http://communication.wadsworth.com/
http://www.infotrac-college.com
Communication Theories are
Supported by Research
• Notice how Julia Wood cites her sources
throughout Communication in our Lives.
• She uses the APA, American
Psychological Association’s method of
citation as most communication scholars
doing social scientific research in the field
do.
Understanding Citations
• “Mead (1934)” refers to a work by
Mead written in 1934.
• “(Mead, 1934, p. 10) refers to citing
page 10 of Mead’s 1934 work.
• Full bibliographic citations for all
works are found at the end of the text.
• Use these models as you begin your
research into communication.
Personal Values of
Communication
• How we see ourselves reflects the
views of us that others communicate.
• Communication affects our identity
and our physical well-being.
• Healthy interaction with others is
important to our physical and mental
health.
Communication is a Foundation
of Relationships
• We build connections with others by:





Revealing our private identities
Listening to learn about others
Working out problems
Remembering shared history
Planning a future
• Communication creates relationships
that last.
What Employers are Looking for
in College Graduates:
1. Oral
Communication
2. Interpersonal
3. Analytical
4. Teamwork
5. Flexibility
6. Computer
7. Proficiency in Field
8. Written
Communication
9. Leadership
10. Work Experience
Source: Job Outlook 97, a survey conducted by the National
Association of Colleges and Employers, 1996.
Breadth of Communication
• Intrapersonal

Self-Talk
• Media and
New Technologies
• Interpersonal
• Organizational
• Group
• Intercultural
• Public
• Ethics
Communication Skills Affect
Professional Success
• 79% of NYC executives ranked the
ability to express ideas well verbally as
the most important qualification in hiring
and promoting employees.
• Health care professionals need
communication skills.
• Technical jobs need communication skills
to explain technical ideas.
Cultural Values
• Citizens in a democracy must be able to
express ideas and evaluate others’ ideas.
• Friends need to listen sensitively, express
empathy and provide support.
• Neighbors need social skills to interact
pleasantly.
• Civic and social life depend on listening
to a range of perspectives.
Communication Defined
Communication is a systemic
process in which people interact
with and through symbols to
create and interpret meanings.
Features of Communication
• Communication is a process - it is on
going and changing continuously.
• We communicate through symbols.


Anything that abstractly signifies
something else can be a symbol.
All language, nonverbal behaviors, art,
and music are symbols.
Meanings
• The content level
• The relationship
of meaning is the
literal message.
level of meaning
expresses the
relationship
between
communicators.
In communication symbols are used to
create meanings.
Linear Model of Communication
Information
Source
Message
Transmitter
Signal
Received
Signal
Receiver
Noise
Source
Sender
Message
Receiver
Message
Destination
Interactive Model
of Communication
Message
Encoder
Source
Decoder
Feedback
Decoder
Receiver
Encoder
Field
of
Experience
Transactional Model
Social
Systems
Communicator A’s
Field of Experience
Time1
Time2
Shared
Symbolic
Field of
Interactions
Experience Over Time
Time3
Communicator B’s
Field of Experience
Noise
The Communication Continuum
Impersonal
Impersonal
It
Interpersonal
Interpersonal
You
Thou
Careers in Communication
• Research
• Education
• Training and Consulting
• Human Relations and Management
Experiencing Communication
in our Lives . . .
View the following speech and then
answer the questions that follow
based on material presented in
Chapter 1. A manuscript of the
speech can be found in your text
at the end of Chapter 1.
Wadsworth Thomson: Wood Scenarios
1. Does Mona’s speech give you a sense of
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
who she is?
Did Mona’s introduction catch your
attention and give you a road map of what
she would cover in her speech?
How did Mona create identification
between herself and listeners?
How did examples add to the speech?
How was the quotation from Sasha
effective?
Did Mona’s conclusion create closure by
returning to the theme of her introduction?