LECTURE TWO Communication: Definition, Principles, Components, Contexts and Models By

1. LECTURE TWO Communication: Definition, Principles, Components, Contexts and Models By Seth Awuku Manteaw, PhD (Department of Agricultural Extension, University of Ghana)

2. What is Communication? • Communication is a Concept, which is seen differently by different scholars • It is a Latin word: communicare, which means “to make common” or “to share” • It is defined as the process by which meaning is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs or behaviours

3. Principles of Communication 1. Communication begins with the self. Barnlund (1970) developed the idea that six persons are involved in every two-person communication situation • How you view yourself • How you view the other person • How you believe the other person views you • How the other person views himself or herself • How the other person views you • How the other person believes you view him or her 2. Communication is complicated or complex. It is far more than simple information transmission (there are several aspects-verbal, nonverbal, channels, speaker and his/her characteristics, the receiver and his/her characteristics etc)

4. Principles of Communication (Cont’d) 3.Communication involves others. It is a dialogic process. Competent communicators consider the other person’s needs and expectations when communicating. 4. Communication is inevitable. Everything about us is communication. Our actions and inactions communicate something to those who observe them 5. Communication is irreversible. We cannot go back in time to erase our messages to others

5. Principles of Communication (Cont’d) 6. Communication cannot be repeated. Your second experience with a similar setting and person would yield far different results, just as you cannot repeat an experience, you cannot repeat communication 7. More communication is not necessarily better communication. Communication defined as verbiage (use of words) does not necessarily lead to positive outcomes

6. Components of Communication Components of communication include people, messages, codes, channels, feedbacks, encoding, decoding and noise

7. People • People are involved in the human communication process in two roles: both as sources and receivers of the messages. • The Source initiates the message and the receiver is the intended target of the message • Individuals do not perform these roles independently or separately. Instead, they are the sources and receivers simultaneously and continually. • Individual characteristics of people including race, sex, age, culture, religion etc affect the way they send and receive messages.

8. Components of Communication (cont’d) 2. Message • The Message is the verbal and nonverbal form of the idea, thought or feeling that one person (source) wishes to communicate to another person or group (receivers) • The Message includes the symbols (words and phrases), facial expression, bodily movement, gestures, touch, tone of voice etc 3. Channel • The Channel is the means by which a message moves from the source to the receiver • In face-to-face communication, the senses of sound, sight, smell, touch and taste can serve as channels. In mass communication, radio, television, newspaper and Internet are channels

9. Components of Communication (cont’d) 4. Feedback • Feedback is the receiver’s verbal and nonverbal response to the source’s message (questions, contributions, smiling, frowning, clapping, sleeping etc) • It is part of any communication situation, even no response or silence is feedback 5. Codes • People converse with others by using a code (ust like a cable, wire or fibre) called Language. • A Code is a systematic arrangement of symbols used to create meaning in the minds of another person(s) • Verbal and nonverbal codes are the two types of codes used in communication

10. Components of Communication (cont’d) 6. Encoding and Decoding • If communication involves the use of codes, the process of communication can be viewed as one of encoding and decoding • Encoding is defined as the act of putting idea or a thought into a code. Decoding is assigning meaning to that idea or thought 7. Noise • Noise is anything that interferes with the delivery of the message • Noise can be Semantic (message gets through as sent, but the receiver does not understand what it means) Mechanical (when there is a problem with the machine being used to assist communication) Environmental (noise that is external to the communication, but that nonetheless interferes with it e.g. a noisy class, a moving car etc), Psychological (state of mind or mood of the receiver-sad, happy, nervous, worried, tired etc)

11. Models of Communication A model is a graphical representation of something, used to explain concepts. There are four main models of human communication: Action, Interaction, Transaction, Contructivist

12. Action Model • In this model, one person sends a message and another person(s) receive it. This model is called the “inoculation model” because it seemed to depict a speaker injecting an audience with a message SR • The Action model is linear, although in some context audiences affect speakers through nonverbal and verbal feedbacks, not reflected in the model

13. Interaction Model • In this model, one person sends a message to a second person who receives it and responds with another message • This model seems to depict a conversation between two people in which the communication takes turns sending and receiving messages. SR

14. Transaction Model • In this model, rather than acting exclusively as senders or receivers, here communicators simultaneously send and receive messages. The sending and receiving are no longer separate activities and they do not occur one at a time • People are continually sending and receiving messages SR

15. Constructivist Model • The first three models are mechanistic as they simply show the direction of communication movement: source to receiver, source to receiver to source, and source and receiver at the same time • In the constructivist model, the focus shifts from sources, messages, receivers and feedbacks to what occurs in the minds of communicators interpret ting meaning • The sender’s words are symbols to be interpreted and the receiver constructs his/her own meaning. The receiver’s interpretation of the sender’s message may or may not be the same as what the sender intended it to be. • The only way to reach agreement about the message is by discussing what the sender intended and what the receiver interpreted. This is called negotiating meaning. S R

16. Context of Communication Communication occurs in a context, a set of circumstances or situations. The context may be Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Public and Mass

17. Intrapersonal Communication • This is the process of understanding and sharing meaning within the self. It is communication that occurs within your own mind • It includes such activities as solving problems internally, resolving internal conflicts, planning for the future etc

18. Interpersonal Communication • Communication that that involves one or more other persons. Coordinating meaning between at least two people in a situation that allows mutual opportunities for both speaking and listening • It is divided further into Dyadic or two-person communication and small-group communication

19. Public Communication • It is the process of generating meanings in a situation where a single source transmits message to a number of receivers who give nonverbal and verbal feedbacks • In this type of communication context, the source adapts the message to the audience in an attempt to achieve maximum understanding • It is recognized by its formality, structure and planning (lecture classes, convocations and religious services)

20. Mass Communication • This is the transmission of public messages to travel over some distance to reach large, heterogeneous, scattered audiences • Examples of mass communication include print media such as newspapers, magazines, flyers, pamphlets, posters, billboards, journals, books, and electronic media such as radio, television, Internet.

21. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU