Basics of Communication Flashcards
Norm
a rule of what behavior is acceptable in a given situation
Three types of norms
Folkways, Mores, and Taboos
Folkways
social rules to which people generally conform despite minimal pressure to do so, not a big deal if you break them
Ex: you should wear matching socks
Mores
strongly held norms
Ex: adults running around naked in their front yard
Taboos
extremely strongly held norms
-often laws against such action
Ex: having sex with a family member (incest) or a dead person (necrophilia)
Examples of norms in dating
- Normative to be gracious when turned down
- Negotiating prices on a first date breaks a folkway.
Types of pick-up lines (5)
Friendly: “Would you mind some conversation while we wait?”
Offbeat: “Do you think we’re ever going to switch to the metric system?”
Humorous: “So what’s a nice girl like you doing in an elevator like this?”
Altar: “You look just like my third husband” (only had two)
Seductive: “You’re the sexiest woman in the room.”
The S-E-M-C-D-R Model
S (source)
E (encoder)
M (message)
C (channel)
D (decoder)
R (receiver)
Source
the person from which the idea is communicated
Encoder
takes the idea and puts it into some form that someone else will understand (source and encoder are the same person)
Decoder
translates the idea into thought (decoder and receiver are the same person) e.g. hearing and reading
Channel
the medium in which a message is sent
Ex: television, radio, telephone, text
Receiver
person who receives the message being sent
A message has three aspects:
- Message Code
- Message Content
- Message Treatment
Message Code
a shared symbol system (“code” = “form)
Ex: language, morse code, colors (such as in a traffic light), facial expressions, how you dress, sirens, sounds, music
Message Content
the basic content of the message, from the first symbol to the last
Message Treatment
how you convey the message
Ex: In what tone you say something – can convey your feelings or relationship to the person with whom you’re speaking
Double-bind
clashes with what you say and how you say it
-in a double bind we tend to read non-verbal cues instead of verbal
Ex: a rise in volume when your friend says “I’m not mad.”
Communicative Competence
knowing how to treat messages in certain circumstances
-you follow the norm of appropriateness
Fidelity
the degree of exactness with which a message is sent
High Fidelity
a message that gets from the source to the receiver without distortion
-the enemy of fidelity is noise
Ex: face to face conversation
-a low fideltiy example is a tv with a lot of static
Noise
anything that interferes with fidelity
Two types of noise
(1) internal noise and (2) external noise
Internal Noise
Internal thoughts that interfere with a message getting through to you
Ex: thinking about the party you’re going to on Friday distracts you from listening to your professor during the lecture
Ex: hunger, sickness
External Noise
noise occurring in the external world, can be social or physical
Ex: checking out an attractive person during a lecture
Feedback
the receiver can send a message back to the source, the receiver becomes the source
Linear Models
models that don’t have feedback and go in one direction (SEMCDR Model)
Circular Models
models that include feedback
-can increase fidelity through clarification
-takes longer
Four Systems of Communication
- Intrapersonal
- Interpersonal
- Small Group Communication
- Mass
Intrapersonal
communication with yourself
Ex: thoughts and feelings
Interpersonal
communication between TWO people (dyadic)
-higher feedback
-Ex: two people sitting across from each other on a date
Small group
communication between 3 and 30 people
-people must perceive themselves as a member, not random
-if there is a small group and there’s one person who isn’t a member, it becomes mass
-the same goes for if someone who is a group member is missing and it is perceptible
number of small group and mass are capable of being the same
Ex: a basketball team meeting
Mass Communication
a very large group of people (often a linear form of communication)
Ex: a lecture in college
Mediation
something that comes in between or intercedes two or more things
-a physical inanimate thing interferes with face-to-face communication
-mediated and non-mediated can occur at the same time
Examples of mediated vs non-mediated
- talking directly to a person is a non-mediated interpersonal
-talking on the phone is mediated interpersonal
-a zoom meeting is mediated small group
-re-reading an essay you wrote is mediated intrapersonal
-looking in a mirror is mediated intrapersonal
Aggregate
a group of people who don’t know each other, more-so in the same place at the same time
