1. Elements of Communication
Chapter 2 – pages 24-49

2. Essential Elements of Communication
Verbal messages
Nonverbal messages
Perception
Channel
Feedback
Context

3. Verbal messages Messages that use words
Spoken or written
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?”

4. Verbal Messages (cont)
To communicate effectively, a person must select the most precise words to get his or her ideas across.
What mostly happens when people DON’T think about what they are saying before they say it?

5. 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)

6. Connotative Meanings
Some connotative meanings are shared by a culture or society
Capitalism and democracy from American perspective
Capitalism and democracy from Chinese perspective

7. Connotative Meanings (cont)
Some connotative meanings vary by individuals
What do you think of when you hear the word rose?

8. Connotative Meanings (cont)
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.

9. Connotative Meanings (cont)
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.

10. Language Evolves Language changes over time
Score – twenty
Slang is informal language unique to a group
Slang changes frequently
Most difficult for non-members to understand

11. 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

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

13. 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

14. Individual Perceptions
You hear a friend say, “It’s about time you showed up.”
He sounds like he is growling
You interpret – he’s angry
He smiles as he says it
You interpret – he’s teasing you, and glad that you came

15. Individual Perceptions
Each person perceives differently
Person A hears a joke
Person B hears an insult
Three major factors influence perception
Physical differences
Past Experiences
Present situation

16. Individual Perceptions
Physical differences
People’s senses differ
Near-sighted/far-sighted, difficulty hearing
Past experiences
Cultural knowledge, things that you have done or experienced in your life, interests
Present situation
How you feel mentally and physically at the time of the communication

17. More Perception Definitions
Stereotyping- labeling people as part of a group and treating them as if they possessed only the characteristics of that group
Sexism- behavior, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex
Ageism- prejudice or discrimination against a particular age- group and especially the elderly
Racism- prejudice or discrimination against a particular race
Ethnocentrism- characterized by or based on the attitude that one's own group is superior

18. 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!

19. Channels of Communication
People often place greater emphasis on one channel over another
When we have trouble understanding a message, the difficulty is the result of noise
Noise – anything that interferes with a listener’s ability to receive a message

20. Channels of Communication
Examples of noise
Daydreaming
Actual noise from TV, radio, etc
Reading/writing a text while someone is speaking
A headache
Boredom
Uncomfortable environment

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

22. Feedback Positive feedback Negative feedback
Tells the speaker that the message is being communicated clearly
Smile, nodding head, laugh, “Yeah!,” “That makes sense”
Negative feedback
Tells speaker that the message is unclear
Frown, raised eyebrow, questioning look, “What?,” “I don’t get it”

23. 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, find different ways to say/explain things
Feedback differs by culture
Some cultures find it rude to make eye contact, for example

24. Feedback Self-Feedback
Being aware of your behavior, and adjusting your actions and communication accordingly
Examples: Feel like you’re talking too much, or not enough; feel like you’re getting silly/angry/etc and monitoring yourself

25. 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.

26. 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