Communicate!

1. Communicate! Chapter 1

2. Why Study Communication? • Practical Needs / Work Place • Employers seek communication skills, team work skills, and interpersonal abilities. It’s the number one skills sought. (Hansen & Hansen, 2007; Young, 2003; Koncz, 2008) • In Engineering, speaking skills were important to 72% of employers surveyed (Darling & Dannels, 2003) • Identity Needs • Communication is the way we learn who we are ( see Chapter 2)

3. Why Study Communication? cont. Physical needs • Fredrick II, emperor of Germany from 1196 to 1250 illustrated the importance of communication (Ross and McLaughlin) • Five people are isolated and remain alone in a locked room (Schachter, 1959) • John McCain talked about 6 years of solitary confinement (McCain) • Russian Experiment to Mars? Locked away for 520 days? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7966731.stm http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/06/02/russia-mars-experiment-travel.html?ref=rss http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8150385.stm

4. Why Study Communication? cont. • Physical needs • People who lack strong relationships have 2-3 times the risk of early death. (Duck, 1992) • Divorced, separated, widowed people are 5-10 times more likely to be hospitalized for mental illness (Duck, 1992) • Social isolation similar to cigarette smoking, obesity, lack of exercise, and diet?????? • People who are socially isolated are 4 times more likely to get the common cold (Cohen, Doyle, Skoner, Rabin, Gwaltney, 1997) (as well as The Journal of the American Medical Association)

5. Definition of Communication: • What examples come to mind when you think of the term “communication”? • Adler and Rodman’s definition of communication: “The process of creating meaning through symbolic interaction.” • Verderber, Verderber, and Sellnow’s definition of communication: “The process of creating or sharing meaning in informal conversations, group interaction, or public speaking.” • My definition of communication: “The process of creating and/or sharing intentional and/or unintentional meaning through nonverbal and verbal messages in informal conversation, group interaction, or public speaking.”

6. The Elements of the Communication process: • Participants • Encoder • Decoder • Message • messages are created (encoded and decoded) by symbols to which meaning is assigned. • Context • Physical context, social context, historical context, psychological context, cultural context • Channel • Interference (Noise) • Physical noise, Psychological noise, Semantic noise • Feedback

7. The Communication Process (the transactional model of communication)

8. Communication Settings/ Communication Contexts: Qualitative vs. Quantitative • Intrapersonal communication • Interpersonal communication (dyadic?) • Small group communication • Public communication • Mass communication

9. Communication Principles: • Communication has purpose • Communication is continuous • Communication messages vary in conscious thought • Communication is relational • Once cannot be attractive without others who are attracted? • One cannot be a leader unless others are willing to follow? • Quality of interaction between parent and child is a two-way street (Dainton, Stafford, 1993). • Communication is guided by culture • Communication has ethical implications • Communication is learned • After 30 minutes of instruction, participants became significantly more effective in detecting lies (DeTurch, Miller, 1990)

10. Characteristics of Competent Communicators Communication Competence • Effective (when it achieves it’s goals) • Appropriate (when it conforms to the situation) • A wide range of behaviors • Ability to choose the most appropriate behavior • Skill at performing behaviors • Perspective taking • Cognitive Complexity • Self-Monitoring • Commitment to the Relationship