Stigma
a characteristic that discredits a person, making him or her be seen as abnormal or undesirable (AIDS)
What are the five needs that are served by communication?
1. physical
2. relational
3. identity
4. spiritual
5. instrumental
physical needs
communication helps us maintain physical and mental well-being
relational needs
communication helps us form social and personal relationships
identity needs
communication helps us decide who we are and who we want to be
spiritual needs
communication lets us share our beliefs and values with others
instrumental needs
communication helps us accomplish many day to day tasks
2 main reasons meeting instrumental needs are important
1. we have many instrumental needs (most of the communication we engage in is instrumental)
2. satisfying instrumental needs is extremely important because so many need to be met before other needs can become relevant
model
a formal description of a process (ex. communication)
What are the 3 models of communication?
1. action model
2. interaction model
3. transaction model
Action Communication Model
a linear one way process of communication. a source encodes and sends a message to the receiver who decodes the message (ex: leaving a voicemail)
source
the originator of a thought or an idea
encode
to put an idea into language or gesture
message
verbal and non-verbal elements of communication to which people give meaning
channel
a pathway through which messages are conveyed
receiver
the party who interprets the message
decode
to interpret or give meaning to a message
noise
anything that interferes with the encoding or decoding of a message
examples of physical noise
background conversation in the room or static on the telephone line
examples of psychological noise
other concerns your supervisor is dealing with that day
examples of physiological noise
fatigue or hunger
interaction model of communication
two way proess involving context and feedback, messages are shaped by feedback we receive from others and by the context in which we are interacting. source encodes message to receiver who decodes. then receiver becomes source and encodes feedback which i
feedback
verbal and non-verbal responses to a message
context
the physical or psychological environment in which communication occurs
physical context
where you are physically interacting with eachother
psychological context
involves factors that influence your state of mind, such as how formal the situation is, how much privacy you have or how emotionally charged the scenario is
what is the downfall of the interaction model?
it does not show how complex communication is
transaction model of communication
maintains that both people in a conversation are simultaneously sources and receivers and it argues that the conversation flows in both directions at the same time
good example of an action model of communication
sending a text message to your professor. you are the source and convey your message through a written channel to a receiver (the professor). noise includes any difficulty your professor has opening the message or understanding the language
good example of an interaction model of communication
when you submit a report at your job and workers give feedback on the report. you the source send a written message to the co-workers who receive it and provide written feedback within the context of the activity. noise includes if you or co-workers have
channel-rich context
a communication context involving many channels at once (ex: face to face communication)
channel-lean context
a communication context involving few channels at once (text messages)
Perceptual filters
what one person says is not always what the other person hears. we filter incoming communication through our perceptions, experiences, biases and beliefs
symbol
a representation of an idea
where do the meaning of words come from?
comes from the people and groups who use them
content dimension
literal information that is communicated by a message. (Ex: saying "we are out of detergent" the content dimension is that you have no detergent left)
relational dimension
signals about the relationship in which a message is being communicated (ex: when you tell your friend "im feeling down" you are also sending the message that you are comfortable enough to tell them that)
metacommunication
communication about communication (talking with someone about something they said)
explicit rule
a rule about behavior that has been clearly articulated
implicit rules
rules that almost everyone in a certain social group knows and follows even though no one has formally articulated and expressed them
5 myths about communication
1. everyone is an expert in communication
2. communication will solve every problem
3. communication can break down
4. communication is inherently good
5. more communication is always better
What is really happening when people say their "communication broke down"?
people are just not communicating effectively
Interpersonal communication
communication that occurs between two people within the context of their relationship and that as it evolves helps them to negotiate and define their relationship
Intrapersonal communication
communication with oneself (ex: rehearsing a conversation in your head)
Mass communication
communication from one source to a large audience
small group communication
communication occurring within small groups of three or more people
dyad
a pair of people
interpersonal communication occurs in a relationship
we communicate with each person on the basis of the expectations we have for their relationship
example of how interpersonal communication evolves within relationships
a new couple may talk all the time about dreams and then over time they talk less and talk more about instrumental things
4 basic characteristics of interpersonal communication
1. it is dyadic
2. it is either intentional or unintentional
3. it is irreversible
4. it is unrepeatable
impersonal communication
generic and replaceable communication
communication competence
communicating in ways that are effective and appropriate for a given situation
2 things that are important for communicating competently
1. communicating effectively
2. communicating appropriately
5 Characteristics of competent communication
1. being self-aware
2. adaptability
3. cognitive complexity
4. ethics
5. empathy
example of not being self-aware
someone who always talks way to much during conversations is not self-aware while they communicate
adaptability
being able to assess the situation and knowing what is appropriate and effective in a given context and then modifying your behavior accordingly
empathy
the ability to think and feel as others do. putting yourself in their position seeing their point of view
cognitive complexity
being able to find more than 1 explanation for someone
ethics
being decent, truthful and not manipulative. guidelines in judging whether something is morally right or wrong