verbal communication

Question 1

what is verbal communication

Answer 1

• symbols in the form of spoken or written words

anything that can be translated into language (morse code, sign language etc.)

Question 2

symbols: arbitrary

Answer 2

• no intrinsic connection between symbol and referent

- words and terms seem right because as a society we agree to use them in particular ways

Question 3

symbols: ambiguous

Answer 3

• no clear-cut, precise meanings
• associated with a range of meanings, have a range of interpretations
• some degree of agreement exist within communication communities -> same language is used but what it means varies in relation to personal experiences, interests, identities and backgrounds

Question 4

symbols: abstract

Answer 4

• words are not the phenomena to which they refer (“stand for” things but not the things they represent)

Question 5

how language creates meaning: defining & evaluating phenomena - labels

Answer 5

• affects how we perceive what we have labeled

Question 6

how language creates meaning: defining & evaluating phenomena - values

Answer 6

• language is not neutral, laden with values

Question 7

how language creates meaning: defining & evaluating phenomena - totalising

Answer 7

• responding to a person as if one label totally represents that person, and fail to recognise many other aspects of the person

Question 8

how language creates meaning: organising experiences

Answer 8

• classifying things into categories

- often times part of the perceptual process

Question 9

how language creates meaning: invite higher-level thinking and reflection

Answer 9

• hypothetical thought

- self-reflection

Question 10

how language creates meaning: defining relationships

Answer 10

• conveys messages about how we perceive ourselves and others
• sends signals about the relationship
• relationship-level meaning (responsiveness/care/attention, liking/affection, power/authority)

Question 11

tips on effective verbal communication

Answer 11

• engage in person-centred communication
• be aware of abstract language
• qualify language (generalisations, static evaluation, indexing)
• own your thoughts and feelings

Question 12

principles of communication: interpretation

Answer 12

active, creative process to make sense of experiences

• needed because language (symbols) is a^3
• create meaning by using language to represent institutional facts or the social meanings we attribute to brute facts
• meanings also grow out of context

Question 13

principles of communication: guided by rules

Answer 13

we learn how to interpret language in the process of being socialised into a particular culture

communication rules: shared understandings about what communication means and what behaviours are appropriate (when to c, how to c, how to interpret other’s vc and nvc)

regulative rules
constitutive rules

• changes to rules can be negotiated
• can be shared or in private

Question 14

principles of communication: punctuation

Answer 14

mark a flow of activity into meaningful units -> our perception of when interaction begins and ends

subjective perceptions