We Must Communicate: Functions Essential to Living
How We Communicate
Communicating Competently
Modeling Communication
The Study of Communication
Chapter Outline
Communication is the process by which individuals use symbols, signs, and behaviors to exchange information.
Ask Yourself:
What does communication do for you?
The functions of communication work to help (or not help) us to accomplish our goals in personal, group, organizational, public, or technologically mediated situations.
Virtually all communication behavior serves one or more primary functions:
Communication is used to express affiliation, which is the feeling of connectedness we have with others.
Communication is used to manage relationships.
Relationships are the interconnections between two or more people.
Interdependence means that what we do affects others and what others do affects us.
Communication is used to influence others. The ability of a person, group, or organization to influence others and the manner in which their interactions are conducted is called control. The more control one person has in a relationship, the less the others have.
Ask Yourself:
What functions might affiliation serve in our relationships? How is affiliation expressed?
How might interdependence affect relationships?
In what ways can communication unintentionally be used to influence others?
Characteristics of Communication
Communication is symbolic, as it relies on the use of symbols, which are arbitrary constructions that refer to people, things, and ideas.
Communication requires a shared code, or a set of symbols that are joined to create a meaningful message.
Encoding is the process of mentally constructing a message.
Decoding is the process of interpreting and assigning meaning to a received message.
Communication is linked to culture.
Culture refers to the shared beliefs, values, and practices of a group of people.
Most people are members of various co-cultures, which are smaller groups of people within a culture who are distinguished by features such as race, religion, gender, age, and other factors.
Communication need not be intentional: we communicate symbolically and intentionally as well as spontaneously and unintentionally.
Communication occurs through various channels.
A channel is the method through which communication occurs.
In technologically advanced societies, many channels (telephone, e-mail, etc.) are used to maintain relationships.
Communication is a transactional process, which means that it involves two or more people acting in both sender and receiver roles, in real or delayed time, and their messages are dependent on and influenced by those of their partner or partners.
To understand communication more fully, assess the quality, or communicative value, of the communication by examining it as it relates to these six characteristics.
Ask Yourself:
What are some symbols unique to you and your friends through which you communicate?
When are messages most likely to be encoded and decoded accurately?
To which co-cultures would you say you belong?
Can you describe an example of “giving” information versus “giving off” information?
What is your most preferred channel of communication in a given day? Why?
Competent communication is effective and appropriate for a given situation and when the communicators evaluate and reassess their own communication process.
Competent communication is process-oriented.
The outcome refers to the product of the interchange.
The process measures the success of communication by considering the means by which an outcome is accomplished.
Ethics, the moral choices individuals make in their relationships with others, play a crucial role in this process.
Competent communication is appropriate and effective, depending on the individuals involved as well as the situation.
Communication is appropriate when it meets the demands of the situation and the expectations of others present.
Behavioral flexibility is the ability to use a number of different communication behaviors in different situations.
Effective behavior helps communicators meet their goals.
Competent communication involves communication skills, which are behavioral abilities based on social understandings and used by communicators to achieve particular goals.
Competent communication involves using technology to successfully mediate effective and appropriate communication while enhancing goals.
Ask Yourself:
How does the process of communication matter more than the outcome?
What is a competent way to communicate that you would like your friend to stop texting you in class?
Models, or visual representations, have been generated to help deepen our understanding of the process of communication.
The linear model of communication is the first and most simple model.
A sender encodes a message that is decoded by the receiver.
This message is sometimes subject to interference, known as noise.
The interaction model of communication expands on the linear model to include feedback, which is a message from the receiver to the sender that reflects natural verbal and nonverbal responses that occur when communicating.
The competent communication model is a transactional model.
Both sender and receiver communicate simultaneously, subject to four main types of influence.
The communicators’ cognitions, or thoughts, influence their behavior, or their verbal and nonverbal communication.
The context of the relationship between the communicators.
The context of the situation, which is the social environment and physical place, time of day, and surrounding current events within which the communication takes place.
The cultural context serves as the backdrop for all other influences.
Ask Yourself:
What elements are fundamental to each model of communication?
How does each model incorporate encoding and decoding and explore the communication process?
In what ways is each model lacking?
The study of communication is a dynamic and multifaceted discipline focused on improving interactions and relationships. It is rooted in the study of rhetoric, the art of speaking to inform, persuade, or motivate audiences. The discipline is broken down into five distinct areas, but technology makes the boundaries between them fluid:
Basic communication processes include perception, verbal communication, nonverbal communication, intercultural communication, and listening, which develop as a person interacts with others.
Interpersonal communication is the study of dyadic communication, or communication between two people.
Group and organizational communication studies the flow of information and interactions among individuals in groups.
Public speaking involves researching and developing a presentation, presenting in front of a group, and becoming a more critical audience member.
Mass communication is generally communication intended to reach a large audience through various written, visual, and/or technological mediums.
Ask Yourself:
In which relationships do you engage in interpersonal communication?
How might group communication differ from interpersonal communication?