Communication

1. Communication The Art of Interacting with others

2. Why Study Communication? • Knowing • What happens when people communicate with themselves and others • Understanding • How that knowledge can be used to explain and interpret the process of Communication in everyday life • Developing Skills • Using this knowledge and understanding to communicate more effectively

3. What a Relief!! • The art of Communication is not all natural. We can learn to communicate effectively • All Communication involves the creation and exchange of meanings via signs and symbols • Communication Studies involves the business of making and understanding these signs and symbols. • People seem to have a real need to read meaning into all human action.

4. What is Communication? • The transfer of Information, Understanding and Emotion from one person to another • The interdependent process of Sending, Receiving and Understanding and responding to messages

5. Communication • Is an on-going, dynamic process • Actively involves the Sender and the Receiver simultaneously • May be • Verbal: Oral/written word • Non-verbal: Gestures, drama, materials

6. Effective Communication • Takes a significant amount of work and energy • Stems from our understanding of ourselves and others • Involves • Our ability to listen • Our verbal communication skills • Our non-verbal communication skills • Our understanding of our relationship with others • Our ability to analyse an audience, or to understand context • Our knowledge of the way to research, prepare and deliver a public speech.

7. The Communication Process:Elements • Sender • Person with whom the message to be communicated originates • Encodes or gives expression to the message • Message • Thought, idea or information the Sender wishes to pass on to another • The Message has meaning. It is this that has to be sent • Medium • The medium is the method that the Sender chooses for encoding the message. This may be written or oral. These are both verbal. The Sender may also encode his message through signals, drama and other non-verbal means. • The Medium is often confused with the Channel. One way to distinguish them is that the Medium must be determined before the Channel is chosen, and often, Medium determines Channel – e.g. Medium: Email; Channel: Internet • Channel • The Message is sent via a Channel which is the means of transporting the message from the Sender to the Receiver, e.g. post office, internet, airwaves, airmail etc.

8. The Communication Process:Elements • Receiver • Person receiving or Decoding the message • Noise • Anything that distorts a message by interfering with the communication process • Radio playing in the background • Another person trying to enter the conversation • Examination nerves • Static on the telephone line • A slow computer • Feedback • The Receiver transmits verbal and non-verbal feedback to indicate his/her reception and understanding of the message

9. Describing the Process:A Model of Communication

10. Barriers and Facilitators • You have asked your younger brother to send a message to your friends Isaiah, in Form 3, Ellice in Form 4 and Sean from the security team to attend a meeting at your home this evening. Your brother puts a notice on the bulletin board in the Form 4 classroom, in French. Only Ellice turns up for the meeting.

11. Barriers and Facilitators • Give two probable reasons for the others not attending • At which points did the communication break down? • Suggest two things to ensure that everyone attended the meeting

12. Barriers and Facilitators • There was a language barrier, notice was poorly located; the method of notification was faulty (his ???) • When your brother selected the means of transferring the message ( his ???) • He could have written in a language that all three would have understood; he could have telephoned all three; he could have spoken to each one directly. • What about email?

13. Barriers and Facilitators • A Barrier is …… • A Facilitator is …..

14. Barriers and Facilitators • Some facilitators are • Selecting a language which is familiar to the receiver • ? • ? • ?

15. Barriers and Facilitators • Some Barriers to Communication are • Sender and Receiver speak different languages • ? • ? • ?

16. Forms of Communication • Cathy would like to describe her graduation ceremony to her aunt who lives in Australia. Think of two ways in which she could do this • After the graduation, Cathy wants to describe to her brother how some of the girls walked up to collect their certificate. What do you think she would do?

17. Forms of Communication • Verbal • Requires words • May be speech or writing • Conversation • Face-to-face • Telephone • Letter • Email • Text message • Fax • Messenger/chat

18. Forms of Communication • Non-Verbal • Relies on elements other than speech or writing • Is just as important as non-verbal communication • Body language (gestures, posture, facial expression) • Use of space • Use of objects • Dress • Graphics (charts, tables, diagrams) • Integrating forms for specific purposes (role play, simulation)

19. FORM and CONTEXT • The specific FORM of communication is, or should be, intimately related to the CONTEXT in which it is used • One element of our COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE is our ability to get our message across accurately

20. Contexts of Communication • In order to evaluate the appropriateness or effectiveness of a communication act, we must first understand its context. • Communication does not occur in a vacuum. It occurs within a CONTEXT • The circumstances of a communicative act are referred to as the CONTEXT of communication

21. Contexts of Communication • You have to give a speech in each of the following situations. Consider the adjustments that you would have to make to your presentation • To a panel of interviewers where you are applying for a job • To a group of standard two students in their assembly hall • To an oral examiner in a small examination room • To a group of persons opposing your ideas • On national television • On radio

22. Contexts of Communication • Who is present, or who is being addressed. What do you need to consider here? • The general attitude of your audience. Why is this important? • Where the communication takes place. What are the factors that should influence your communicative decisions?

23. Contexts of Communication Context may be • FORMAL • Certain societal norms are evident and there are perceived patterns of behaviour • NON-FORMAL/INFORMAL • Individuals or groups are not constrained by specified ways in which communication would normally take place

24. Contexts of Communication • Intrapersonal- Thinking, solving problems, imagining/imaging • Interpersonal – interviews, conversations, intimate communication • Small group – leadership meeting, brain-storming, prayer meeting

25. Contexts of Communication • Organizational – business, government, official purposes, educational • Academic – essay, research paper, doctoral thesis • Public – speeches, debates • Intercultural – communicating across social sub-group, in tourism

26. Contexts of Communication Match the scenarios with the most appropriate form of verbal communication