Human Communication
The process of making sense out of the world and sharing that sense with others by creating meaning through the use of verbal and nonverbal messages.
Intrapersonal Communication
Only takes place within your head (within you) includes your thoughts, emotions, and perceptions of yourself and others.
Interpersonal Communication
Communication that occurs simultaneously between two people who attempt to mutually influence each other, usually for the purpose of managing relationships.
Impersonal Communication
Communication that treats people as objects, or that responds only to their roles, rather than to who they are as unique people.
Small Group Communication
Creating meaning among 3 to 15 people who share a common purpose, feel a sense of belonging to the group, and exert influence on one another.
Presentational Communication
A speaker addresses a gathering of people and intends to share information, persuade, or entertain.
Language
Consists of symbols and grammar that make it possible for people to understand one another.
Dyad
Communication between only two people
Ethics
The beliefs, values, and moral principles by which we determine what is right or wrong. Being honest plays a large role.
Rhetoric
The process of using symbols to influence or persuade others.
Concrete Language
Meaning that refers to something that can be perceived with one of the senses.
Mediated Communication
Any communication that is carried out using some channel other than those used in face-to-face communication.
Adapt
To adjust both what is communicated and how a message is communicated; to make choices about how best to formulate a message and responds to others to achieve your communication goals.
Symbol
A word, sounds, gesture, or visual image that represents a thought, concept, object, or experience.
Denotative Meaning
dictionary definition
Connotative Meaning
Personal and subjective meaning of a word.
Abstract Language
Meaning that refers to something that cannot be perceived or experienced with one of the senses.
Mass Communication
Communication accomplished through a mediated message that is sent to many people at the same time (Press release, mass text messages)
Sexist Language
Gender neutralizes audience. Reveals bias in favor of one sex and against another.
Heterosexist Language
Language that reveals an assumption that the world is heterosexual, as if homosexuality or bisexuality did not exist.
Homophobic Language
Language that overly denigrates personal of nonheterosexual orientations, usually arising out of a fear of being labeled gay or lesbian.
Generic Language
General terms that stand for all person or things within a given category. (ex. Making something masculine.
Trigger Words
A form of language that arouses strong emotions in listeners.
Empathy
The ability to understand and feel what another person is feeling
Bafflegrab
Language whose purpose is to obscure, confuse, or mislead
Supportive Communication
Language that creates a climate of trust, caring, and acceptance.
Defensive Communication
Language that creates a climate of hostility and mistrust.
Source
The originator of a though or emotion, who puts it into a code that can be understood by a receiver.
Channel
Pathway through which messages are sent.
Decoding
A process of interpreting ideas, feelings, and thoughts that have been translated into a code.
Receiver
Person who decodes a message and attempts to make sense out of what the source has encoded.
Noise
Anything that interferes with your ability to listen to a message
Contect/Environment
Physical, historical, and psychological communication environment.
Message
Written, spoken, and unspoken elements of communication to which people assign meaning.
Encoding
A process of translating ideas, feelings, and thoughts into a code
Feedback
Response to a message
Chronological Organization
organization by time or sequence
Topical Organization
Organization determined by the speaker's discretion or by recency, primacy, or complexity.
Spatial Organization
Organization according to location position, or direction
Cause & Effect Organization
Organizaion by discussing a situation and its causes or a situation and its effects
Recency
The principle that audiences remember best what they hear last, which guides the arrangement of ideas from the least to the most important
Primacy
Arranging ideas from the strongest to least controversial to the weakest or most controversial
Complexity
Arranging ideas from simple to more complex
Problem/Solution
Organization by discussng first a problem and then various solutions
Signposts
A verbal or nonverval organizational signal
Specific Purpose
A concise statement of what listeners should be able to do by the time the speaker finishes the presentation
Conclusion
Closing lines of a presentation, which leave a final presentation
Closure
The sense that a presentation "sounds finished
Summary
A recap of what's been said
Preview Statement
A preview of what's to come
Transitions
A word, phrase, or nonverbal cue that indicates movement from one idea to the next or the relationship between ideas.
Preparation Outline
Detailed outline of a presentation that includes main ideas, subpoints, and supporting material, that may also include specific purpose, introduction, bluprint, internal previews, and summaries, transitions, and conclusion
Delivery Outline
Condensed and abbreviated outline of a presentation, from which speaking notes are developed
General Purpose
The broad reason for giving a presentation: to inform, to persuade or to entertain an audience
Manuscript Speaking
reading a presentation from a written text
Extemporaneous Speaking
speaking from a written or memorized outline without having memorized the exact wording of the presentation
Physical Delivery
a person's gestures, movement, and posture, which influence how a message is interpreted
Pitch
How high or low a speaker's voice is
Articulation
The production of clear and distinct speech sounds
Pause
A few seconds of silence during a presentation; can be used both to slow a fast pace and to signal a key idea
Rate
How fast or slowly a speaker speaks.
Appearance
A speaker's dress and grooming
Presentational Aid
Any tangible item used to help communicate ideas to an audience.
Gestures
should be relaxed, definite, varied, and appropriate to your audience and the speaking situation
Movement
should be purposeful
Posture
should feel natural and be appropriate to your topic, your audience, and the occasion
Eye Contact
should be established before you say anything and sustained as much as possible throughout your presentation
Rate
Should be neither too fast nor too slow, and can be varied to add interest and emphasize key ides
Volume
Shoud be loud enough that you can easily be heard, and should be purposeflly varie
Pronunciation
the way a word or a language is customarily spoken
Memorized Speaking
a style of speaking in which the speaker delivers the speech word for word having memorized all parts of the speech
Impromptu Speaking
delivering a presentation without advance preparation
Team
A coordinated group of people organized to work together to achieve a specific common goal.
Individual Roles
A role that focuses attention on the individual rather than on the group
Status
An individual's importance and prestige.
Group Deviate
A group member who holds an opinion, attitude, or belief that is different from that of other group members.
Brainstorming
A technique for generating many possible solutions to a problem by withholding evaluation while group members suggest ideas; ideas are evaluated after suggestions have been offered.
Listening
A complex process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to verbal and nonverbal messages, which involves five steps: selecting, attending, understading, remembering, and responding
Task Roles
A role that helps a group achieve its goal and accomplish its work.
Role
The consistent way a person communicates with others in a small group.
Power
The ability to influenceThe ability to influence other people's behavior other people's behavior
Clique
A smaller, cohesive group within a group
Concensus
Agreement among all members of a group or team to support an idea, proposal, or solution.
Coercion
the act of compelling by force of authority
Emotional Noise
A form of communication noise caused by emotional arousal.
Receive Apprehension
Fear of misunderstanding or misinterpreting the messages spoken by others, or of not being able to adjust psychologically to messages expressed by others.
People-Oriented Listeners
Those who prefer to focus on the emotions and feelings communicated by others verbally and nonverbally.
Action-Oriented Listeners
Those who prefer that the messages communicated by others contain information that is functional, well organized, brief, and accurate
Content-Oriented Listeners
Those who prefer that messages communicated by others contain complex and detailed information.
Time-Oriented Listeners
who prefer that messages communicated by others be brief.
Paraphrasing
Checking the accuracy of your understanding by restating your partner's message in your own words.
Arousal
Feelings of interest and excitement communicated by such nonverbal cues as vocal expression, facial expressions, and gestures.
Dominance
Feelings of power, status, and control communicated by such nonverbal cues as relaxed posture, greater personal space, and protected personal space.
Immediacy
Feels of liking, pleasure, and closeness communicated by such nonverbal cues as eye contact, forward lean, touch, and open body orientation
Hearing
The physiological process of decoding sounds.
Norms
General standards that determine what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior in a group.
Cohesiveness
The degree of attraction members feel toward one another and toward their group.
Criteria
Standards for an acceptable solution.
Groupthink
A guilty sense of agreement that occurs when members of a group fail to challenge an idea; a false consensus; conflict is minimized and group members do not express concerns or reservations about an idea or proposal.
Legitimate power
Power that stems from being elected or appointed to a position of authority.
Referent Power
Power that results from being popular and well liked
Expert Power
Power that results from having information or being knowledgeable about issues or ideas
Reward Power
Power that results from having the resources to bestow gifts, money, recognition, or other rewards that group members value
Coercive Power
Power that results from having the ability to punish others
Social Decentering
someone who feels isolated within a group
Ability Bias
anything that limits someone (example handicapped)
Vocalics
Pitch, tone, volume, timber
Shifting attention
shifting attention on the method
Processing Rate
Gaging information flow in an informative speech
Territoriality
the roles in which the individual plays within the groups
Democratic Leader
One who leads by developing a consensus among group members; a leader who asks for input and uses the input of others when leading and making decisions.
Paralanguage
Movement or gestures
Authoritarian Leader
One who leads by directing, controlling, telling, and ordering others.
Laisser-faire
One who fails to lead or who leads or exerts influences only when asked or directed by the group.