1.1. Define communication

· Motive Question: What is Communication?

Communication comes from the two latin words “communis” (noun) and “communicare” (verb) which means commonality and to make commonality and to make common respectively.

From the viewpoint of etymological depth, communication refers to sharing of something information, knowledge or meaning.

Therefore, communication is the process of sharing information, knowledge or meaning. (Communication and media journalism, Adhikary’s book). Moreover, it is the act of conveying intended meanings from one person to another through the use of mutually understood sign and semiotic rules.

Communication skills are important to everyone because it allows us to receive information and convey our ideas and opinions with those around us.

Communication comes in many forms:

A. Verbal (sounds, language) is the use of language and spoken words. It makes the process of conveying thoughts easier and faster.

B. Aural (listening and hearing) involves the transmission of information through the auditory sensory system.

C. Non-verbal (facial expressions, body language, gestures, and posture) entails communicating by sending and receiving wordless messages. These messages usually reinforce verbal communication, but they can also convey thoughts and feelings on their own.

D. Written (journals, emails, and text messages) is conveyed through written symbols such as language. This type of communication is indispensable for formal business communications and issuing legal instructions.

Communication is much crucial since a single word entails a lot of meanings. That is why, it is very much important to develop a variety if skills for both on how to convey our ideas to other and on how to interpret the information from others. Knowing our audience and understanding how they need to receive information is equally important as knowing ourselves.

Read the text and answer the questions below.

Quiz 2: Identification

Directions: Read each statement, and write the correct word that best corresponds to the each statement.

1. Is the process of conveying information between two or more people.

2. It the systematic flow of steps we take in order to achieve effective and successful communication.

3. These are the two etymologies of communication.

4. He/she is considered as the initiator of communication.

5. It is the idea or concept that the sender delivers to the receiver or listener.

6. It is the idea or concept that the sender delivers to the receiver or listener.

7. It is the means or medium of communication by which the speaker’s message moves to the receiver or listener.

8. Who receives the message from the source of information?

9. It is an integral part of human communication process.

10. It can be a barrier to effective communication because it hinders the receiver to completely comprehend the message of the speaker.

Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and writer. He studied physics, logic, mathematics, etc. He developed a Linear Model of Communication which is considered as the first model of communication and was propose before 300 B.C.

This model was also the most widely accepted among all communication models.

The Linear Model of Communication is mainly focused on the speaker and the speech. It can be broadly divided into 5 primary elements: Speaker, Speech, Occasion, Audience, and Effect.

Aristotle’s communication model is a speaker centered model as the speaker has the most important role in it and is the only one active. It is the speaker’s role to deliver a speech to the audience. The role of the audience is passive, influenced by the speech. This makes the communication process one way, from speaker to receiver.

One of the important parts of this model is the setting where the listener is situated.

What are the three settings in Aristotle’s time?

1) Legal Setting – is where the ordinary people defend themselves.

(Example: Court)

2) Deliberative setting – political assemblies.

3) Ceremonial setting – meant for celebrations.

What are the Critical Elements of a Good Communicator?

Ø Ethos. It is the characteristic which makes you credible in front of the audience.

· We can’t deny the fact that the audience will look forward to the credibility (positions, titles or expertise) of the person who is giving a talk in front especially on a seminars and conferences.

Ø Pathos. This characteristic targets the emotion of the audience. As a speaker, it is important to have emotional bonds to the audience by talking about the things that matters to them or those which they are interested in, so that you make them captivated. The cardinal rule of public speaking is to know your audience and know their needs and interests.

Ø Logos. Logos is logic. Everybody has a sense of reason, that is why it is very important that your speech has integrity and validity by presenting facts and not just merely opinions. For example, presenting valid and reliable data about the current scenario of the environment will attract the audience’s attention and will make them believe that you are not just merely saying your notion but you are also saying a fact. Integrity is very much important in public speaking.

Quiz 3: Share your thoughts

1. Discuss the first model communication?

2. Do you agree that Schramn’s Model of Communication is speaker centered? Explain your answer.

3. Explain the Critical Elements of a Good Communicator.

4. Why Wilbur Schramm is considered as the father of mass communication?

5. Explain what is field of experience according to Schramm Model of communication.

6. As an educator, why do we need to understand the different models of communication?

1.4 Explain why there is a breakdown of communication

What is communication breakdown?

A communication breakdown occurs when communication is incomprehensible to one party or entirely absent between two people.

Communication breakdown is otherwise known as “the silent treatment”. Refusing to communicate is one of the most common forms of communication breakdown. It usually occurs when two parties disagree or when someone says something offensive or hurtful.

Communication Barrier

A communication barrier is anything that prevents you from receiving and understanding the message used to convey the information, idea and thought. These barriers may be related to the message, internal barriers related to thoughts and feelings or external barriers.

The following are communication barriers:

Perceptual Barrier

People have different perceptions and opinions. In short, they have different paradigm or different views of the world. This paradigm that they have influence their actions, words, and how they treat others. If they are not open for the opinions of others, it can lead to communication barrier.

Emotional Barrier

Emotional state, at particular points of time also, can also affects communication. If the receiver feels that communicator is angry, he could possibly interpret the information to be negative, no matter what the message is. While he takes it differently if the communicator is happy and jovial (in that case, the information could be interpreted as positive.

Emotional barriers are emotional factors that impede a speaker’s ability to deliver a clear message or a receiver’s ability to hear a message effectively. Common emotions, such as anger, love, joy frustration, disappointment and sadness can all create emotional barriers that negatively affect communication.

Cultural Barrier

“Culture is the pattern of taken for – granted assumptions about how a given collection of people should think, act, and feel as they go about their daily affairs”

- Joynt & Warner, 1996

Culture has a great influence to people in a certain society – like the way they talk, they dress up, their sense of taste, and even the way the make decisions and interpret the world.

We have many cultures in the world. Cultural diversity makes communication difficult as the mindset of people of different cultures are different, the language, signs and symbols are also different.

Different cultures have different meanings of words, behaviors and gestures. The way one communicates is greatly influenced by their culture.

Culture becomes a barrier in communication when people from different cultures communicate with each other and let there cultural differences prevent them from fully understanding each other. At some point, what might be acceptable to your culture might not be acceptable to other’s culture.

Language Barrier

Communication becomes difficult in situations where people don’t understand each other’s language. The inability to communicate using a language or the lack of language competence that leads to difficulty in communicating is known as language barrier in communication.

Language barriers are the most common communication barriers which cause misunderstandings and misinterpretations between people.

Not using the words that other person understands makes the communication ineffective and prevents message from being conveyed.

Quiz 4: Read the questions carefully and choose the letter of the best answer.

1. What is communication breakdown?

A. All of these choices

B. Failure to exchange information.

C. A lack of communication

D. Occurs when communication is incomprehensible to one party or entirely absent between two people.

2. Communication breakdown is otherwise known as ____________.

A. The silent treatment

B. The silent code

C. The silent communication

D. The silent talk

3. It is anything that prevents you from receiving and understanding the messages the others convey.

A. Communicative competence

B. All these choices

C. Communication breakdown

D. Communication Barrier

4. Which of the following is not communication barrier?

A. Language Barrier

B. Perceptual barrier

C. Cultural barrier

D. Community barrier

5. The Communication Barrier is the common problem these days since people have different perceptions.

A. Cultural barrier

B. Perceptional barrier

C. language barrier

D. Emotional barrier

6. Different perceptions of people can't cause communication breakdown.

A. somehow

B. true

C. false

D. maybe

7. Emotional state, at some particular point of time, affects communication.

A. false

B. true

C. Maybe

D. somehow

8. _________________ is very much crucial because emotion has a great impact to communication process.

A. Language Barrier

B. Emotional Barrier

C. Perceptional Barrier

D. Cultural Barrier

9. This communication barrier may occur when people from different culture communicates with each other.

A. perceptional barrier

B. Language Barrier

C. Cultural Barrier

D. Emotional Barrier

10. The inabiity to communicate using a language is know as ______________________.

A. perceptional barrier

B. Language Barrier

C. Cultural Barrier

D. Emotional Barrie

Click here to go to Module 2