ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION

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WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?

People communicate every day and most people take the process of communication for granted. However, to communicate more effectively, it is important to look how the communication process works. Communication is the process of sharing information by using symbols to send and receive messages. People communicate when they share thoughts, ideas, and feelings with others. Using a variety of symbols, most people send and receive messages from others, beginning the moment they wake up in the morning until they fall asleep at night—especially in a digital world!

There are two types of communication: intrapersonal communication and interpersonal communication. Simply put… INTRAPERSONAL COMMUNICATION is communicating with oneself and INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION is communication between two or more people.

Communication between people always involves sending and receiving a message. A message consists of ideas and feelings that make up the context of communication. There is always a sender and a receiver during the context of communication. The sender is sending the message and the receiver is receiving the message—DUH! These two roles constantly flip back and forth. To effectively communicate a sender needs to be concise and articulate—expressing clearly the message one wants to convey and the receiver needs to be a good and active listener. In addition, senders and receivers need to provide feedback. Feedback is a returned message whether it be verbal or nonverbal.

All messages are sent and received by verbal or nonverbal symbols. Verbal symbols are words and nonverbal symbols include facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, posture, movement, tone of voice, and sounds such as laughter, clapping, and sound effects like sighs, grunts, etc… Both verbal and nonverbal communication are equally important. In fact, sometimes nonverbal communication can speak “louder!”

The final component of communication is feedback. Feedback is important to both the sender and receiver as it signifies whether the message has been received. Feedback can be verbal or nonverbal.

VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Verbal communication is the system of spoken and written words. There are five important features to verbal language:

1. Language is a System: A system is a group of elements that work together. A language system consists of the three subsystems—sounds, words, and

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the way these sounds and words are arranged. All three must blend together to make a language.

2. Language is Symbolic: a symbol is something that stands for something else. Words are symbols for ideas, actions, objects and feelings. For example, car is a word that stands for something that a person drives. The word car, of course, is not the object. It represents the object.

Another language often mistaken for “nonverbal” that is actually “verbal” is Sign Language. While Sign Language is not “spoken,” it is a complex and complete symbolic language spoken mostly through hand signals.

3. Language is Conventional: Conventional means “accepted by a large number of people.” Speakers of English have accepted the word pen or pencil to stand for a particular object that is used when writing. If a couple

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*This chart is just one example of a few languages and their respective symbols. Ancient written languages such as Tamil or Sumerian can be traced back almost 5,000 years. In addition, the Rosetta Stone is a famous archeological find that shows the comparison of three languages: Greek, Egyptian hieroglyphic, and demotic characters, making possible the decipherment of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. It was created in 196 BC.

people called a pen a gork, other people around them would have no idea what they were talking about.

4. Language is Learned: Children learn the language of their culture. The process of learning language follows general principles.

5. Language Changes: The English language is constantly changing. The meanings of words change, new meanings are given to words, and new words are added. However, these changes usually occur slowly enough so that most speakers of the language can adapt to the changes as they occur. Building a broad, effective vocabulary is important, because the more words a person knows and uses, the better that person will be communicating both the spoken and written language.

COMMON WAYS THAT LANGUAGE CHANGESSOURCES OF CHANGE EXAMPLES

Words come from other languages.Spanish: canyon, tornadoNative American: raccoon, persimmonChinese: typhoon, ketchup

Whole words are put together to create new meanings.

Busybody, Downfall, Lifesaver, Skateboard

Words are blended together to create new meanings.

Smoke + Fog = SmogMotor + Hotel = Motel

New words are needed for new objects and ideas.

Microchip, Artificial Intelligence, Ethanol, Smart Phone

Meanings of words change.Meanings of nice over six hundred years: foolish, strange, lazy, modest, precise, dainty, and pleasant.

UNDERSTANDING SHADES OF MEANING

Communication, especially verbal, can have a variety of meanings, some of which are not immediately apparent. These hidden meanings of words may have a great effect on the ability to convey an intended message. Meaning is communicated through both a word’s denotation and connotation.

Denotation: dictionary meaning of a word. The same word could have several denotations. For example, take the word “quarter.” Here are a few denotation meanings of this word:

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One fourth of a unit of measure, such as a dollar. An area or section of the city. The compassionate treatment given to an enemy who surrenders.

Connotation: hidden meaning of a word. Often there are powerful feelings associated with certain words. These feelings are sometimes personal, based on an individual’s experiences or a societal norm. For example, the word “dog” could invoke different connotations for different people. It could have a positive connotation from a loving relationship with a dog or it could have a terrifying connotation if a person has had a horrible experience with a dog.

Societal connotations are the hidden meanings attached to words that society has accepted.

Examples:

Positive Connotations: handsome, natural, healthy Negative Connotations: rat, pain, decay, foul Neutral Connotations: table, number, house

*Advertisers go to great lengths to choose words that have positive or persuasive connotations.

ADAPTING LANGUAGE TO SPECIFIC SITUATIONS

Speakers adapt their language to fit specific situations or settings. The way people speak in an interview or at work may be very different than how they speak to their friends or in other causal situations. In America, communication follows Standard American English. There are specific guidelines for grammar, composition and rules for “proper” English. However, there are three main subtopics or sublanguages as well.

1. Jargon: specialized vocabulary that is understood by a particular group or field

2. Slang: recently coined words / phrases or old words used in new ways. Slang is often particular to a time period and time sensitive.

3. Dialect: regional or cultural variety of language differing from standard American English in pronunciation, grammar, or word choice.

NOTES:

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Take New York Times Dialect Quiz

Search: “New York Times Dialect Quiz”

Click on “How Y'all, Youse and You Guys Talk - The New York Times

ANSWER: What three cities is your dialect most like?

1.

2.

3.

Would you agree with this assessment? Why / Why Not?

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NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Nonverbal communication is communication without words which includes body language, appearance and sound / tone of voice.

BODY LANGUAGE

Body language is broken down into five categories:

Facial Expressions: people are capable of making many facial expressions that can have a variety of meanings. These help show a person’s feelings, either as a substitute for a verbal message or as a reinforcement of a verbal message. They can also emphasize or contradict verbal language.

Eye Contact: in American culture it is customary for a sender and receiver to look each other in the eyes during a conversation. Eye contact is usually interpreted as a sign of honesty and straightforwardness. However, sometimes staring too intently can be a sign of disrespect or hostility.

Gestures: are movements people make with their arms, hands, and fingers. They can replace words, emphasize meaning, or add to meaning.

Posture: is body position. How a person holds his / her body when he / she walks or sits can tell others a great deal about attitude, confidence, poise, and weariness.

Movement: is simply the way a person moves. The way a person walks, stands, sits, and performs other action creates an impression on others and is interpreted as having meaning. Movement can enhance the impression the speaker wants to make or the message the speaker wants to convey.

APPEARANCE

Almost everyone has heard the expression, “first impressions are important.” Appearance is key to a first impression. If a person shows up for a job interview, certain clothing may be extremely important depending on the job. Appearance gives clues to a person’s interests and can convey a person’s attitude towards a situation. Lastly, appearance can be interpreted as a sign of a person’s self-regard.

SOUND / TONE OF VOICE

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The official term to describe nonverbal sounds and tone is PARALANGUAGE. Paralanguage is a type of nonverbal communication that involves using voice variation and extraneous words and sounds to communicate. Although paralanguage may involve making sounds, these sounds are simply used to fill a pause. The three types of paralanguage are shown in the sound of a speaker’s voice, the speaker’s use of pauses, and the speaker’s use of extraneous words.

Voice: is broken down into four categories:o Pitch—voice goes up in downo Volume—loud or softo Rate—how fast or slow words are spokeno Tone—attitude / emotion in a person’s voice

Pauses: can be used to emphasize a point (the dramatic pause) or invoke questions. However, pauses can also be a sign of indecision or confusion.

Extraneous Words: are words that speakers use often when they are nervous or not prepared. Extraneous words are distractors and can hurt a speaker’s overall message. Examples include: “umm,” “uh,” “like,” “you know,” smacking sound, and “and.”

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS

There are four environmental factors that can affect communication for either the sender or the receiver.

Color—the colors that surround people can often create subtle effects. Some colors such as reds, yellows, and oranges have a stimulating effect. To many people these colors seem warm and full of vitality. Other colors such as blues, greens, and beiges often inspire calming, peaceful, or neutral effects.

Lighting—can affect behavior and mood. Low lighting tends to create a relaxed, quiet atmosphere. Bright lighting stimulates conversation and interaction, while extremely bright lighting may cause fatigue or anxiety.

Sound—often complements lighting. Soft music can enhance a dimly lit restaurant and create a sense of romance or peace. Loud music would be expected more in a bright restaurant. Loud or continuous noises are almost always distracting.

Space—may include large permanent structures such as buildings or smaller structures like rooms and walls. The amount of space around a sender and receiver can affect communication. Too big of a room or being outside with open space can be a positive or negative. Too small of a room where space and movement is limited can also affect the message. Space has been broken down into four categories:

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o Intimate—Up to 18 inches between peopleo Personal—18 inches to four feet between peopleo Social—four to twelve feet between peopleo Public—area beyond twelve feet

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NOTES

What is Communication?

Complete the definitions for the following terms—examples will be given later.

ELEMENT DEFINITION EXAMPLE

Intrapersonal Communication

Interpersonal Communication

Senders & Receivers

Messages

Verbal Symbols

Nonverbal Symbols

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Feedback

Verbal Communication

Language Is A System

Language Is Symbolic

Language Is Conventional

Language Is Learned

Language Changes

Denotation

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Connotation

Jargon

Slang

Dialect

Body LanguageFacial

Expressions

Body Language Eye Contact

Body Language Gestures

Body Language Posture

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Body Language Movement

Appearance

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2.

3.

Paralanguage

Voice—Pitch

Voice—Volume

Voice—Rate

Voice—Tone

Pauses

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Extraneous Words

Environment—Color

Environment—Lighting

Environment—Sound

Environment—Space

Intimate Space

Personal Space

Social Space

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Public Space

STEREOTYPES

One of the final aspects that affects communication is stereotyping. Stereotypes are assigned characteristics to a person solely on the basis of the person’s membership in a certain group. Remember that everyone is a member of some identifiable group. The problem with stereotypes is that they are often wrong. They can also be terribly hurtful. Stereotypes are oversimplified opinions or judgments others form without just cause. Unfortunately, stereotypes are very much alive and a part of all cultures. Stereotyping can lead to “isms:” racism, sexism, ableism, ageism, classism, and faithism (to name a few). In addition to often being hurtful, stereotypes often get in the way of communication. When a speaker is stereotyped by an audience the speaker’s message is often ignored which is unfortunate. One of the first steps to stop stereotyping is to acknowledge that stereotypes exist and quit being part of the problem.

Stereotype Discussion:

Where do you think stereotypes come from? In other words, where do people learn stereotypes?

Many times we have overheard other people make comments like…

“All women are bad drivers.” “Boys don’t cry.”

Each of these stereotypes is based on gender—male or female. However, gender is only one-category society basis stereotypes. Other categories include: race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic (income), age, and groups involved in certain activities or professions.

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Fill out the chart on the next page that includes common stereotypes. REMEMBER: STEREOTYPES CAN BE HURTFUL AND ARE UNFAIR. You might be surprised how easily it is to stereotype other people however, through this activity.

GENDERMALES FEMALES

1. 1.

2. 2.

RACEAFRICAN

AMERICAN WHITE HISPANIC NATIVE AMERICAN ASIAN

1. 1. 1. 1. 1.

2. 2. 2. 2. 2.

NATIONALITYAMERICAN MEXICAN MIDDLE

EASTERNGERMAN IRISH

1. 1. 1. 1. 1.

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2. 2. 2. 2. 2.

SOCIOECONOMICRICH POOR

1. 1.

2. 2.

RELIGIONSMUSLIM CHRISTIAN JEWISH

1. 1. 1.

2. 2. 3.

GROUPS/PROFESSIONSSKATE-

BOARDERS LAWYERS POLICE OFFICERS ATHLETES MUSICIANS/

ROCK STARS1. 1. 1. 1. 1.

1. 2. 2. 2. 2.

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AGETEENAGERS ADULTS ELDERLY

1. 1. 1.

2. 2. 2.

OTHER GROUPS

BHS STUDENTS NCHS STUDENTS NWHS STUDENTSU-HIGH

STUDENTS1. 1. 1. 1.

2. 2. 2. 2.

Answer the following questions:

1. Do you think “jokes” contribute to stereotypes? Why? Why Not?

2. Do you think TV / Media / Movies contribute to stereotypes? Why? Why Not?

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3. How can you personally help to get rid of stereotypes?

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