Comm set (ch.1)

What are the characteristics of communication and understand them? (hint: theres 6)

-Communication relies on multiple channels. -Communication passes through perceptual filters. -Communication has literal meanings and relational implications. -Communication sends messages, whether intentional or unintentional. -Communication is governed by rules. -People give communication its meaning.

Identify the five 'needs' of communication?

1.) physical needs: We literally cannot survive without human communication. And having an active social life is one of the most powerful predictors of a person's overall happiness. 2.) relational needs: The essential elements people seek in their relationships with others. (relational needs include companionship, affection, and the ability to relax and get away from our problems) 3.) identity needs: One way we learn how we compare to others is by communicating with those around us. If people treat you as intelligent or shy, you may begin to believe that you have those characteristics. (For example, at work it might be important for you to portray your organized, efficient side, whereas at a pool party you might choose to project your fun-loving nature and sense of humor.) 4.) spiritual needs: spirituality includes the principles someone values in life, their morals( right or wrong), and includes beliefs about the meaning of life, such as personal philosophies, awe of nature, belief in a higher purpose, and religious faith and practices 5.) instrumental needs:Practical, everyday needs. (from short term objectives like ordering a drink at a bar to a longer term goal such as getting a job)

Transaction (model)

A model describing communication as a process in which everyone is SIMULTANEOUSLY a sender and a receiver. ***doesn't distinguish between the roles of source and receiver, nor does it represent communication as a series of messages going back and fort. Instead both people in a conversation are SIMULTANEOUSLY sources and receivers. it illustrates that the conversation FLOWS IN BOTH DIRECTIONS AT THE SAME TIME. *** As a consequence, each person must continuously adapt his or her communication behaviors to those of the other person, in order to keep the conversation flowing smoothly. Not only does the transaction model reflect the complex nature of communication, but it also leads us to think about context more broadly. It suggests that our communication is affected not just by the physical or psychological environment but also by our experience, gender, social class, and even the history of our relationship with the person or persons to whom we are talking. As we'll see throughout this book, communication is also influenced by our culture—the collection of shared values, beliefs, and behaviors of a group of people.

example situations of interaction

An apt example of the interaction model is the communication that occurs when you submit a report for your job, and a team of coworkers comments on it in writing. You (the source) have conveyed your message through your report, and your coworkers (the receivers) provide written feedback. Noise includes any difficulties that either you or your coworkers experience in understanding what everyone has said. In that situation, your coworkers and you send messages to one another, but not at the same time. You, therefore, have time to interpret, and perhaps misinterpret, one another's meanings. The action and interaction models are too simplistic to describe most face-to-face conversations, but when you are just leaving a note for someone or submitting a report for feedback, those models can describe the situation quite well.

noise

Anything that distracts people from listening to what they wish to listen to. major types of noise: -physical noise (such as background conversation in the office or static on the telephone line) -psychological noise (such as other concerns your supervisor is dealing with that day) -physiological noise (such as fatigue or hunger). Any of these could prevent your supervisor from paying full attention to your question.

What are the types of communication?

Communication occurs as five basic types: -intrapersonal -interpersonal -small group -public -mass They differ primarily with respect to the size of the audience, but they also call for different communication skills.

example situations of action model:

For instance, sending a text message to your professor is a good example of the action model. You are the source, and you convey your message through a written channel to a receiver (your professor). Noise includes any difficulty your professor experiences in opening the message or understanding the intent of your message because of the language you have used. When the linear model is in play, you can remember that the likelihood of misunderstanding is high because there is no opportunity for feedback. The action and interaction models are too simplistic to describe most face-to-face conversations, but when you are just leaving a note for someone or submitting a report for feedback, those models can describe the situation quite well.

example situations of transaction model

Most conversations are good examples of the transaction model, because both parties are sending and receiving messages simultaneously. That process occurs, for instance, when you strike up a conversation with someone sitting next to you on an airplane. You might make small talk about where each of you is traveling that day or how the weather has been. As you do so, each of you is sending verbal and nonverbal messages and feedback to the other, and is simultaneously receiving and interpreting such messages from the other. Your conversation is affected by the context, in that you may communicate only to pass the time until you land. It is also affected by noise, including turbulence during the flight and the sound of the flight attendants' announcements. A face-to-face conversation requires you to adapt your communication behaviors to the other person's on an ongoing basis, as each of you helps to construct the conversation you are having. The transaction model, which many experts consider the most comprehensive of the three models, better describes complex face-to-face communications.

Communication passes through perceptual filters (IDK IF YOU GOT TO KNOW, also haven't reworked on card)

Perceptual filter Anything you put through a filter—such as air, water, or light—comes out a little bit differently than how it went in. The same happens when we communicate: what one person says is not always exactly what the other person hears. The reason is that we all "filter" incoming communication through our perceptions, experiences, biases, and beliefs. Let's say you're listening to a senator speak on television. The way you process and make sense of the speech probably depends on how much you agree with the senator's ideas or whether you belong to the same political party. Two people with different political viewpoints may listen to the same speech yet hear something very different. One may hear a set of logical, well thought-out ideas, while the other may hear nothing but lies and empty promises. Perceptual filters can also influence how different people understand the same words.

explicit rules

Rules that have been clearly articulated. examples: university policy against hate speech directing a "shush" sound toward someone to request to be quiet.

implicit rules

Rules that have not been clearly articulated but are nonetheless understood. examples: not cutting in-front of the person ahead of you in grocery line. ignoring incoming texts when engaging in face to face convo

people give communication it's meaning (IDK IF YOU GOT TO KNOW, also haven't reworked on card)

When we write or speak, we choose our words deliberately so that we can say what we mean. What is the source of that meaning? Words have no meaning by themselves; they are just sounds or marks on a piece of paper or a computer monitor. A word is a symbol, or a representation of an idea, but the word itself isn't the idea or the meaning.

model

a formal description of a process.

Interaction (model)

comes after action model. It includes all the same elements: source, message, channel, receiver, noise, encoding, and decoding. Differs in two ways: 1.)interaction model recognizes that communication is a two-way process. 2.) it adds two elements to the mix: FEEDBACK and CONTEXT. **same as action model but now the RECEIVER side is more involved, making it a TWO WAY PROCESS instead of a one way process. The RECEIVER, DECODES message and gives FEEDBACK in the CONTEXT of the situation. Which the situation can be PHYSICAL CONTEXT PSYCHOLOGICAL*** In other words, Simone reacts to your story by giving you FEEDBACK.(Verbal and nonverbal responses to a message). Thus, Simone is not just a passive receiver of your message—instead, she is an active shaper of your conversation. All those situations are part of the CONTEXT (The physical or psychological environment in which communication occurs). Your environment includes both the PHYSICAL (physical context reflects where you are physically interacting with each other) and the PSYCHOLOGICAL context (psychological context includes factors that influence people's states of mind, such as the formality of the situation, the level of privacy, and the degree to which the situation is emotionally charged). both people are sending and receiving information SIMULTANEOSLY rather than simply communicating back and forth, one message at a time. Although the interaction model is more realistic than the action model, it doesn't truly represent how complex communication can be. During conversations, it often seems as though both people are sending and receiving information simultaneously rather than simply communicating back and forth, one message at a time. To understand that aspect of communication, we turn to the transaction model, currently the most complete and widely used of the three models.

how do you build your communication competence?

communication competence: Communication that is effective and appropriate for a given situation. EFFECTIVENESS describes how well your communication achieves its goals. APPROPRIATENESS means it adheres to the rules and expectations that apply in a social situation. (EX#1: when a coworker asks, "How are you?" you know that it's appropriate to say, "Fine, how are you?" in return. The coworker probably isn't expecting a long, detailed description of how your day is going, so if you launch into one, he or she may find that response inappropriate) (EX#2: Similarly, it's appropriate in most classrooms to raise your hand and wait to be called on before speaking, so it would be inappropriate in those cases to blurt out your comments) And remember what might be perfectly appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate or even offensive in another. (EX: If you are visiting a Canadian household and your hosts offer you food, it's appropriate to accept if you are hungry) CHARACTERISTICS of COMPETENT COMMUNICATORS: 1.) self-aware 2.)adaptable 3.)empathic 4.)cognitively complex 5.)ethical. -self awareness/self-monitering: Good communicators are aware of their own behavior and its effects on others.42 Researchers call that awareness self-monitoring. People who are "high self-monitors" pay close attention to the way they look, sound, and act in social situations. In contrast, people who are "low self-monitors" often seem oblivious to both their own behaviors and other people's reactions to them. For instance, you may know someone who never seems to notice that he dominates the conversation or who seems unaware that she speaks louder than anyone around her. -Competent Communicators Are Adaptable: It's one thing to be aware of your own behavior; it's quite another to be able to adapt it to different situations. We have seen that what works in one situation might not be effective in another. Competent communicators are able to assess what will be appropriate and effective in a given context and then modify their behaviors accordingly.44 As we'll discover in the chapter on choosing, developing, and researching a topic, part of delivering a good speech is being aware of the audience and adapting our behavior accordingly. A competent communicator would speak differently to a group of senior executives than to a group of new hires, for example. -Competent Communicators Are Empathic: Good communicators practice empathy, or the ability to be "other-oriented" and to understand other people's thoughts and feelings.45 When people say "Put yourself in my shoes," they are asking you to consider a situation empathically, from their perspective rather than your own. Because people often think and feel differently than you do about the same situation, empathy helps you understand and adapt to their communication behaviors. -Competent Communicators Are Ethical: Finally, competent communicators are ethical communicators. Ethics are principles that guide us in judging whether something is morally right or wrong. Ethical communication generally dictates that we treat people fairly, communicate honestly, and avoid immoral or unethical behavior. Communicating ethically can be easier said than done, however, because people often have very different ideas about right and wrong. What may be morally justified to one person or one culture may be considered completely unethical to another. Ethical considerations are often particularly important when we are engaged in compliance-gaining strategies, trying to change the way another person thinks or behaves.

public

definition: communication directed at an audience that is larger than a small group. Communication directed at an audience that is larger than a small group. occurs when we speak or write to an audience larger than a small group. If you give the welcome speech at a convention for your fraternity or sorority or write a column for the convention's newsletter, you are engaging in public communication. Because your communication targets a larger audience, you might spend more time preparing and practicing your remarks than if you were talking only to a friend or a small group.

small group

definition: communication occurring within small groups of approx. 3 to 20 people. Almost all of us interact in small groups of people, such as sports teams, Bible study groups, organizational departments, and teams of students working on a class project. When we communicate with groups of about 3 to 20 people who are working interdependently to accomplish a task, we are engaging in small group communication.

mass

definition: communication to a large audience that is transmitted by media. Communication delivered to a large audience is considered public communication unless it is being transmitted via electronic or print media, such as magazines, television, newspapers, blogs, radio, and websites. Communication transmitted by such media is considered mass communication. Newspaper journalists, television personalities, bloggers, and radio announcers are among those whose words are disseminated to vast audiences of people with whom they have little or no personal connection. Because its audience is so large, mass communication works well for distributing news, commentary, and entertainment. It also is effective for marketing products and services through advertisements, but its breadth makes mass communication unsuited for developing relationships or making collective decisions.

intrapersonal

definition: communication with oneself The form of communication that addresses the smallest audience is intrapersonal communication, the communication you have with yourself. When you mentally remind yourself to do something or rehearse an upcoming conversation in your mind, you are engaging in intrapersonal communication.

definition of communication?

definition: is the process by which we use signs, symbols, and behaviors to exchange information and create meaning.

interpersonal

definition: occurs between two people in the context of their relationship. it is the most common form of communication we enact.

Communication relies on multiple channels (IDK IF YOU GOT TO KNOW, also haven't reworked on card)

facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice, etc... (channels to communicate)--- we often use multiple channels when communicating with others. Some situations are... -channel-rich contexts—environments that incorporate many communication channels at once. In face-to-face conversations, for instance, you can pay attention to people's words, see their expressions and gestures, hear their tone of voice, and feel their touch at the same time. You can evaluate the information from all those channels simultaneously. -channel-lean contexts—environments that use relatively fewer channels.24 Tweeting, for instance, relies on text alone; you don't experience a person's voice or gestures on Twitter. As a consequence, you pay more attention to the words, because that's all you have to go on.

Understand the myths of communication

five common communication myths: -Everyone is a communication expert. -Communication will solve any problem. -Communication can break down. -Communication is inherently good. -More communication is always better.

Communication sends messages, whether intentional or unintentional (IDK IF YOU GOT TO KNOW, also haven't reworked on card)

intentional messages and unintentional messages You may communicate a number of other messages, however, without intending to do so. For example, have you ever tried to stay awake in an important meeting? Despite your efforts to look engaged and interested, you might not have been aware that your slouching posture and droopy eyelids were signaling your fatigue, perhaps after a long day of working at a part-time job and attending classes. In that instance, your behavior was sending unintentional messages. Whether unintentional messages should qualify as communication has been a focal point of debate among communication scholars for many years. Some researchers believe that only deliberate, intentional messages are a part of communication and that if you don't intend to communicate, you aren't communicating.26 Others subscribe to the belief that "you cannot not communicate," meaning that absolutely everything you do has communicative value.

Action (model)

is a model describing communication as a one-way process. 'message' is a key word. **the SOURCE, ENCODES a MESSAGE through a CHANNEL to a RECIEVER but it is interfered with NOISE (PHYSICAL NOISE, PHYSIOLOGICAL NOISE, PSYCHOLOGICAL NOISE).** In the action model, we think of communication as a one-way process. To illustrate, let's say that you need to leave work early next Tuesday to pick up a friend from the airport, and you're getting ready to ask your supervisor for permission. The action model starts with the SOURCE—the individual who has a thought that he or she wishes to communicate. In our example, the source is you. To convey the idea that you'd like to leave early, you must ENCODE it, which means to put your idea in the form of language or a gesture that your supervisor can understand. Through that process, you create a MESSAGE, which consists of the verbal and/or nonverbal elements of communication to which people give meaning. In this example, your message might be the question, "Would it be all right if I left work a couple of hours early next Tuesday?" RECEIVER:The party who interprets a message. whom DECODE's, which interprets or gives meaning to a message. The communication process also includes noise, which is anything that interferes with a receiver's ability to attend to your message. The major types of noise are -physical noise (such as background conversation in the office or static on the telephone line) - psychological noise (such as other concerns your supervisor is dealing with that day) - physiological noise (such as fatigue or hunger). Any of these could prevent your supervisor from paying full attention to your question. You can see that the action model is linear: a source sends a message through some channel to a receiver, and noise interferes with the message somehow. Many of us talk and think about the communication process in that linear manner.

Communication has literal meanings and relational implications (IDK IF YOU GOT TO KNOW, also haven't reworked on card)

terms that describe this point: content dimensions, relational dimension, and metacommunication Nearly every verbal statement has a CONTENT DIMENSION, or the literal information the communicator is communicating. When you say to your friend, "I'm kind of unhappy today," the content dimension of your message is that you're feeling sad, depressed, or angry. When your housemate says, "We're out of cereal again," the content dimension of the message is that you have no cereal left. There's often more to messages than their literal content, though. Many messages also carry signals about the nature of the relationship in which they are shared. Those signals make up the RELATIONAL DIMENSION of the message. For example, by telling your friend that you are feeling unhappy, you may also be sending the message, "I feel comfortable enough with you to share my feelings", or "I want you to help me feel better." Likewise, you might interpret your housemate's statement that you're out of cereal as also saying, "I'm sure you're aware of this, but I'm just reminding you," or you might take it as meaning, "I'm irritated that you never replace the food you use up." Even though messages like those are unspoken, we often infer meanings about our relationships from the tone and manner in which the statements are made. One way we distinguish between content and relational dimensions is through METACOMMUNICATION, which is communication about communication. Let's say that Jude asks her husband, Han, to read over the speech she is preparing to give at a conference for small-business owners. Han reads the speech and marks it up with critical comments such as, "This argument isn't convincing," "Awkward wording," and "I can't tell what you're trying to say." After reading Han's comments, Jude is disheartened, and Han is confused by her reaction.

Communication is governed by rules (IDK IF YOU GOT TO KNOW, also haven't reworked on card)

terms that describe this point: explicit rules and implicit rules Some rules for communication are EXPLICIT RULES, meaning someone has clearly articulated them. Perhaps your parents used to say, "Don't talk with your mouth full." Many universities have explicit rules banning hate speech, such as statements that degrade ethnic or sexual minorities, at campus events and in school publications. Facebook enforces specific guidelines regarding the content of text and photos. Those examples are all explicit communication rules because they directly express expectations for communicative behavior. In contrast, many communication rules are IMPLICIT RULES—rules that almost everyone in a certain social group knows and follows, even though no one has formally articulated them. Most people seem to know and accept implicit rules, even though they usually aren't posted anywhere. They are just a part of everyone's cultural knowledge. Because those rules are implicit, however, their interpretations are likely to vary more from person to person than do understandings of explicit rules.

Myth: Communication Can Break Down

the myth blaming a "breakdown" in communication as the root of problems. The metaphor of the communication breakdown makes intuitive sense to many of us. After all, our progress on a journey is halted if our car breaks down, so it's easy to think that our progress in other endeavors is halted because our communication has broken down. Page 19 But communication isn't a mechanical object like a car, a refrigerator, or an iPad. Instead, it's a process that unfolds between and among people over time.

Myth: Communication Will Solve Any Problem (IDK IF YOU GOT TO KNOW, also haven't reworked on card)

the myth of thinking that communication can and will solve problems, assuming that better communication can resolve any problem we might face in our relationships. Sometimes it seems as though we could solve almost any problem—especially in our relationships—if only we could communicate better. It's easy to blame a lack of communication when things go wrong. Yet the fact is that poor communication isn't the cause of every problem.31 On his television talk show Dr. Phil, psychologist Phil McGraw often counsels couples encountering difficulties in their relationships. Suppose Connie and Andy appear on Dr. Phil complaining that they have been drifting apart for some time. When they discuss their problems on the show, Connie says she feels they need to communicate better to save their relationship. In the course of their conversation, however, Andy states very clearly that his feelings have changed and he is no longer attracted to Connie. Will communication ultimately solve this couple's marital problems? No—in fact, it will probably cause Connie to realize that their relationship is already over. Going their separate ways might be better for both of them in the long run, so we could say that communication will help them to come to that realization. Nevertheless, it won't solve the problem of their drifting apart in the first place. Therefore, we must be careful not to assume that better communication can resolve any problem we might face in our relationships.

Myth: Communication Is Inherently Good (IDK IF YOU GOT TO KNOW, also haven't reworked on card)

the myth that communication is only good/benefitial but people who believe that aren't thinking about communication where fights exist, that communication itself is not positive or negative—it's what individuals do with it that makes it good or bad. We can make the same observation about communication. We can use communication for positive purposes, such as expressing love for our parents and comforting a grieving friend. We can also use it for negative purposes, such as intimidating and deceiving people. In fact, deception has become common in certain communication venues, such as in online personal ads (online profiles-aieing on match.com)

Myth: Everyone Is a Communication Expert (IDK IF YOU GOT TO KNOW, also haven't reworked on card)

the myth that most people think they are a communication expert (confusing expertise and experience) Because people communicate constantly, it's easy to believe that just about everyone is an expert in communication. Indeed, in a nationwide survey of American adults conducted by the National Communication Association, fully 91 percent of participants rated their communication skills as above average.30 Keep in mind, though, that having experience with something is not the same as having expertise. Many people drive, but that doesn't make them expert drivers. Many people have children, but that doesn't make them parenting experts.

Myth: More Communication Is Always Better (IDK IF YOU GOT TO KNOW, also haven't reworked on card)

the myth that people think that "talking things out" is helpful When people have genuine disagreements, more talk doesn't always help. In some cases, it can just lead to frustration and anger. A study of consultations between doctors and patients found that the more doctors talked, the more likely they were to get off-track and forget about the patients' problems, a pattern that can translate into worse care for the patient. Another study found that the more people communicated with one another on cell phones, the less happy they were, the less satisfied they were with their families, and the more likely they were to say that their work lives "spilled over" into their family lives.

Source

the originator of a thought to a process. the source encodes.

receiver

the party who interprets a message. the receiver decode

What are the different models of communication?

three different models: (1) action (2) interaction (3) transaction models The action model was developed first, then the interaction model, and finally the transaction model. In that sense, those models demonstrate how communication researchers have defined and described communication over time.

decode

to interprut or give meaning to a message. receivers decode.

Encode

to put an idea into language or an idea. the source encode's.

Message

verbal and nonverbal elements of communication to which people give meaning