THE

COMMUNICATION

PROCESS

You will see a smaller version of the picture above on the slides that contain

the most important information that YOU WILL NEED to copy AND study!

Getting ALL of these notes (whether you are absent OR out of class) is YOUR

responsibility!

OBJECTIVES:

BY THE END OF THIS LESSON, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO:

Define communication as a process

Define meaning and message (in communication)

Discuss how breakdown occurs in communication

Describe the Four Oral Communication Situations

Dissect the Five Principles of Communication

What is COMMUNICATION?

COMMUNICATION IS THE PROCESS OF

SENDING AND RECEIVING MESSAGES IN ORDER TO SHARE

MEANINGS

(WHY IS COMMUNICATION A PROCESS?)

Communication is a process because it moves forward

from a beginning point.

Something has to happen FIRST!

__________________________________

Communication has to start somewhere right?! That

beginning point is the sender , which is the first person to initiate

communication, whether it’s verbal or nonverbal!

The process of communication involves 2 or more people **attempting to share

THEIR ideas, feelings, and attitudes.

ROLES… Speaker/Sender—one who sends a

message. Listener/Receiver—one who

receives and interprets the message.____________________________________ In the process of communication, WE play both

of these roles in the communication process.

In both roles, WE interact with each other trying to understand what the other means while trying to get our individual points across.

WHEN DOES COMMUNICATION

BEGIN?

The PROCESS of communication begins when you first meet

someone…

SPEAKING OF MEETING PEOPLE…

WHEN YOU FIRST MEET SOMEONE, WHAT THINGS DO YOU NOTICE ABOUT

THEM?

Those ideals or things you notice about people that you meet for the first time help shape your FIRST

IMPRESSION of them.

MEANING

&

MESSAGE

MEANING…Meaning can be defined or

interpreted in 2 ways:________________________________________

_________(1) WHAT the sender/speaker wants the

receiver/listener to know.

(2) HOW the receiver/listener understands the sender’s message.

MESSAGES…

A message is the WAY meaning is conveyed (shown).

A message can be verbal or nonverbal.

Messages are the CENTER of the communication process.

WITHOUT a message, there can be NO communication!

Communication ProcessVISUAL…

FYI:Meaning…

If you and other(s) you are communicating with do NOT share the

same meaning/understanding for words and phrases, you will have difficulty communicating and experience a breakdown in communication.

(Side Note: This is what usually happens in conversations)

COMMUNICATION B-R-E-A-K-D-O-W-N…

Defined: Misunderstandings in the process of communicating.

Common Causes of Communication Breakdown:

(1) Different understandings of the same words, phrases, messages . **Different understandings are perhaps due to personal experiences.

(2) Common words sounding alike but mean different things…they are called HOMOPHONES !

Is it possible for people to communicate with different

meanings/understandings of the same words?

Yes or No?(If yes how? or If not why NOT?)

DISCUSSION BREAK…

Funny

Borrow

Smart

Expensive

Justice

Peace

Friendship

Responsibility

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN SCENARIOS…

SCENARIO I

One student listened very carefully as the teacher

discussed the exam for the following day. The teacher said, “Know scale factor

class!” The student thought, “Thank goodness, no scale

factor.”

Joseph says, “Ms. Stephens’s class is hard.” And, Mario says, “I agree,

her class is hard.”

Scenario 2

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE…

When Joseph says that Ms. Stephens’s class is “hard,” he may mean that there is a lot of homework/projects or she is strict.

However, when Mario agrees, he REALLY means that Ms. Stephens’s class is “hard” perhaps because the terminology/vocabulary is extremely unfamiliar or he struggles to understand the material which makes the course difficult.

SCENARIO 3

In North America, the “ok” sign signals “good job” or “well done” right?

Well in parts of South America, this same, “ok” sign, is an obscene (rude) gesture.

In France, that same “ok” sign means that something is worthless.

TAKE A

DEEP

BREATH…

4 Oral Communication Situations:

Interpersonal Communication

Group Communication

Public Communication

Interpretive Communication

INTERPERSONAL… Interpersonal means “between people”. Therefore,

interpersonal communication occurs between 2 people!

EXAMPLES: Talking to friend on the telephone Meeting someone at a party Discussing personal issues with best friend

Studying/observing interpersonal communication helps you understand more about the communication process that occurs when individuals talk to each other.

GROUP Key word…”GROUP”…3 or more (**but no more than 10-15)

EXAMPLES: Student council meetings Class projects in small groups

In life, you will have to work in groups to solve problems or plan events.

Agree to disagree in group communication Not everyone can be the “leader”…elect a leader

and be the best follower There’s a common goal to achieve, so differences

must be put aside.

PUBLIC Standing and speaking before a group or

crowd of people causes you to take part in PUBLIC communication. Speaking in public REQUIRES you to be informed

and organized. You MUST be able to connect with your audience.

Different forms of public speaking include:

o Informative (i.e., teachers teaching; principal’s announcements)

o Persuasive (i.e., commercials)o Demonstrative (i.e., infomercials)

INTERPRETIVE…Base word…”interpret” means

_____________________. When you read a story aloud, recite a poem

before an audience, or quote a passage by a famous person, YOU are involved in interpretive communication.

Interpretive Communication involves:Bringing literature to life by: understanding written material very well knowing HOW to interestingly present

literature for listeners

WHICH IS WHICH? YOU DECIDE… In the month of January, many commemorate Dr.

King’s life by reading and discussing his famous, “I have a dream” speech. ____________________________

Marion Barber gives a brief explanation to Channel 5 News about his performance during the playoffs.

____________________________

Sam and Jackie plan to go to the movies Friday night.

____________________________

Departments are meeting to plan student goals and expectations for the upcoming school year.

____________________________

5 PRINCIPLES of Communication:

Transactional

Complex

Unavoidable

Continuous

Learned

PRINCIPLE #1—

TRANSACTIONAL

Transactional refers to the process which involves exchange

Communicators exchange messages (send and receive messages) simultaneously (at the same time). Again each communicator plays both

sender and receiver in the process of communication

PRINCIPLE #2—

COMPLEX

Communication is complex (meaning difficult) because communication involves a series of complicated processes.

Each process affects the other which makes communication complex!

There are SIX reasons WHY communication is complex.

Communication IS COMPLEX because:

(1) Symbolic: meaning is communicated through symbols, which are always open to interpretation

(2) Personal/Cultural: A person’s personal

background can affect communication with them due to their personal experiences that may be different from yours in several areas.

Likewise, a person’s culture (and the practices included) adds barriers to effectively communicating with them.

(3) Irreversible: One cannot take verbal and nonverbal messages back.

o After it’s said and done, one can ONLY send messages (verbal and nonverbal) to try and correct mistakes or misunderstandings to the original.

(4) Impossible to Duplicate : interaction happens once in exact way—conditions will never be the same

Communication IS COMPLEX because:

(5) Circular—communication involves original messages and feedback to those messages. FEEDBACK IS NECESSARY to confirm that communication has occurred!

NOTICE …I wait to hear a response when I ask, “Does everyone understand what they are

supposed to do?” before moving forward. No

answers means awkward moments of silence!

(6) Purposeful—There is ALWAYS a reason behind a message. Communication helps us to meet needs such as:

securing food and

shelter get and give information belong be respected and valued

as a person

It is impossible NOT to communicate!

When you think you’re not, you ARE!

PRINCIPLE #3

UNAVOIDABLE

PRINCIPLE #4:

CONTINUOUS Communication is ONGOING; it keeps going

Once you’ve initially communicated with a person, future communication is FOREVER impacted by your initial communication.

Communication continues to influence future interaction and shape our relationships with others.

PRINCIPLE #5:

A LEARNED SKILL

You learn to communicate by observing and mimicking (imitating) the verbal and nonverbal behaviors of people around you. If you are around yelling/loud talking, laughter,

fighting/arguing, dancing, studying, cooking, etc., you

learn to do those things.

It is definitely possible to improve your verbal and nonverbal communication skills just as it is possible to improve your reading and writing skills…through PRACTICE!

THANK YOU…

…for your UNDIVIDED attention!

You areAPPRECIATED!

Round of applause for yourselves!