Download Understanding Communication

UNDERSTANDING COMMUNICATION
Part Two
CONSIDERING
DIFFERENT SETTINGS
INFORMAL SETTINGS
- Most of your communications occurs
informal settings, which are casual,
unstructured situations.
- In informal settings, the communication is
usually spontaneous. You think about what to
say as you go along, and then you say it.
- Every day you probably take part in
informal communication situations, such as:
talking with family and friends, giving
instructions, talking/texting on the phone,
giving and receiving information in class and
so on.
A large percentage of your waking hours is spent communicating. This
communication takes place in both formal and informal settings.
FORMAL SETTINGS
- Formal settings are situations that you can
prepare for ahead of time. Even though much
of your every day communication may not
take place in formal settings. These situations
allow you to affect the ideas and feelings of
people in important positions.
FORMAL SETTINGS
DEBATE AND PARLIMENTARY PROCEDURE:
Debate is a formal communication situation in
which speakers take opposing sides on an
issue and try to prove or disprove a
statement about that issue. Parliamentary
procedure is a set of rules used to conduct
orderly meetings. Precise and convincing
communication is essential in both of these
formal settings.
INTERPRETIVE SITUATIONS: Oral reading is
a performing art in which literature is read
aloud and interpreted for an audience.
Drama is performing art in which the
characters in a play are interpreted and
presented by actors on stage.
INTERVIEWS: An interview is a form of
communication in which people ask and
answer questions. In a job interview, you may
sit with a potential employer and ask and
answer questions about your ability to get
along with others, the responsibilities of the
job and the salary to name a few.
GROUP DISCUSSIONS: A group discussion is
a face-to-face meeting among a small
number of people who convey information,
express their views, and reach conclusions
about a particular issue.
PUBLIC SPEAKING: In public speaking, on
person addresses an audience – the listeners
or spectators attending a presentation or a
performance – to inform, entertain, or
persuade them.
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION :
Electronic communication includes radio,
television, and video, three of the most
common and influential means of mass
communication. Today with video technology
at our finger tips, this type of communication
provides opportunities to quickly reach
thousands or millions of people at one time.
Identify two formal communication situations that you
take part in during an average week. You can
participate in these situations as a speaker or a listener.
For each situation, identify the elements of
communication that seem most important when sending
and receiving information. Review the Elements of
Communication Chart in PPT1 if needed. Write a short
paragraph about each situation.
ACTIVITY ONE
This will be due in class on
Friday. Have it printed and
ready when you get to class!
DEVELOPING THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
The communication process consists of a series of several interrelated steps:
• You find ideas to speak about.
• You adapt your message to the needs of your audience.
• You determine how to present your ideas in the most effective way.
• You interpret audience feedback.
• You deal with verbal and nonverbal interference.
The progress of these steps can vary according to the people involved, the setting, and
other circumstances. To some extent these steps come into play in all communication
situations, whether you are talking with one person, participating in a group discussion,
or speaking before a large audience.
FINDING IDEAS
Finding good ideas to talk about is the key to effective speaking. This step is especially
important for occasions such as group discussions and public speaking. When you
choose ideas, you will need to consider factors such as your audience, the setting, ad
the time allotted for your presentation.
You may find many interesting ideas for formal and informal speaking situations by
• Examining your own experience
• Looking at the lives of people around you
• Watching television shows, movie, or Youtube
• Reading the newspaper, magazines, or newsfeeds on social media
• Browsing or searching the internet for popular, current topics
On Mrs. Kallemeyn’s wiki under this presentation is a
Word document with a chart for speech topics. You can
either type in the Word document or print it out and fill it
in by hand.
It may seem daunting, but the more boxes you have
filled the easier it will be for you to choose and
eliminate speech topics as you progress through the rest
of the speech semester.
ACTIVITY TWO
Be sure to fill this sheet in
completely. Mrs. Kallemeyn
will check it on Thursday for a
completion grade.
ADAPTING TO YOUR AUDIENCE
To communicate effectively, you must adapt to the needs of your audience. Adapting to
your audience involves learning something about the people you are going to address.
In some formal situations you can learn about your audience before you prepare your
speech. However, in many speaking situations you learn about your audience while you
communicate with them.
Being aware of cultural, sociological, and individual information about your audience
will help you to present thoughts and idea effectively. These factors will help you to
anticipate your audience’s response, interpret feedback, and respond to your audience
appropriately.
THREE CHARACTERISTICS TO CONSIDER
INDIVIDUAL
CHARACTERISTICS
CULTURAL
CHARACTERISTICS
SOCIOLOGICAL
CHARACTERISTICS
When you examine your
audience’s individual
characteristics, you look at
such things as a person’s
personality, interests, and
aspirations. These items help
you to predict how an
individual may respond to
certain information. The
individual level is particularly
important to consider in every
day conversation.
When you examine your
audience’s cultural
characteristics, you look at
such things as age, religion,
and national and ethnical
background. This helps you to
focus your presentation in
such a way that your
audience will understand and
respond favorably to your
message.
When you examine your
audience’s sociological
characteristics, you look at
elements such as their
affiliations, their educational
background, and their
occupations. Based on what
you discover, you can
formulate some general ideas
about your listeners.
ENCODING AND DECODING INFORMATION
ENCODING
The process of turning ideas and feelings into
verbal and nonverbal symbols is called
encoding.
In formal situations, you take time to plan
how you want to state a certain idea. You
may even try two or three ways of stating an
idea before you select the best way to
present it.
Informal speaking is quite different. In
informal conversations, the encoding process
is nearly instantaneous.
DECODING
For communications to be complete, a
receiver must decode a message. Decoding
is finding the meaning of verbal and
nonverbal symbols.
In conversations, the decoding process is
usually instantaneous. A split second after
you say something, someone is likely to
respond.
In formal and some informal situations, the
receiver may need to translate messages into
meanings that make sense in their given
context.
DEALING WITH INTERFERENCE
PHYSICAL NOISE
PSYCHOLOGICAL NOISE
SEMANTIC NOISE
Physical noise consists of
any sound that prevents a
speaker from being heard.
Physical noise interferes
with a speaker’s ability to
send messages and with an
audience’s ability to
receive them.
The thoughts and feelings
that distract people from
listening to what is said is
called psychological
noise. Psychological noise
interferes with the
audience’s concentration
and ability to hear a
speaker’s presentation.
The interference caused by
words that trigger strong,
negative feelings against the
speaker or the content of the
speech is called semantic
noise. Semantic noise leads
to misunderstanding, as well
as unpleasant and distracting
nonverbal feedback from the
audience.