Assessing Communicative Value
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To understand communication more fully, you assess the quality, or communicative value, of your communication. You do this by examining the degree to which the communication demonstrates the six characteristics discussed earlier. If it is definitely symbolic, with a shared code, and definitely intentional, it has high communicative value, and misunderstandings are less likely.
For example, recall the coffee sale described at the beginning of this section. The woman and the street vendor share a clear, if unwritten, code: in New York City, “regular” coffee means coffee with milk and two sugars. The code has a cultural meaning unique to New York. Even within the city, it is somewhat specialized, limited to street vendors and delicatessens. Had she said the same word to the counterperson at a Seattle’s Best coffee shop on the West Coast—or even at the Starbucks just down the street—she might have gotten a perplexed stare in reply. See Table 1.1 for a more detailed breakdown of this transaction.
| Table 1.1 Communication Characteristics: Anatomy of a Coffee Sale | |
The simple coffee sale in New York City described in the text is clearly communicative because it has all six defining characteristics. |
|
| Characteristic | Behavior |
| Communication is symbolic. | Both parties understand the meaning of “regular.” Both parties understand the smile and nod greeting. |
| Communication requires a shared code. | Both parties speak English. |
| Communication is linked to culture. | Both parties are New Yorkers. |
| Communication can be unintentional. | The customer uses gestures and facial expressions. |
| Communication occurs through various channels. | The woman uses both words and gestures; they are not ambiguous to the street vendor. |
| Communication is transactional. | The woman understands the message she is giving, and the vendor understands the message he is receiving. |
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