Communication
The process of acting on information.
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.
Interpersonal Communication
A distinctive, transactional form of human communication involving mutual influence, usually for the purpose of managing relationships.
Impersonal Communication
The process that occurs when we treat others as objects or respond to their roles rather than to who they are as unique persons.
Relationship
A connection established with another person through communication.
Mass Communication
The process that occurs when one person issues the same message to many people at once; the creator of the message is usually not physically present, and there is virtually no opportunity for listeners to respond immediately to the speaker.
Public Communication
The process that occurs when a speaker addresses an audience in person.
Small Group Communication
The process that occurs when a group of from three to fifteen people meet to interact with a common purpose and mutually influence one another.
Intrapersonal Communication
Communication with yourself; thinking.
Source
The originator of a thought or emotion, who puts it into a code that can be understood by a receiver.
Encode
To translate ideas, feelings, and thoughts into code.
Decode
To interpret ideas, feelings, and thoughts that have been translated into a code.
Message
Written, spoken, and unspoken elements of communication to which people assign meaning.
Channel
Pathway through which messages are sent.
Receiver
A person who decodes a message and attempts to make sense of what the source has encoded.
Noise
Anything literal or psychological that interferes with accurate reception of a message.
Feedback
Responses to a message.
Context
Physical and psychological environment for communication.
Systems Theory
Theory that describes the interconnected elements of a system in which a change in one element affects all of the other elements.
Episode
A sequence of interactions between individuals, during which the message of one person influences the message of another.
Electronically Mediated Communication
Communication that is not face to face, but rather is sent via a medium such as a cell phone or the Internet.
Asynchronous Message
A message that is not read, heard, or seen exactly when it is sent; there is a time delay between the sending of the message and its receipt.
Synchronous Message
A message that is sent and received simultaneously.
Social Presence
The feeling that communicators have of engaging in unmediated, face-to-face interactions even though messages are being sent electronically.
Hyperpersonal Relationship
A relationship formed primarily through electronically mediated communication that becomes more personal than an equivalent face-to-face relationship because of the absence of distracting external cues, smaller amounts of personal information, and idealization of the communication partner.
Cues-Filtered-Out Theory
The theory that suggests that communication of emotions is restricted when people send messages to others via e-mail or other electronic means because nonverbal cues such as facial expression and tone of voice are filtered out.
Media Richness Theory
The theory that identifies the richness of a communication medium based on the amount of feedback it allows, the number of cues receivers can interpret, the variety of language it allows, and the potential for emotional expression.
Social Information-Processing Theory
The theory that suggests people can communicate relational and emotional messages via the Internet, although such messages take longer to express without nonverbal cues.
Symbol
Word, sound or visual image that represents something else, such as a thought, concept, or object.
Rule
Followable prescription that indicates what behavior is obligated, preferred, or prohibited in certain contexts.
Content
Information, ideas, or suggested actions that a speaker wishes to share.
Relationship Dimension
The implied aspect of a communication message, which conveys information about emotions, attitudes, power and control.
Communibiological Approach
Theoretical perspective that suggests communication behavior can be predicted based on personal traits and characteristics that result from people's genetic or biological background.
Social Learning Theory
The theory of human behavior that suggests we can learn how to adapt and adjust our behavior toward others; how we behave is not solely dependent on our genetic or biological makeup.
Egocentric Communicator
A person who creates messages without giving much thought to the person who is listening; a communicator who is self-focused and self-absorbed.
Ethics
The beliefs, values, and moral principles by which a person determines what is right or wrong.