Elements of Communication

Elements of Communication

  6 Elements of Communication 1. Verbal messages 2. Nonverbal messages

3. Perception

4. Channel

5. Feedback

6. Context

Elements of Communication 1. Verbal Messages

  Verbal messages are spoken words you use when communicating

Elements of Communication 1a. Verbal Messages

 Most children begin to use words by the time they are 10-14 months old

 Words do not have the same meaning for everyone

  Also words change their meanings over time…can you think of an example?

  Communicators need to know how to select the most exact words to get their messages across accurately

Elements of Communication 1b. Verbal Messages

  Differences in meaning:   Not all words mean the same thing to all people

  Interact: With a small group of 3 or 4 people list the possible meanings of the following words or phrases

Expensive

Tall

Free Hot

Party Bad

See you later

What a day!

She is bad.

What’s on Friday night?

Elements of Communication 1c. Verbal Messages

  Denotative meaning of words   The definition of a word found in a dictionary

  Connotative meaning of words   An emotional or personal response to a word

  For example: home-denotative meaning is one’s place of residence ----home-connotative meaning is security

  Everyone’s connotative meaning for words will be different

Elements of Communication 2. Nonverbal Messages

 Nonverbal messages are messages expressed without words   a. Appearance   b. Facial expression & eye contact   c. Posture   d. Gestures   e. Voice

2a. Appearance   If you needed to ask someone for directions, who

would you ask first?   An old man in dirty clothes   A cute teenage boy or girl   A woman with an infant

  Or a woman in a sari

2a. Appearance   Clothes, body size, hairstyle, makeup, and

decorations such as jewelry or slogan buttons all send messages about how a person sees herself or himself

  You probably make quick first judgments about others based on appearance

  So that means that others make first judgments about you based on your appearance

2b. Facial Expression & Eye Contact

  Smiles or frowns tell others a great deal about how a person is feeling

  A person’s face often reveals rather quickly that a person is angry, happy, frustrated, or nervous

  What is a look that tells you not to bother your parent?

  Most people believe the eyes are the most expressive part of the body

  Eyes show feelings that might be hidden otherwise

  You can learn a lot from a person’s willingness or unwillingness to look at you

2c. Posture & Walk   Posture refers to your body’s position as you

sit, stand or walk

  The way you sit or stand communicates a great deal about your mood or feelings

  If you are slouching, you create a very different image than if you are standing or sitting up straight

2c. Posture & Walk   Posture can also send other messages

 Models are taught to “walk tall” to make good impressions

  Persons interviewing for jobs are taught to stand and sit up straight because they will seem more confident

  Interviewers usually notice people’s posture while they talk with them about their qualifications

2c. Posture & Walk   The way you walk also sends nonverbal messages

to others

  When you watch people walking slowly & dragging their feet, you might decide they are reluctant to get to where they are going

  When you see people walking briskly, you may conclude they are anxious to get somewhere

2d. Gestures   The way people move their arms, hands, and

fingers plays a part in communication

  Most good speakers use gestures to help make a point

  Besides large gestures, people use hand signals to communicate

  Think of the different meanings of the peace sign, the OK sign, or crossed fingers

  Can you think of other gestures that are used to send a message?

2e. Voice   A person’s voice, that is, not what is said but how it

is said, conveys important messages

  Voice includes   Pitch-how high or low the tone of voice is   Rate-how quickly or slowly something is said   Vocal quality-the tone or sound of a voice   Volume-the loudness or softness of a voice

Elements of Communication 3. Perception

  The process of giving meaning to information you learn through your five senses: taste, touch, hearing, sight, and smell provide you with information about the world

Elements of Communication 4. Channels of Communication

  In communication terms, the channel is the means by which a message is transmitted

Examples   Television

  E-mail

 What are some other channels of communication?

Elements of Communication 4a. Channels of Communication   People tend to place greater importance on

1 channel than on another   Example: if you are talking on the phone and

watching tv, you tend to place greater importance on only 1 of those. You can’t truly focus on both

Elements of Communication 4b. Channels of Communication   When a person has trouble understanding a

message, there is said to be noise in the channel

  Noise is anything that interferes with a listener’s ability to receive a message

  Could be outside the person (tv, radio, hard chair)

  Could be inside the person (a headache, worries, boredom)

  Sometimes you can control the noise (turn down music and sometimes you can’t)

Elements of Communication 5. Feedback

  Positive and Negative Feedback

  Positive feedback tells you that you’re doing fine (a smile, nod of the head, all indicate that you are getting through as you intended)

  Negative feedback tells you there is a problem to deal with or lets you know the listener does not agree with your ideas

  It is important to recognize whether a listener is confused or whether a listener is disagreeing

  Communication goes smoothly when speakers & listeners pay attention to feedback

Elements of Communication 6. Context

  Finally, all these essential elements of communication come together within a context

  Context is the setting and people that surround the message

  Setting involves time, place, and occasion   You may say something at a certain place or time that you

wouldn’t say at another place

  The people in the setting influence what is said and what is not said

  The way you see the setting and the other people involved will affect how you handle certain topics