Intro To Human Communication Flashcards
Studying communication improves…
- The way you see yourself
- The ways others see you
- Your relationship with others
- …and teaches important life skills
- …your confidence to voice your opinions and give the chance to others to voice their own opinions
- …succeed professionally
- …can help to navigate a diverse world.
Communicating with yourself…
- Intrapersonal communication.
Communicating with others…
- interpersonal communication.
Communication is the process of…
- Using messages to generate meaning.
Communication is a process because it is…
- an activity
- an exchange
- a set of behaviour
The process of communication is…
- continuous
- always changing…
Messages are…
- verbal and non-verbal symbols, signs and behaviours.
Understanding requires …
A common meaning for words, phrases and non-verbal codes.
The source is…
The person initiating communication.
The receiver is…
The person receiving the message
The message is…
Verbal or non-verbal form of idea.
- messages are intentional or not intentional ie: facial expressions can expose angriness or anxiety.
Symbols are…
- words and phrases
- facial expressions
- gestures
- physical contact
- tone of voice
- other non-verbal codes
The channel is…
The means by which a message moves from the source to the receiver.
Feedback …
The receiver’s response to the source
Code…
A systematic arrangement of symbols that create meaning in other people’s minds.
Verbal codes…
Symbols and their grammatical arrangements.
Non-verbal codes…
- symbols that are not words
- body movements
- use of space and time
- clothing and other adornments
- sounds that aren’t words ie: a sigh.
- non-verbal codes that also include oral codes ie: pitch, duration, rate of speech and sounds.
Encoding…
Translating idea into code of produced messages.
Decoding…
Assigning meaning to ideas of received messages
Noise…
- interferes with the encoding and decoding process, making it harder to receive, provide and interpret feedback.
Noise can be physical…
- loud sounds
- distracting signs
- food stuck in someone’s teeth (visual)
- unusual behaviour ie: standing too close to another person (spatial)
Noise can be mental or semantic…
- daydreaming
- worrying about bills
- pain
- uncertainty
The final component of communication is…
- the situation - location of where communication takes place.
- the relationship and channel can affect the situation.
Communication begins with the self…
- people feel the same way as they are treated ie: intelligent. It is the belief that people are products of the messages sent by others.
Communication is..
- participatory
… we are actively involves and responsive to comm.
According to George Herbert Mead…
…the self originates through comm.
- any messages we receive, play a role in determining who we are.
A dialogue is the…
Act of taking part in a convo, discussion or negotiation.
Comm has both
…a content and relational dimensions
- relational messages are harder to understand
The variables used in comm have a…
… strong influence.
Variables:
- verbal, non-verbal, behavioural aspects, choices of channels used, audience characteristic, situation.
A change in one variable can affect the whole comm process.
Comm involves…
…choices, implications and risks, ie: choosing not to tell someone what you really think is a CHOICE.
Quantity does not increase quality…
…quantity does not necessarily bring on harmony or accuracy.
Quantity does not always lead to positive outcomes:
- poor listening skills
- empathy skills
- misunderstanding vast quantities of info.
Communication is pervasive…
…it occurs all the time.
- you are always communicating with yourself - intrapersonal.
- through comm we gather observations and draw conclusions.
- when a person in yawning - boredom.
- when a person looks the other way - disinterested.
Inner dialogue …
- constant internal discussion with yourself
- observing others
- making assumptions
- planning
What factors influence relationships and communication?
- nature of relationship ie: employer and employee
- context surrounding the relationship
- goals of individuals involved
Comm is complicated…
- misunderstandings prevent effective comm
- harder to understand what is going on if comm is complicated
- if you repeat info coming from unreliable source.
Comm cannot be reversed…
- cannot go back in time to erase messages
Understanding this makes you more aware of future convos.
Comm can’t be repeated.
- can’t recreate the convo completely identical.
Comm occurs in context…
- a set of circumstances and situations.
In colleges and universities:
- interpersonal & intrapersonal comm
- interviews
- small group comm ie: lecture setting
- public speaking
- mass comm
- computer-mediated comm (CMC)
Intrapersonal comm…
- generates meaning with only the self. We are continually engaged in this type of comm.
- occurs when observing interactions with others.
- occurs before and after other forms of comm
- includes: solving probs internally, planning for future, evaluating yourself and relationships with others.
- some argue that since intrapersonal comm doesn’t occur between 2 or more people, then it isn’t really a type of comm. they reason that it should be studied in fields relating to the brain.
Interpersonal comm…
- generates meaning between 2 or more ppl, allowing for mutual opportunities to speak and listen.
- includes: solving probs, resolving conflicts, share info, improve thoughts on oneself, fulfil social needs.
- through this type of comm, we establish rels.
Dyadic comm…
- 2 person comm, ie: interview, a couple, interaction between 2 strangers.
- face to face discourse
- social media helps to maintain interpersonal rels.
Small group comm…
- occurs within a small group of ppl, ie: families, study groups.
Public speaking…
- a single speaker confronts a number of receivers.
- receivers in public comm give non-verbal codes or question/answer feedback.
- recognised by its formality, structure and planning.
- persuades, informs, entertains, pays tributes etc.
Mass comm…
- generates meaning between a source and large number of unseen receivers.
- always has a mediator between sender and receiver
- a person engages in mass comm through statements on twitter, posting a video, writing for a campus newsletter etc.
- taught in journalism, tv etc.
- smartphones have become 1 easily accessible portal that’s converged traditional forms of media ie: radio.
Digitally mediated comm (DMC) …
- conducted through new comm tech.
- email, FB etc… - engaging in DMC.
- voice, data, video, audio etc.
- DMC can be used anywhere using an internet connection.
- dyadic to mass-mediated messages.
- synchronous and asynchronous.
Synchronous…
- instant sending and receiving of messages, ie: text message interactions and face-to-face.
Asynchronous…
- small or substantial delay in interaction, ie: discussion posts.
Comm competence…
- the ability to effectively exchange meaning through symbols and behaviours.
- competence can be difficult because of the different goals ppl have.
- cultural differences cause us to view the world and others differently.
- differences create problems in interactions.
Comm as a process…
- meaning might change over time.
- saying something twice does not necessarily mean the same thing.
- what was said, to whom and in which context.
- the meaning of a symbol is not always the same regardless the situation.
Comm creates our social worlds…
- violence on tv and video games might affect people.
- how we communicate is responsible for creating our social worlds.
- comm creates reality.
Comm is adaptive and functional…
- comm needs to be clear, free from ambiguity
- ambiguity still has advantages, ie: can make differences seem less apparent, enhances creativity and foster’s collaboration.
Understanding ethical (moral principles)comm..
- ethical standards differ from 1 discipline to another, differing between cultures.
- ethics violated when listening to politicians, activists etc.
Understanding comm theory and research…
- good theories provide clear narratives of how things work.
- theories are developed to understand causes, processes and effects of comm.
Characteristics of comm…
- symbolic: represents something else, ie: object, idea… can be a word, picture, logo etc.
- requires meaning
- cultural
- relational
- involves frames
- both representational and presentational
- works like a transaction
Signs are…
- consequences/indicators of something specific.
- not able to change by human arbitrary.
*symbols and signs are not the same
Symbols…
- have no direct connection to what they represent.
- used amongst different cultures
- symbols differ in meaning depending on relational context, ie: saying ‘I love you’ differs in meaning depending on who it is being directed at.
- meanings are attached to symbols and can be modified as time progresses.
Culture
- comm is cultural
- cannot be separated from comm
- culture and comm reinforce one another.
