ING105 Effective Communication LECTURE 4: COMMUNICATING FOR LIFE 1 Asst. Prof. Dr. Emrah Görgülü

Chapter 1: Communicating for Life  The objectives  Explain the importance of studying communication  Identify and describe the parts of communication process  Identify four types of communication  Identify four principles of communication  Understand the significance of being a competent communicator  Explain the importance of adaptability 2

Communicating for Life  Eric’s first day in the residence hall!!! (do the cc on p. 2) 3

Communication Basics  Communication is a two-way process  It is two-way as it requires at least two people. In this process people share meaning either verbally or nonverbally.  Communication can be intentional or unintentional  You deliberately intend to communicate a (verbal) message or your message is unintentional (e.g. crossing arms, unmatching socks)  Communication occurs even when the interpretation does not match the original intent  Communication occurs whether it is interpreted correctly or incorrectly. When the meaning is interpreted incorrectly, it is generally called miscommunication. However, it is still communication. 4

Communication Basics (cont’d)  Why is communication important?  We communicate in order to initiate or improve relationships, get things we want, negotiate the best price, meet people, do business and learn new things.  The more effective we are in communicating, the better the result is!!!  Good, solid communication skills allow us to have more self-confidence and a feeling of accomplishment. (do the cc on p. 3)  Communication Process  Communication is an ongoing process. In order to be successful, people must effectively share meaning. However, it is not always possible!!  To understand it we must look at the parts that make up an interaction. (do the CT on p. 4) 5

Communication Basics: communication process (cont’d)  Each interaction consists of communicators, messages, a channel, circumstances, feedback, and in some instances, noise.  If you have a bad communication experience, you can analyze what the cause might be:  Was it me?  Was it the other person?  Was it the channel?  Was the message worded incorrectly?  Was there noise? 6

Communication Basics: communication process (cont’d)  Communicators  Communicators are the people who are involved in a verbal/nonverbal exchange. Each communicator sends and receives messages at the same time.  During a lecture, a professor sends both verbal (the lecture material) and nonverbal messages (smiles, hand gestures, eye contact). At the same time, each student sends messages to the professor _____________.  Message  Communicators send both verbal and nonverbal messages. The process begins with a thought in a person’s head.  The person encodes the thought into words or actions. The person then selects a channel to send words or actions to other communicators. 7

Communication Basics: communication process (cont’d)  Message (cont’d)  The other communicators receive the words or actions and decode them.  The more effective we are at encoding our thoughts, the more likely other communicators will decode messages correctly.  Be careful – the listener would decode the message with a meaning that was not intended by the speaker. A sudden pause before you talk could be decoded as ‘the following statement isn’t true’.  Channel  Messages must go through a medium to get from one communicator to another. The different mediums are called channels. Channels include cell phones, computers, newspapers, books, face-to-face interaction. 8

Communication Basics: communication process (cont’d)  It is important to choose the correct communication channel. Some situations that require a direct and immediate involvement with the receiver of the message, some do not. (do CT and try it on p. 7)  Circumstances  Circumstances refer to the context of the situation and to the fundamental nature of communication.  A communicator’s background, attitudes, beliefs, and values contribute to his or her nature.  Feedback  Feedback is the response one communicator gives to another. It can be verbal or nonverbal. It is an essential part of communication. It lets the speaker know that the message was received. 9

Communication Basics: communication process (cont’d)  Noise  Noise is anything that interrupts communicators from encoding, sending, receiving, and/or decoding a message properly.  There are three types of noise: physical, personal and semantic.  Physical noise  It is any thing external, from loud construction sounds outside a window to a bug flying around your ear. (do try it on p. 9)  Personal noise  It refers to the ongoing thoughts in our minds. Three types of pers. noise:  Prejudice: Prejudice occurs when we have pre-conceived and often negative view of someone or something. 10

Communication Basics: communication process (cont’d)  Personal noise (cont’d)  Closed-mindedness: Closed-mindedness occurs when we refuse to listen to another person’s point of view.  Self-centred noise: It occurs when we focus more on ourselves than on other person. People constantly think about holiday plans, what to eat for dinner rather than paying attention to what others are saying.  Semantic noise  Semantic noise occurs when the person you are talking to speaks a different language, uses technical jargon.  Jargon is the specialized language of a profession. If a communicator knows the jargon and the other does not, sharing meaning is difficult. 11

Communication Basics (cont’d)  Types of communication  Intrapersonal communication: It is self-talk or a conversation you have with yourself. We communicate intrapersonally when we need to make an important decision or learn something about ourselves.  Interpersonal communication: It takes place when two people speak with one another. We use interpersonal relationships to help create and maintain relationships. (do try it on p. 11)  Small group communication: It takes place in a group, usually with three to ten or more people. Family gatherings, press conferences, board meetings, and team meetings are some examples.  Public communication: It takes place when one person addresses a large number of people. Political and public speeches are example of this type of communication. 12

Communication Basics (cont’d) Basic communication principles  Improving your communication skills takes time and dedication.  We cannot not communicate: There is constnant communication among people. We communicate with family members, friends, coworkers, peers, professors and significant others.  Communication is irreversible: You cannot take back what you have said whether it is intentional or unintentional. If you say or do something that upsets someone, you cannot change it. You can apologize only.  Communication is a continuing process: The pieces of information we collect become part of our circumstances and affect our future comm.  Communication involves ethical considerations: Ethics are moral principles that guide judgments about good and bad, right and wrong. 13

Communication Basics  Communication involves ethical considerations: Many communication situations we face on a daily basis include ethical choices. Do we repeat gossip we heard about someone?  Adaptability: It is the ability to choose the appropriate communication style for the situation and the participants.  You alter your language in a more professional situation or on a serious occasion (e.g. funeral).  You refrain from saying something that is on your mind if the situation is not appropriate for your comment.  Being able to adapt helps you appear competent in all situations. 14

Wrap-up  Communication basics  What is communication?  Why is communication important?  Communication process  Communicators, messages, channel, circumstances, feedback and noise  Types of communication  Basic communication principles / adaptability 15

Coming up next!  Perception! 16