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Chapter 1:
Communication Perspectives
COMM3
Verderber, Sellnow, and Verderber
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcomes
LO1-1
LO1-2
LO1-3
LO1-4
Describe the nature of communication
Explain the communication process
Identify the characteristics of communication
Use the major tenets of ethical
communication to create and evaluate
messages
LO1-5 Create a plan to increase
communication competence
© 2014 Cengage Learning
LO1:
Describe the nature of
communication
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-1
Communication
Communication is a complex
process through which we
express, interpret, and coordinate
messages with others to create
shared meaning, meet social
goals, manage personal identity,
and carry out our relationships.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-1
The Nature of Communication
• Messages are the verbal utterances, visual
images, and nonverbal behaviors used to
convey thoughts and feelings.
• Encoding is the process of creating messages
and decoding is the process of interpreting
them.
• Feedback is a reaction and response to a
message that indicates how the message was
interpreted.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-1
Communication Contexts
• The physical context includes the location of a
communication encounter, the environmental conditions
surrounding it, and the physical proximity of participants to
each other.
• The social context is the nature of the relationship that
already exists between the participants.
• The historical context is the background provided by
previous communication between the participants.
• The psychological context includes the moods and feelings
each person brings to the communication encounter.
• The cultural context includes the beliefs, values,
orientations, underlying assumptions, and rituals that
belong to a specific culture.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-1
Communication Settings
• Communication settings differ based on
the number of participants and the level
of formality in the interactions.
– Intrapersonal communication
– Interpersonal communication
– Small-group communication
– Public communication
– Mass communication
© 2014 Cengage Learning
LO2:
Explain the communication
process
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-2
The Communication Process
The communication process is a
complex set of three different and
interrelated activities intended to
result in shared meaning. These subprocesses are affected by the channels
used and by interference/noise.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-2
Sub-Processes of Communication
• Message production is what you do when you
encode a message.
• Message interpretation is what you do when
you decode a message.
• Interaction coordination consists of the
behavioral adjustments each participant
makes in an attempt to create shared
meaning.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-2
Channels
• Channels are both the route traveled by the
message and the means of transportation.
Face-to-face communication has three basic
channels:
– Verbal symbols
– Nonverbal cues
– Visual images
© 2011 Cengage Learning
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-2
Interference (Noise)
• Interference or noise is any stimulus that
interferes with the process of sharing
meaning.
– External noises are sights, sounds, and other
stimuli that draw people’s attention away from
the message
– Internal noises are thoughts and feelings that
draw people’s attention away from the message.
– Semantic noises are emotional distractions
aroused by specific word choices.
© 2011 Cengage Learning
© 2014 Cengage Learning
FIGURE 1.1
Model of Communication
© 2014 Cengage Learning
LO3:
Identify the characteristics
of communication
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-3
Communication Has Purpose
• Whenever we communicate, we have a purpose
for doing so. There are five basic purposes for
communication:
– We communicate to develop and maintain our sense
of self
– We communicate to meet our social needs
– We communicate to develop and maintain
relationships
– We communicate to exchange information
– We communicate to influence others
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-3
Communication Is Continuous
We are always sending and
interpreting messages. Even silence
communicates a message if another
person infers meaning from it.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-3
Communication Is Irreversible
Once an exchange takes place, we can
never go back in time and erase the
communication. We might be able to
repair damage we have done, but the
message has been communicated.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-3
Communication Is Situated
When we say that communication is
situated we mean that it occurs within
a specific communication setting that
affects how the messages are
produced, interpreted, and
coordinated.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-3
Communication Is Indexical
• How we communicate is also an index or
measure of the emotional temperature
of our relationship at the time.
• A message exchange can signal the level
of trust, control, and intimacy in a
relationship.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-3
Communication Is Learned
Just as we learn to walk, so do we
learn to communicate. Because
communication is learned, we can
always improve our ability to
communicate.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-3
Communication Messages
Vary in Conscious Thought
• Recall that creating shared meaning
involves encoding and decoding verbal
messages, nonverbal cues, and even
visual images. Our messages may:
– Occur spontaneously
– Be based on a “script”
– Be carefully constructed.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-3
Communication Is Guided
by Cultural Norms
Culture is a system of shared beliefs,
values, symbols, and behaviors. How
messages are formed and interpreted
depends on the cultural background of
the participants.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
LO4:
Use the major tenets of
ethical communication to
create and evaluate messages
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-4
Communication and Ethics
• Ethics is a set of moral principles that
may be held by a society, a group, or an
individual. Ethical communicators:
– Are truthful and honest
– Act with integrity
– Behave fairly
– Demonstrate respect
– Are responsible
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-4
Dark Side Messages
The “dark side” is a metaphor for
inappropriate and/or unethical
communication. It follows, then, that
dark side messages are ones that are
not ethical and/or appropriate.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
FIGURE 1.3
Understanding Dark Side
Messages
© 2014 Cengage Learning
LO5:
Create a plan to increase
communication competence
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-5
Communication Competence
• Communication competence is the
impression that communicative behavior
is both appropriate and effective in a
given situation.
• Communication is effective when it
achieves its goals and appropriate when
it conforms to what is expected in a
situation.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-5
Communication Apprehension
• Communication apprehension is “the fear or
anxiety associated with real or anticipated
communication with others.”
•
•
•
•
Traitlike
Audience-based
Situational
Context-based
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1-5
Communication Is Guided
by Cultural Norms
• A communication improvement plan consists of
setting a new goal to resolve a communication
problem, identifying procedures to reach the goal,
and determining a way to measure progress.
1. Identify the problem
2. State the specific goal
3. Outline a specific procedure for reaching the
goal
4. Devise a method for measuring progress
© 2014 Cengage Learning