Mass Communication Studies Introduction to Communication

What is Communication? “Communication” is derived from Latin commūnicāre, meaning "to share" Communication is the process by which we understand others and in turn endeavor to be understood by them. It is dynamic, constantly changing and shifting in response to the total situation (Anderson, 1959) Communication is all of the procedures by which one mind can affect another (W. Weaver, 1949) Communication means that information is passed from one place to another. (Miller, 1951) “Communication is social interaction through messages.” “Communication is sharing of experience.”

How we communicate? Verbal communication Non verbal communication Transmitting messages, using words/language and symbols to represent real objects and ideas. Non verbal communication Almost 80% of all communication is nonverbal. It includes a series of gestures, such as facial expressions, signs, body movements, eye contact, tone of voice, and sounds.

How we communicate? Includes all forms of transmission of messages not represented by words and symbols. Sign language, action or movement language and pictorial language.

How we communicate? Look at this traffic officer. He is not speaking but still conveying message.

Types of non-verbal communication Chronemics – Communication through use of time. Chronemics is the study of the use of time in nonverbal communication. The way that one perceives and values time, structures time and reacts to time frames communication.. Kinesis Communication through body movements. Occulesics Use of eye contact in discussions. Haptics Use of touch to communicate feelings Voclics Communication through changes in human voice e.g. a sudden change in one's voice tone during a communication process can communicate annoyance.

Types of verbal communication Paralinguistic Communication through tone, pitch, e.g., sighing. Paralinguistic is Paralanguage includes pitch, loudness, rate, and fluency.  Meta communication how verbal information should be interpreted. It is based on idea that the same message accompanied by different meta-communication can mean something entirely different, including its opposite, The term was brought to prominence by Gregory Bateson to refer to "communication about communication", which he expanded to: "all exchanged cues and propositions about (a) codification and (b) relationship between the communicators".

Types of Communication Intra-personal In intrapersonal communication, one communicates with himself or herself. It involves the exchange of messages between the brain and the sense organs of the body. Interpersonal Interpersonal Communication is that between two or more individuals. it is communication that goes on between people, mostly in a face-to-face situation. Such a situation makes it possible for feedback to be immediate. Feedback is given in the form of both verbal and non-verbal cues

Types of Communication Group communication Group communication has to do with communication between different groups of people. It is a form interpersonal communication because it is mostly in a face- to-face situation and feedback is most time immediate. For example, lecture, round table discussion etc.

Types of Communication Organizational communication   Organizational communication is communication between different set-ups, e.g. department; units- or segments of an organization.  Public Communications   Public communication is the communication among people of common interest and, perhaps, of same social background, e.g. communication between members attending political parties, social clubs, village meetings etc.

Types of Communication Mass Communication  It is a type of communication where a large body (Millions of people) of people is addressed. It uses any medium of media to convey the message at a mass level. In this case, the target audience does not have same interests or social backgrounds. They can only be reached through a mechanical device, hence, it is a mediated form of communication to a larger audience who are all reacting or responding to the stimuli of that communication.

Recognizing barriers to effective Communication Encoding Barriers.   Obstacles listed below can interfere with an effective message. 1. Lack of Sensitivity to Receiver.   A breakdown in communication may result when a message is not adapted to its receiver.  Recognizing the receiver’s needs, status, knowledge of the subject, and language skills assists the sender in preparing a successful message.  If a customer is angry, for example, an effective response may be just to listen to the person vent for awhile.  2. Lack of Basic Communication Skills.  The receiver is less likely to understand the message if the sender has trouble choosing the precise words needed and arranging those words in a grammatically-correct sentence.   

Recognizing barriers to effective Communication 3. Insufficient Knowledge of the Subject.  If the sender lacks specific information about something, the receiver will likely receive an unclear or mixed message. . 4. Information Overload.  If you receive a message with too much information, you may tend to put up a barrier because the amount of information is coming so fast that you may have difficulty comfortably interpreting that information. 5. Emotional Interference.   An emotional individual may not be able to communicate well.  If someone is angry, hostile, resentful, joyful, or fearful, that person may be too preoccupied with emotions to receive the intended message. 

Recognizing barriers to effective Communication Transmitting Barriers: Things that get in the way of message transmission are sometimes called “noise.”    1. Physical Distractions.  A bad cellular phone line or a noisy restaurant can destroy communication.   2. Conflicting Messages.  Messages that cause a conflict in perception for the receiver may result in incomplete communication.  For example, if a person constantly uses jargon or slang  to communicate with someone from another country who has never heard such expressions, mixed messages are  sure to result.