Download The Communication Process

Communication is an exchange of information
between two or more people. It is a two-way process
that involves both sending and receiving messages.
Sender transmits or sends the message
Receiver hears and interprets the message
Good communication occurs when the sender of the
message and the receiver end up with a shared
meaning about the message.
Types of Communication
Nonverbal communication is a way of sending
and receiving messages without using words.
Verbal communication is the use of words to
send and receive messages.
As you become more aware of how you send
messages to others, you can begin to develop
better communication skills.
Nonverbal Communication
Developing your nonverbal skills are important
1. You become aware of the nonverbal messages
you send and receive
2. You can learn to send clearer nonverbal
messages
3. Your actions need to support the words you say
otherwise this will lead to confusion
Nonverbal Communication
Body language involves sending message
through body movements. Through body
language, people can express their thoughts,
feelings and emotions.
1. Facial Expressions
2. Gestures
3. Body Motions
What are some examples of body language that
could be interpreted in different ways,
depending on your cultural background.
Verbal Communication
Your environment influences the words your use
and the way you use them to express yourself.
Word meanings may vary from one part of the
country to another, or from one culture to
another.
Your tone of voice can change the meaning of
the word
Verbal Communication
Communicating well with others begins with you.
By developing your skills in expressing yourself,
you will send clearer messages
Developing your listening skills is an equally
important part of communication. To be a good
listener, you need to develop your skills in active
listening
Expressing Yourself
“I-statements are used to express your
thoughts, feelings, and ideas and can help you
speak for yourself—from your point of view
I-statements give you responsibility and control
over what you communicate to others.
Types of I-statements
Descriptive
Used to report what you have seen or heard
Describe information taken in through your senses
“I see the scale reads 135 pounds”
“I smell smoke”
Thought
Start with words such as “I think,” “I wonder,” or “I
believe”
Tell others how you interpret what you have seen
or heard
“I wonder if it will rain today.”
“I believe I am gaining weight.”
Feeling
Let others know how you feel
“I feel discouraged because I failed the test”
“I feel worried that it will rain during the ball game”
Intention
Let others know what you want to do
Start with words such as “I want” or “I wish”
“I want to pass this course.”
“I wish I could lose some weight.”
Action
Let others know what you are doing now, have
done in the past, or will do in the future.
Use action verbs
“I studied two hours last night”
“I plan to memorize that information before the test”
Avoid You-statements
Attack the person, not the problem
Attack the senders self-esteem
The receiver may respond in a defensive manner
They may feel that his or her thoughts, opinions
and feelings are unimportant.
Receiving Messages
Passive Listening- they hear words without
always listening for meanings
Don’t know if the message was understood
Active Listening-when you give the sender some type
of sign that you are listening
Giving feedback shows that you are listening and
encourages the sender to keep talking
Checking out means using questions to clarify a
message. Ex- “Did you say that his car is wrecked?”
Reflecting you repeat in your own words what you think
has been said
Keys to Good Listening
Show interest in what the other person is saying by sitting forward and using
eye contact
Try to block out interruptions
Let the sender complete his or her thoughts
Accept the sender’s ideas and feelings
Use good verbal skills in giving feedback. Ask questions, reflect feelings, or
restate an idea when appropriate
Control your nonverbal messages. Make sure that they are positive and
reinforce your comments
Be aware of strong emotions. Understand that they can affect a message’s
clarity, and the way that you might respond.
Don’t let silence make you nervous. Silence provides time for both people to
think about what was said
Your Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is an important factor in the way
messages are sent or received.
People with low self-esteem have more problems
communicating effectively. They may not be
quite sure of their own feelings.
Sharing thoughts and feelings with another
person is a good way to build self-esteem.
Negative Communication
Patterns
Lying is a negative communication pattern in
which people are not honest. They do not share
observations, thoughts and feelings in an
accurate way.
Blaming is a pattern in which people accuse
other for everything that goes wrong.
Placating is a pattern of communication in which
people will say or do something just to please
others or keep them from getting upset. Going
along with the crowd is easier for people with
low self-esteem
Distracting is when people just ignore
unpleasant situations. They may put the issue
aside as not really being important.
When a friend is using a negative
communication pattern, how could
you respond to help improve your
friend’s self-esteem?
Your Emotional State
Before trying to communicate, you need to
recognize your emotional state.
Intense emotions get in the way of sharing
complex thoughts and ideas. If your emotions
are intense let the other person know you need
time to sort your emotions out.
Your Environment
The times of day or the amount of time you have can
make a difference.
Avoid busy and noisy environments
Fatigue or illness can keep a person from showing
interest
Distance between the two who are communicating
makes it harder to interpret body language and
nonverbal signals
Communicating via the internet or even over a
phone makes it hard to get a complete picture of
the sender’s total message.
What are some common items used to
communicate in today’s society? How do you think
current technology affects a person’s ability to
fully understand and interpret another’s message?
Communication Barriers
People with closed minds shut out or ignore
opinions and beliefs that are different from their
own.
Prejudice occurs when a person forms opinions
about others without complete knowledge of
facts.
How can you overcome communication barriers?
Keep an open mind
Avoid mixed messages
Overcome prejudice other other by asking questions
and getting all the facts before forming an opinion
Practice active listening when others speak. Do not let
your mind wander. Respond only when the speaker is
finished and it is your turn
Quiz Time!!!
True or False
Women search for the meaning behind words more than
men.
TRUE
When men and women are together in a group women talk
more than men.
FALSE
Women use more direct eye contact than men.
TRUE
Men, more than women, take the initiative to start and maintain
conversations.
FALSE
Women ask more questions than men ask.
TRUE
Women ask for assistance more frequently than men do.
TRUE
Men use less confrontational body language than women.
FALSE
When listening, women appear to be more attentive.
TRUE
Females dominate public discussions more than men.
FALSE
Males interrupt women more frequently than women interrupt
men.
TRUE
Goals during Talking
Males view talking as a competition
Females view talking as a way to connect with people.
How do you think this creates differences when males and
females try to communicate?
Women try to get closer through conversation and men want to
win the conversation.
“It’s Complicated”
Literal-take words at face value
Implied- reading between the lines
Describe (tell all about) a time when what you were saying
was taken out of context or misconstrued.
Questions in Conversations
Males often see questions as a
literal request for an answer.
Females often use questions to
start conversations.
5 ways Men and Women’s
Speech Patterns Differ
Tag endings are questions tagged on to the end of
sentences. They make speakers appear more unsure of
themselves.
SHE: “That test was tough, wasn’t it?”
HE: “That test was tough!”
Upward inflections is a rising intonation at the end of a sentence
that gives a sense of uncertainty. Making a statement, as a
statement sounds authorative.
She: “My neighbor played his stereo all night, so I didn’t get any
sleep?”
He: “My neighbor played his stereo all night so I didn’t get any
sleep.”
Emotional verbs- women use more emotional verbs, such
as, “I feel…I love…I hope..”
She: “I love the student evaluation form you designed. I
feel the report should be laid out using excel.”
He: “The student evaluation form you designed is
excellent. The report should be laid out using excel.”
Qualifiers are words like “a bit” and “kind of”
“Third quarter seems a bit long”
Quantifiers such as “always, never, all or none” sound more
confident, less tentative.
“The third quarter always seems so long”
Disclaimers is a phrase at the beginning of a sentence that
weakens the following statement.
“I’m not sure but…”
Hedge weakens an idea by including words:
“Maybe” and “Sort of”
Conflict occurs when any two people disagree on the
same issue. Some conflict is a normal part of most
relationships. Even when people attempt to
communicate clearly, conflict can occur.
Conflict occurs for many reasons, it is often due to
different personal values.
People often respond to a disagreement by arguing.
Arguing is a negative form of communication and is
used to protect their self-esteem. It attacks the
person not the problem.
Name-calling and blaming are two types of YouStatements. Both are destructive to a relationship as
they create more hostility. The real conflict is left
unresolved.
In what ways would conflict be harmful to a
relationship?
Steps to Resolving
Conflicts
Conflict Resolution is one skill that can help you
resolve conflicts in a positive way. Using this
skill builds relationships.
Steps to Resolving
Conflict
1. Identify the problem
2. Identify who owns the problem
3. Accept ownership of the problem
4. Solve the problem
1. Identify the Problem
•
Use good communication, I-statements and active
listening
•
Take time to analyze and identify the real problem
2. Identify who owns the problem
• Problem Ownership is the person bothered by the
situation owns the problem.
• If the problem affects or disturbs more than one
person, both people share ownership jointly.
3. Accept Ownership of the Problem
•
If two people own the problem, they must work
together to find a solution.
•
Sometimes only one person accepts the
responsibility for a joint problem. In this case it
can be difficult to reach a solution that is fair to
both people.
4. Solve the Problem
•
Negotiation is a communication process in which
people alternate between sending and receiving
messages
•
Reach an agreeable solution
•
Keeping open communication
•
Compromise is a give-and-take method that allows
both people to express themselves. It is an effective
way to resolve conflict
When Problem Solving you need to:
Identify the Problem
Identify the alternative solutions
Evaluate the alternatives
Choose the best solution
Implement the solution
Evaluate the solution. Was it effective in solving the
problem?
Activity: Think It Through on pg 123