Aspects of Communication LSD BS RT January 2011 Bay County

What is Communication?  Communication are processes for how information and emotions are transferred between living organisms. In humans, it can be spoken, written or even expressed with body language.

Non-Human Communication

Marking Territory with Scent

Physically Marking Territory

Bees do the waggle dance to tell others in the hive where the honey is.

Wolves howl and use body language to communicate with the pack

Birds sing and flock together

Even cells communicate

Cells communicate through chemical and electrical means.

Human Communication

 Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient,  although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication;  thus communication can occur across vast distances in time and space.

Commonality  Communication requires that the communicating parties share an area of communicative commonality. The communication process is complete once the receiver has understood the sender.

Types of Communication  Nonverbal  Visual  Oral  Written

Non-Verbal  Body language  Facial Expression  Space  Uniform  Gestures

Visual Communication  Visual communication solely relies on vision, and is primarily presented or expressed with two dimensional images  It also explores the idea that a visual message accompanying text has a greater power to inform, educate, or persuade a person or audience.  Signs  Typography  Drawing  graphic design  Illustration  Color  electronic resources.

Oral Communication  primarily referring to spoken verbal communication, typically relies on both words, visual aids and non-verbal elements to support the conveyance of the meaning.  Oral communication includes discussion, speeches, presentations, interpersonal communication and many other varieties.  In face to face communication the body language and voice tonality plays a significant role and may have a greater impact on the listener than the intended content of the spoken words.

Importance of Delivery  "communication comprise 55% body language, 38% tone of voice, 7% content of words", the so-called "7%-38%-55% rule".

Written Communication  Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols (known as a writing system).It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.

Noise In any communication model, noise is interference with the decoding of messages sent over a channel by an encoder.

Type of Noise  Environment  Physiological  Semantic  Syntactical  Organizational  Cultural  Psychological

Environmental Noise  Noise that physically disrupts communication, such as standing next to loud speakers at a party, or the noise from a construction site next to a classroom making it difficult to hear the professor.

Physiological-Impairment Noise:  Physical maladies that prevent effective communication, such as actual deafness or blindness preventing messages from being received as they were intended.

Semantic Noise:  Different interpretations of the meanings of certain words. For example, the word "weed" can be interpreted as an undesirable plant in your yard, or as a euphemism for marijuana.

Syntactical Noise:  Mistakes in grammar can disrupt communication, such as abrupt changes in verb tense during a sentence.

Organizational Noise:  Poorly structured communication can prevent the receiver from accurate interpretation. For example, unclear and badly stated directions can make the receiver even more lost.

Cultural Noise:  Stereotypical assumptions can cause misunderstandings, such as unintentionally offending a non-Christian person by wishing them a "Merry Christmas."

Psychological Noise:  Certain attitudes can also make communication difficult. For instance, great anger or sadness may cause someone to lose focus on the present moment. Disorders such as Autism may also severely hamper effective communication.

Communication Skills

Communication permeates everything we do.  Wants and Needs  Personal Relationships  Social Relationships  Business Relationships  Artistic Expression  Above all Communication = Meaning

Be Effective  Make sure your audience gets the message!

Be Prepared  Know your subject area  Know your setting  Arrange for venue, materials and technology equipment in advance to avoid bugs and failures.  Take the audiences comfort in mind.  Seating  Breaks  Refreshments

Know your audience  Demographics  Language  Culture  Knowledge  Physical Needs  Social Affinities

Engage: Connect with the Audience  Make it interesting and relevant to your audience.  Draw them in and get them to sit on the edge of their seats.  Encourage participation

Use Feedback  Listen to your audience  Take note of non-verbal signals  Did the audience receive the message you intended?  Use suggestions and comments to make changes and connect more efficiently with future audiences.

Thank You