SPC 3301 Communication and Goals

Define the term "goal"

- "cognitive representation of a desired end-state" - A goal is an expression of what you want to have happen as a result of a course of action

What is the difference between an "interpersonal" goal and other types of goals?

- An interpersonal goal is a goal that requires the cooperation of another person - Linked to another person's thoughts, feelings, or actions

Explain why goals are central to understanding the strategic inferential model of meaning

- Goals motivate us to use words. - Goals influence the words we choose. - Goals, at least the assumption that a speaker is attempting to achieve a recognizable goal, guides the interpretation of the words a speaker uses. - The point of communicating is to get the listener to recognize the speaker's intention to achieve some goal.

Identify and describe properties of goals.

- People manage multiple goals simultaneously - Sometimes achieving one goal contradicts or interferes with achieving your other goals

Differentiate between primary and secondary goals

- Primary: most important to communicator - Secondary: less important to communicator, but they affect the way that people communicate in order to obtain their primary goals

Identify two reasons why the SMCR model (container model of meaning) is flawed

- There is not enough information in the message to understand the speaker's meaning - Disambiguation (the nails example) and indirect meaning (the Bdubs movie starts at 7:30 example)

Instrumental goals

- directly related to completing the task the speaker has in mind - the point/purpose of the conversation

Self-presentation goals

- involve how we want to be perceived by another person

Relational goals

- involve the state of the relationship between the speaker and listener

Identify and describe the basic assumptions your text makes about communication.

1. Interpersonal communication involves the exchange of symbols 2. Interpersonal communication involve mutual dependence 3. Interpersonal communicators are themselves changing 4. Interpersonal communication is strategic 5. Communicators must be competent to achieve goals 6. Communication should be ethical

Identify and describe the strategic/inferential model of meaning

1. Purpose of communication is accomplish goals 2. People use words to get others to recognize their goals/intentions 3. We infer the other's goals/intentions by using our understanding of word meaning, rules for using words, and our knowledge of the person and situation. 4. SIM solves both ambiguity and indirection problems