Part One : After reading 2.1 “Introduction to Communication,” respond to the que

Part One : After reading 2.1 “Introduction to Communication,” respond to the questions belowthoroughly being sure to support your assertions with information you learned this week (250 word minimum). Be sure to make direct reference to course concepts and use the course terminology you’ve learned. Try to write in a way that encourages your reader to reflect and be motivated to engage with you in a discussion.
“Which way of interacting with people do you prefer – online or face to face? What did you learn this week that might help explain why this is true for you?”
Pro Tip: Think about how your response relates to the reading in terms of: the process of communication, various principles of communication, the needs that communication helps meet, how communication is influenced by context, and how we can improve and be more effective communicators. You obviously don’t need to address ALL of these points, but you should address some.
Part Two: Engage in a discussion with the classmates in your discussion group using the following 3CQ format (Compliment – “I liked that…”, Connect – “Something else I read this week that addresses what you are talking about was…”, or “I experienced something like that when…”, Comment – “what I would add to your post is that…”, “I came to a different conclusion on this because…”, and Question – “I wonder why…”, “what might happen if…”, “I’m curious what you think about…”. Make sure your responses add meaningfully to the discussion and help move it along.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECtBelow is 2.1
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
How does the communication process work?
What does it take to be a competent communicator? And why is it important in our lives?
SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:
define “communication”
recognize components of the interpersonal communication process
recognize how context can affect shared meaning
explain seven principles of interpersonal communication
explain three interrelated types of interpersonal competence
identify three ways to improve interpersonal competence
Before you click “Next,” please work through all the tabbed sections on this page.
1.1.0 Communication: Definition
1.2.0 Shared Meaning and Context
1.3.0 Principles of Communication
1.4.0 Communication Competence
1.1.0: Communication: Definition and The Communication Process
In this section, we will define communication and discuss the components of the communication process.
1.1.1: DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION
In this text, we define communication as symbol using and meaning making. Communicators exchange two types of symbols, verbal and/or nonverbal, and attach meaning to these symbols. For example, the meaning attached to the verbal symbol “hello” is a greeting. You can also convey this greeting by using a nonverbal symbol, such as a hand wave. However, it is important note that the meanings we attach to symbols can vary from person to person. For example, another communicator might instead interpret a hand wave as someone trying to get their attention, or possibly greeting someone else.
1.1.2: THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
In order to better understand how verbal and nonverbal symbols are produced, interpreted, and coordinated in interactions, it is necessary to understand the eight components of the communication process.
Communicators:Communicators are the senders and receivers of messages in a communicative interaction. Because we are continuously sending and receiving verbal and/or nonverbal messages, we are simultaneously both a sender and receiver in interactions. For example, in a face-to-face interaction, the other communicator may be recounting an experience verbally with words and nonverbally with hand gestures, while we are sending our own nonverbal messages via eye contact, facial expressions, posture, etc. at the same time. Encoding:This is the process of turning our thoughts, ideas, and feelings into verbal and/or nonverbal messages. While you may be most aware of doing this when you are being cautious about saying something “the right way,” or when you are speaking a language in which you are not fluent, we are encoding any time we are communicating. Decoding:This is the process of interpreting and adding meaning to the verbal and/or nonverbal messages we receive.Symbol: A symbol is a thing that represents or stands for something else. In communication, symbols can be verbal, such as words, or nonverbal, such the ‘okay’ hand symbol, a sneeze, or even a blank stare.Message:Messages are the verbal and nonverbal symbols we send that represent our thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Messages can be both intentional (conscious) and unintentional (unconscious). For example, we may intentionally smile at a friend but unintentionally fidget with our hands when nervous.Channel/Medium:The channel is the means through which the message is sent from one communicator to the other, such as spoken words, a text message, or our hands to make a gesture. There is an expression, “the medium is the message.” Consider how the channel (or medium) you choose to use to send your message impacts the meaning of the message. For example, imagine you wanted to end a relationship someone; consider how that message would be impacted if you chose to send that message through a text, or a phone call, or if you ended the relationship in person. Feedback:Feedback is the verbal and nonverbal messages sent by one communicator in response to another communicator’s message(s). For example, if someone says a word with which we are unfamiliar, we may frown in response or give them a confused look to let them know we do not understand.Noise: Noise is a type of interference in the communication process that results from the physical, relational, individual, and/or cultural context. Noise can occur in various places in the process, such as in the people, in the channel, in the message, and even outside the interaction. Noise outside of us is known as “external noise” and examples of this are: people talking next to us, traffic noises, loud music, etcetera. Noise inside of us is “internal noise” and there are two types: “physiological,” (relating to the body) and “psychological,” (relating to the mind). Examples of physiological noise are being tired, hungry, ill, and so forth. Examples of psychological noise are being in a bad mood, not understanding the meaning of what someone is saying, being mentally preoccupied by something else, etcetera. done
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1.2.0: Shared Meaning and ContextIn this section, we will discuss how we use communication to create shared meaning and how the meaning created is influenced by four types of context: physical, relational, individual, and cultural.
1.2.1: SHARED MEANING
(Image: © Cathy Guisewite; reprinted with permission for use in I.C.A.T)
Shared Meaning: While what we mean is usually very clear to us, others may decode/interpret our messages differently from what we intended resulting in a lack of shared meaning.In communicative interactions, the goal is usually to create shared meaning. Shared meaning is achieved when the receiver attaches a similar meaning to the message that the sender meant to convey. In other words, shared meaning occurs when what was intended by one was similarly interpreted by the other, and/or what was interpreted by one was what was intended by the other. For example, let’s say we were at a bar and winked at someone to express interest in them. If they likewise interpreted our wink as interest, then shared meaning has been created. However, if they interpret our wink as an eye twitch, then shared meaning has not occurred. As we know from our experiences, shared meaning is not always achieved in interactions or may require additional clarification. That is because the various factors, or context, surrounding our messages can influence how those messages are produced, interpreted and coordination. There are four main types of context to take into consideration in interpersonal interactions- physical, relational, individual, and cultural- which are discussed in the following subsections.
1.2.2: PHYSICAL CONTEXT
The physical context is the environment where the communication takes place, such as a bedroom, hallway, or bar. Within the environment, factors like the size of the space, the temperature, and number of other people present will shape the communication that occurs (DeVito, 2014). For example, a noisy, crowded-bar might limit communication or create external noise that interferes with your ability to hear the message. On the other hand, a quite coffee shop with a fire might encourage communication. Physical space even operates in what we typically think of as virtual spaces, like social media. For example, Twitter limits the amount of characters in a tweet, thus messages communicated via this platform are often concise and abbreviated (DeVito, 2014).
(Image: Brooke CagleLinks to an external site., Unsplash)Links to an external site.Physical Context: The physical context is the environment where the communication takes place. Think about how a coffee shop or bar might encourage communication, whereas a loud concert might prevent it. Also, think about the objects present in the physical environment. Do you think technology, such as a phone or computer, could be a barrier or distraction?1.2.3: RELATIONAL CONTEXT
The relational context pertains to both the type of relationship that we have with a person and our previous history of interactions with them. Communication norms and rules vary based on the type of relationship people have, such as whether they are a friend, family member, supervisor, significant other, etc. For example, communication norms and rules that apply to a supervisor-supervisee relationship are different from a romantic relationship. In addition, we also share a communication history consisting of previous interactions we have had with a particular person and this will influence the meaning behind messages. For example, let’s say we asked our partner to pick up milk on the way home from work. When they arrive home, we might say “Did you get it?” While this might not make sense to another person viewing the interaction, “it” is understood as “the milk” based on our previous communications (Verderber, MacGeorge, & Verderber, 2016).
1.2.4: INDIVIDUAL CONTEXT
The individual context refers to characteristics that are specifically related to us, such as our cognitive and physical abilities, personality, emotional state, internalized biases/prejudices, past experiences, and/or internal motivations. Individual characteristics are unique for every person and influence how we communicate with others (Alberts, Nakayama, & Martin, 2016) and we interpret another communicator’s message. For example, if we are feeling stressed and angry from a long day at work (emotional state), we might interpret someone’s one-word replies as a form of intentional disrespect. When feeling calm and rested, though, we might interpret these same types of replies as a sign that they may be suffering from emotional upset.
The Individual context can also create noise that interferes with the production, reception, and interpretation of a message. For example, physiological processes, such as stuttering, can interfere with message production. Hearing problems may interfere with the reception of the message, as well as our mental state, such as being preoccupied or daydreaming. Individual conceptions of a word also create a type of semantic noise which will influence its interpretation. For example, while you innocently referred to your date’s spending habits as “frugal,” he was offended because he thought you meant he was “cheap.”
1.2.5: CULTURAL CONTEXT
“Culture refers to the learned patterns of perceptions, values, and behaviors shared by a group of people” (Alberts, Nakayama, & Martin, 2016). While culture is often used to refer to large groups of people by country (U.S. Mexico, China, etc.), we also belong to many overlapping co-cultures based on facets of our identity such as race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, generation, religion, etc. Communication is embedded in culture and co-culture because they dictate rules and norms for behavior in interactions. For example, take a co-cultural category such as gender identity, and think about norms for how females and males should (or should not) sit. Females will often try to take up as little space as possible when sitting and will cross their legs, whereas males will typically spread out- a phenomenon that has recently been dubbed ‘manspreading.’). The reason why females sit one way and males another is because we learn norms and rules for behaviors, like sitting, walking, etc. Growing up, females are often explicitly told “cross your legs” and “don’t sit with your legs open.”
Often times, behaviors we think are normal are actually not innate, rather we have learned them explicitly or implicitly via the culture and co-cultures we belong to. Culture and communication are inseparably intertwined as our various co-cultural identities influence how we communicate and how others communicate with us (Alberts, Nakayama, & Martin, 2016). Culture and co-culture may also create semantic noise due to variations in a particular group’s use and understanding of a word or phrase. For example, take the word ‘cool’, one generation may use it in reference to temperature while another may use as a synonym for awesome. Co-cultures also attach experiences and emotions to particular words that another group may not, such as derogatory terms.
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1.3.0: Principles of CommunicationIn this section, we will be discussing how communication is used to meet needs; exists on multiple levels; is a transactional process; is situated; can be either face-to-face, mediated, or both; is continuous, intentional, and unintentional; and is irreversible.
1.3.1: COMMUNICATION MEETS NEEDS
In addition to using communication to exchange messages and create shared meaning, we also use it to meet the various needs we have as human beings. Communication meets four needs: physical, instrumental, relational, and identity.
Physical needs include needs that keep our bodies and minds functioning. Communication, which we most often associate with our brain, mouth, eyes, and ears, actually has many more connections to and effects on our physical body and well-being. At the most basic level, communication can alert others that our physical needs are not being met. Human beings are social creatures, which makes communication important for our survival.
Instrumental needs include needs that help us ‘get things done’ in our day-to-day lives and achieve short- and long-term goals. We all work towards short- and long-term goals every day. Fulfilling these goals is an ongoing communicative task, which means we spend much of our time communicating for instrumental needs. Some common instrumental needs include influencing others, getting information we need, or getting support (Burleson, Metts, & Kirch, 2000).
Communication meets our relational needs because it is through communication that we begin, develop, maintain, and end relationships. In order to develop a relationship, we may use nonverbal communication to assess whether someone is interested in talking to us or not, then use verbal communication to strike up a conversation. Then, through the mutual process of self-disclosure, a relationship forms over time. Once formed, we need to maintain a relationship, so we use communication to express our continued liking of someone. We can verbally say things like “You’re such a great friend.” Finally, communication or the lack of it helps us end relationships. We may communicate our deteriorating commitment to a relationship by avoiding communication with someone, verbally criticizing him or her, or explicitly ending a relationship. From checking in with relational partners by text, social media, or face-to-face, to celebrating accomplishments, communication forms the building blocks of our relationships.
Identity needs include our need to present ourselves to others and be thought of in particular ways. Our identity changes as we progress through life, but communication is the primary means of establishing our identity and fulfilling our identity needs. Communication allows us to present ourselves to others in particular ways. Just as many companies, celebrities, and politicians create a public image, we present different faces in different contexts. The influential scholar Erving Goffman compared self-presentation to a performance and suggested we all perform different roles in different contexts (Goffman, 1959). For example, you may perform the role of a parent when at home with your child, but the role of supervisor when at work.
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Image: Timothy Paul SmithLinks to an external site., Unsplash)Links to an external site.
Communicating Identity: Communication allows us to express our identities, both verbally and nonverbally. Our physical appearance, such as clothing choices, grooming, accessories, and body art, enables us to present an image of ourselves to others.1.3.2: COMMUNICATION EXISTS ON MULTIPLE LEVELS
Communication operates on two distinct levels: there is a content dimension and a relational dimension. The content dimension is the meaning of the actual message itself, whereas the relational dimension expresses “how you feel about the other person: whether you like or dislike the other person, feel in control or subordinate, feel comfortable or anxious, and so on” (Adler, 2017, p. 18). For example, consider the difference between someone saying “I’m busy tonight” in an annoyed tone versus “Sorry babe, I’m busy tonight” in an apologetic tone. Both messages mean the same thing on the content dimension, but express different feelings on the relational dimension. There may be times when the content dimension is all that matters; likewise, there are other times where more importance is placed on the relational dimension (Adler & Proctor, 2017).
1.3.3: COMMUNICATION IS TRANSACTIONAL
Communication is also a transactional process, this means that: 1) Each communicator is simultaneously a sender and receiver of messages. 2) Meaning is co-created in the interaction by both communicators. 3) Communication is an ongoing process and previous interactions between communicators influence current interactions. And since communication is ongoing, 4) current interactions likewise will influence future interactions and will either affirm or modify perceptions of the other and the relationship (Alberts, Nakayama, & Martin, 2016).
1.3.4: COMMUNICATION CAN BE FACE-TO-FACE, MEDIATED, OR BOTH
Communicative interactions can take place face-to-face using verbal symbols, such as words, and nonverbal symbols, such as gestures. They can also take place through a mediated platform, such as a smoke signal, email, or text message. Sometimes, it can even be a combination of face-to-face and mediated, such as when a speaker is presenting to an audience with a microphone. How the interaction takes place will affect how messages are produced, interpreted, and coordinated.
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1.4.0: Communication CompetenceAs stated in the introduction, the purpose of this text is to increase communication competence. Although the word ‘competent’ is somewhat subjective and the definition can vary from person to person, we conceptualize communication competence as being comprised of three interrelated components. In order to be a competent communicator, our communication needs to be effective, contextual, and reflective. In this section, we discuss each one of these components and how we can improve communication competence.
1.4.1: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Effective communication pertains to two things: achieving our goals and creating (or not creating) shared meaning in interactions. As communicators, we have a variety of goals in interactions, ranging from trivial to important. Goals may include things like passing time, entertainment, getting or giving information, persuading another person, etc. (Verderber, MacGeorge, & Verderber, 2016). Usually, it can be pretty easy to measure whether or not we have effectively achieved our goal(s). For example, let’s say our goal is to persuade our roommate to do the dishes. If they do the dishes, then we have achieved our goal. If they do not do the dishes, then we have not achieved our goal.
Effective communication also includes creating shared meaning in interactions by encoding our messages in a way that will enable them to be easily understood by the other communicator. For example, we may use concrete phrases such as “the blue book on the counter” versus “that thing over there.” Although, sometimes we may purposely choose to use messages that are ambiguous. For example, if a friend were to ask us, “What do you think of this dress?” we may respond by saying “interesting” to avoid giving a direct answer. Because we are not always conscious of encoding and decoding, and because others can decode both our intentional and unintentional messages in a variety of ways (which we may not mean), in this text we will draw more attention to our cognitive processes in the interest of improving shared meaning and communication effectiveness.
1.4.2: CONTEXTUAL COMMUNICATION
Context and communication are inseparably intertwined. In order for our communication to be effective, it must take context into consideration. As previously mentioned, context plays an important role in how messages are produced, interpreted, and coordinated. Different contexts have different norms and rules for what is considered acceptable (or unacceptable) and appropriate (or inappropriate) behavior. In other words, norms and rules exists for what we should or can do, and what we shouldn’t or can’t do. A bar (physical context) has different norms and rules for communication than a classroom. The norms and rules for interacting with a stranger versus a close friend (relational context) are vastly different. Contexts overlap, so the norms and rules are dynamic, constantly shifting, and may be hard for us to discern at times. For example, it may be acceptable to kiss someone we are romantically involved with, but not a stranger (relational context). It may be acceptable to kiss we are dating at the park, but not in the workplace (physical context). And depending on our (co)culture (cultural context), it may not be considered acceptable to be affectionate with someone we are dating in any public place. Because communication contexts are intertwined, it is important for us to be aware of the ways contextual nuances influence and shape interactions.
In addition, contexts are also embedded with ethics, or what is considered right or wrong in terms of actions and behaviors. Ethics exists on individual, co-cultural, and cultural levels. For example, we may be part of a religion (co-culture) that considers lying, regardless of the context, to be wrong. However, as an individual we may think it is okay to lie in certain situations, such as for safety reasons or to protect our privacy. As competent communicators, we must become adept at identifying contextual nuances and adapting our behavior to the context. We will cover the specifics of contextual influences throughout the book. Adding this knowledge to your understanding of interpersonal communication will help you make mindful choices that work for you and your relationships.
1.4.3: REFLECTIVE COMMUNICATION
The final component of communication competence is reflective communication, which means becoming more consciously aware and mindful. Being reflective means actively considering our own communication and analyzing the long and short-term effects of our behavior(s) on our identity, other people, and our relationships.
IDENTITY:
Since communication meets identity needs, both verbal and nonverbal communication is used to manage our identity and present an image of ourselves based on how we want others to perceive us. Identity is contextual and fluid and can be communicated intentionally and unintentionally. For example, let’s say in a professional context we want others to perceive us as being confident and intelligent. We might intentionally communicate this nonverbally by looking at people in the eye and verbally by using big words. However, we may also unintentionally engage in behaviors that communicate a different identity to others than the one we what. For example, a brief interaction in the workplace in which we yell angrily at a colleague may cause those who witness this interaction to perceive us as being immature or difficult to work with. Because of this, it is important to analyze how even small interactions contribute to other’s perceptions of who they think we are.
OTHERS:
Since interpersonal communication involves at least two people, the way we communicate impacts those around us, whether it be a stranger, friend, or partner. Even a brief encounter with store clerk could have the potential to impact that person positively or negatively. For example, if we were to give a grocery cashier a compliment by saying that we like their haircut, that might make them feel good. Likewise, if we were to insult them by saying their haircut is unflattering, it could have the opposite effect. While some may argue that people are ultimately accountable for their own feelings and should take responsibility for them, competent communicators engage in perspective-taking and are cognizant of the potential interpretations of messages and the effects of these messages on others.
RELATIONSHIPS:
Finally, the way we communicate can have both short-term and long-terms effects on our relationships, both personal and professional. Getting into a superficial argument in an intimate relationship may have the short-term effect that other person not talking to us for the rest of the day. However, if in that argument we said something extremely hurtful, even if we apologized later, that other person may never forget what we said, and it may come up over and over again and cause long-term issues in the relationship. In relationships, our immediate communication and how we communicate with others over periods of time can be key to building healthy and mutually satisfactory relationships or unhealthy relationships that eventually dissolve.
1.4.4: IMPROVING COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE
Three key things can help improve communication competence: knowledge, skills, and motivation.
KNOWLEDGE:
We can improve our communication competence by learning communication concepts, principles, characteristics, and theories. This knowledge enables us to better understand ourselves and others. Specifically, knowledge of communication processes helps us develop self-awareness of our goals and abilities; investigate the whys behind the choices we make and the way we interact with others, consider how our experiences and expectations influence the meaning we assign to a given situation, event, person, comment, behavior, etc., and consider how others’ experiences and expectations influence the meaning they assign to situations, events, person, comments, behaviors, etc.
SKILLS:
In addition to increasing our knowledge of communication, in this text we will learn concrete skills and techniques to improve communication effectiveness. Stewart (2012) uses the metaphor of inhaling and exhaling to describe the interpersonal communication process. Skills such as listening will fall under the inhaling category. We can consciously improve our inner cognitive processing by taking in information from others and the outside world. Skills such as assertiveness will fall under the exhale category as we consciously strategize about what messages we want to put out in the world, paying attention to how they might be perceived.
The skills we learn can be thought of as ‘communication tools.’ Communication tools are a lot like carpenters’ tools. We all have different levels of skill ability and a different range of tool usage. Some of us may have fairly full toolbox of tools that we already are able to skillfully use, while others don’t. A skilled carpenter is able to purposefully select from a variety of different tools and use them skillfully to build, maintain and repair structures. A skilled communicator is able to purposefully select from a variety of different tools and use them skillfully to build, maintain and repair relationships.