people sometimes take things the wrong way when we communicate with them?
We have no way of knowing what is going on in other’s minds, nor can we accurately predict
what layers of context they perceive our message through. This can include language and
cultural differences, as well as individual connections to concepts we are sending.
2. How does the context of business influence our interpretation of meaning?
In a business setting, the corporate culture of the business provides a common ground for
communicators. We use our experiences in this particular context to inform our reception of
messages. Messages sent and received in a business context tend to be more formal and
structured than messages delivered in a more social setting.
3. In what type of situations are vague messages sometimes preferred over specific
messages?
Vague messages are most useful when the sender is unsure about how the receiver will
interpret or understand the message, or is concerned that he or she will be embarrassed by the
message content.
4. In what ways are business messages and social messages the same? In what ways do they
differ?
Both depend on a variety of contexts that are specific to individual senders and receivers.
Social messages may use different symbol meanings (slang, vernacular) than business
messages do. Also, business messages tend to be more formal and structured.
5. What is a meaning context and why is context important in understanding the meaning
expressed in messages?
Meaning context is the physical, social, and psychological situation surrounding the
circumstances of a message exchange. They shape our perception of events, actions, and
ideas. A message may be delivered through one context, but misunderstood if received in
another context.
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Chapter Five—Designing Meaning
6. Why do we sometimes blame the receiver when they fail to understand what we mean?
The sender may not realize that the message he or she has sent is ambiguous, or may not
realize that the receiver does not share a mutual context with the sender. The sender may
respond with an inappropriate or unexpected message.
7. What is the difference between intrapersonal and interpersonal encoding? Be prepared to
give both examples of both activities.
Intrapersonal decoding is the internal process of receiving and processing data from sensory
input or internal thought. Listening to music, relating it to other pieces by the same artist, and
deciphering the words is an example of intrapersonal decoding. Intrapersonal encoding is
making decisions based on the decoding of the information previously decoded. For example,
deciding whether you like the piece of music and will purchase it.
8.
In what ways might different cultures influence or change the context of meaning?
Cultures affect our collective experiences as part of a larger social group. If both sender and
receiver do not share these experiences, misunderstanding can occur. For example: If
someone British (sender) were to tell an American traveling companion (receiver) to look for
the flashlight in the boot, would the American look in her shoes or in the trunk of the car?
9. When interacting in a business context, which words are more useful when encoding a
message to an unknown audience: concrete words or abstract words?
Concrete words are preferable because concrete words are generally associated with physical
objects and are less likely to be misunderstood.
Case development
A Clean Sweep
The misunderstanding over the subaccount that Holden faces is clear. The wording in the
bank disclosure is concrete, however its context makes it much more difficult to understand.
Given a non-business specific context, it sounds like Holden will not have access to some of
his funds and that the bank will be able to use at its own discretion. In reality, this clause is
meant to protect the customer’s ability to have certain funds that he or she has allocated swept
automatically into another account, for savings or investment purposes. Students may be
asked to rewrite the bank disclosure statement. Ask them to use concrete language, and write
a specific business message, that keeps the customer’s interests paramount. In addition, the
instructor can ask the students how this situation could be resolved on the spot between
Holden and the bank.
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