1. Chapter 1—The Communication Process: An Introduction

2. Communication Defined Communication is not “the process of transferring thoughts and ideas from one person to another.” –Meanings are not transferable, only messages are transmittable, and meanings are not in the message, they are in the message-user. Communication is the process of people sharing thoughts, ideas, and feelings with each other in commonly understandable ways.

3. Basic Model of Communication The sender is the source of the message; the receiver is the interpreter of the message. Before a sender wants to send a message, they must be stimulated (internal or external) which in turn triggers the desire to communicate. A sender also has to have sufficient motivation (benefit) to send a message.

4. Basic Model of Communication The process of putting a message into the form in which it can be communicated is called encoding. The process the receiver goes through in trying to interpret the exact meaning of a message is decoding. Inaccurate encoding and decoding can occur because we use our own background and experience—our frame of reference—to encode and decode messages. –The message sender should ask receivers to paraphrase (summarize in their own words) what the receiver thinks the sender meant.

5. Basic Model of Communication The code is NOT the message, but the symbols that carry the message; there are three basic codes. –Language (verbal code)—spoken or written words to communicate through emotions. –Paralanguage (vocal code)—the vocal elements that go along with spoken language (tone, pitch, rate, volume, and emphasis). –Nonverbal cues (visual code)—all intentional and unintentional means other than writing or speaking by which a person sends a message, including facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, appearance, posture, size, and location of office, arrival times, etc.)

6. Basic Model of Communication A channel is the medium selected to carry the message. Ex. face-to-face, email, IM, text messages, telephone calls. The amount of information a channel can convey is referred to as channel richness. In deciding which channel is appropriate, these factors should be considered: 1) the importance of the message; 2) the needs and abilities of the receiver; 3) the amount and speed of the feedback required; 4) the necessity of a permanent record; 5) the cost of the channel; 6) the formality or informality desired.

7. Basic Model of Communication Feedback is the verbal and visual response to a message. –Advantages of feedback include: improves the accuracy and productivity of both individuals and groups; increases employee satisfaction with the job. –Disadvantages of feedback include: can cause people to feel under attach psychologically; time-consuming; can be difficult to elicit; past experience. –Descriptive feedback is tactfully honest and objective; evaluative feedback is judgmental and accusatory.

8. Basic Model of Communication The environment includes the time, place, physical, and social surroundings in which you find yourself. –Time, location, social environment (the relationships of the people present). An organization’s social and work environment is often referred to as its climate; the climate is determined by the prevailing atmosphere and attitude of its members. Anything that interferes with communication by distorting or blocking the message is noise. External noise includes distractions in the environment; internal noise refers to conditions of the communicators.

9. Communication and Ethics Ethics are the standards by which behaviors are evaluated for their morality; their rightness or wrongness. Ethics are moral principles that guide our judgments about the good and bad, right and wrong, of communication.

10. Four Ethical Rules The utilitarian rule. Ethical decisions create “the greatest good for the greatest number of people.” The moral rights rule. Ethical decisions protect people’s fundamental or unalienable rights; “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The justice rule. Ethical decisions provide fair and equal treatment for all individuals and groups involved. The practical rule. Ethical decisions are easy to communicate because the typical person would find them acceptable, thus you feel good as well.

11. Practical Reasons for Being Ethical If people lose faith in you, or in your company, failure is inevitable. Not only do people enjoy dealing with honest people, they prefer working for ethical companies. Unethical behavior weighs heavily on your conscience.