Communications Chapter 1

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