 Elements of Communication Chapter 2 – pages rtoons/Communication.jpg

Key Terms  Channel  Connotative meaning  Context  Denotative meaning  Feedback  Noise  Nonverbal messages  Perception  Slang  Verbal messages

Essential Elements of Communication 1. Verbal messages 2. Nonverbal messages 3. Perception 4. Channel – HOW the message is delivered 5. Feedback 6. Context – WHERE the message is delivered

Verbal messages  Messages that use words  Spoken  Includes choice of words and order of words  “Can you tell me how to get to the movie theater?”  “The AMC, where do I find it?”

Verbal Messages (cont)  To communicate effectively, a person must select the most precise words to get his or her ideas across.

Who’s on first?  1 st Base  2 nd Base  3 rd base  Left Field  Center field  Pitcher  Catcher  Shortstop Listen to the following Abbot and Costello comedy sketch, and see if you can identify the names of the baseball players for the following positions-

Verbal Messages (cont)  When choosing which words to use, a speaker must consider the denotative meaning and connotative meaning.  Denotative = dictionary definition  Connotative = emotional response to words (usually positive or negative) EXAMPLES?

Connotative Meanings  Some connotative meanings are shared by a culture or society  Consider this: Capitalism and democracy from American perspective  Consider this: Capitalism and democracy from _______ perspective

Connotative Meanings (cont)  Some connotative meanings vary by individuals  How do the connotative meanings of the word rose vary in these examples?  When Marissa was young, her father worked nights and rarely could make it to her dance recitals. When he could attend, he always bought her a bouquet of roses and took her to dinner to celebrate. These are some of her favorite childhood memories of her father.

Connotative Meanings (cont)  How do the connotative meanings of the word rose vary in these examples?  When Arianna was 8, she was in the hospital because of a head concussion. The doctors gave her many shots, and put her in many terrifying machines during the three days she was there. Many of her family members sent her roses and get-well cards. Now, when she sees a rose, she thinks about the shots and the machines in the hospital.

Language Evolves  Language changes over time  Wet  Salt  Other examples? Pejoratives?  Slang is informal language unique to a group  Slang changes frequently  Most difficult for non-members to understand  Other examples?

Language Evolves (cont)  New speakers bring elements of old language and add to the new  (Semi-) common words added to American English-also called loanwords  Zombie (African)  Tsunami (Japanese)  Attorney (French)  Literature (French)  Ghetto (Italian) Information from

Chapter 2: Day 3 – Friday, February 7 th, 2014  Non-verbal Communication  1 slide of notes  Stack the deck  Line up  Gestures  Perceptions (if time)  Homework: If you have an iPhone, download “Oldster”. (Take a selfie, and it will age you 60 years)

Nonverbal messages  Messages without words  How do you create messages without words?  Appearance  Facial expressions  Eye contact, posture  Gestures  Voice

Stack the deck  1. Give each student a playing card 2. Take a card. Memorize it (# and suit). Put it in your pocket. NO ONE SEES YOUR CARD BUT YOU. 3. No talking. 4. Assemble into 4 groups according to suits (hearts, clubs, diamonds, spades) using nonverbal communication. 5. Once students get into those groups, they must line up in order of rank, from ace (first) to 7/8 (last). 6. The group that lines up in proper order first wins!

 1 st activity: Non-verbal:  Without speaking at all, line up around the room in order of youngest to oldest in class.  2 nd activity: GUESSTURES  Red/Black cards

Individual Perceptions  Perception – process of giving meaning to information you learn through your five senses  2 steps  Something affects your senses  You interpret and explain sensation

Tone changes - Individual Perceptions  You hear a friend say, “It’s about time you showed up.”  He sounds like he is growling  You interpret – _________  You hear a friend say, “It’s about time you showed up.”  He smiles as he says it  You interpret – ___________

Individual Perceptions  Each person perceives differently – You look “sick” or _______  Person A hears a joke  Person B hears an insult  Three major factors influence perception  Physical differences  Past Experiences  Present situation

Perception!  Using only your body language and how you perceive the ball, pass the ball around the room imagining it is:  100 lb weight  Balloon  Hot potato  Puppy  Newborn baby

What did this activity teach you about perception?  What are the two steps to perception?  What are the three things that influence it?

Individual Perceptions  Physical differences  People’s senses differ  Near-sighted/far-sighted  Past experiences  Cultural knowledge, things that you have done  Present situation  How you feel mentally and physically

Channels of Communication  Channel – the way that a message is communicated  You say something (sound)  Your facial expressions (sight)  Your smell (smell) {Did you remember your deodorant today? People receive messages from this}  Giving someone a hug (touch)  We rarely use taste to communicate – so don’t go licking strangers!

Channels of Communication  People often place greater emphasis on one channel over another  Noise – anything that interferes with a listener’s ability to receive a message

Channels of Communication  Examples of noise (Internal vs. External)  Daydreaming  Actual noise from TV, radio, etc  Reading/writing a text while someone is speaking  A headache  Boredom  Uncomfortable environment

Activities  Role-play various stereotypical non-verbal messages that you associate with the following people. How does each person walk or stand?  Who do you think this person is trying to be?  Mr. Sanders notes (Pg. 48)

Feedback  Feedback = the messages that a listener sends a speaker about how the communication is being perceived  Feedback is verbal and nonverbal  Feedback can be positive or negative

Feedback  Positive feedback  Tells the speaker that the message is being communicated clearly  Negative feedback  Tells speaker that the message is unclear

Feedback  Effective communicators respond and adapt to the feedback they receive  Positive feedback -> explain less, move through material more quickly  Negative feedback -> explain more, slow down  Feedback differs by culture  Some cultures find it rude to make eye contact, for example

Feedback  Self-Feedback  Being aware of your behavior, and adjusting your actions  Examples: Feel like you’re talking too much

Context  The setting and people that surround a message  Helps reveal message’s real meaning  Setting – how does the time, location, and occasion affect the message?  Dad has been working late this week, and not getting enough sleep. He comes home really late one night and yells at your younger brother for not tying his shoes, even though your brother doesn’t know how to tie his shoes. The time and the occasion help you to understand that Dad is upset because it’s late and he’s tired, not because he’s really mad at your brother.

Context  People are part of context  Who you are talking to, and who is around when you are talking, will influence what you say and how you say it.  In what situations do actions speak louder than words?