Chapter 1 Building Responsibility
• What is Communication?
– The process of sending and receiving messages.
– Communication is like playing catch:
The Communication Process
• The sender encodes and transmits the message
through a given channel (the way a message is sent).
• A message is words, body language and symbols that
communicate thoughts or ideas.
• The receiver intercepts and decodes the message
and then transmits feedback
• Feedback is words, body language and symbols that
respond to the sender’s message.
The Communication Model
Communication Barriers
• Any obstacle that gets in communication barrier. There
are five communication barriers:
– Social = they aren’t part of my group (these are social,
economical, peer or professional groups).
– Cultural = we don’t have the same background, religion,
family type, or speak the same language
– Educational = I am too smart for them or they are too
smart for me (either perceived or real differences)
– Environmental = there is something physical blocking
communication from happening
– Attitudinal = somebody doesn’t like the topic or person
who is speaking (bad attitude)
Levels of Communication
Mass Communication - communication
by means of broadcasting and
newspapers, which reaches all or most
people in society
Public – Communication with a large
group. Ex: a college lecture
Small Group – Communication with or
a presentation to a group of 4-12
people
Interpersonal – Communication with
one or two other people
Intrapersonal – Communication with
yourself
Other Key Terms
• Symbol – Anything that stands for an idea and is used
to represent something.
• Motivation – Something such as a need or desire that
causes a person to act
• Stereotyping – placing everyone in a group based on a
preconceived idea of what that group represents.
• Integrity – doing what is right, even when no one else is
looking
• Ethics – knowing the difference between right and
wrong.
• Orator – a person who delivers an oratory and/or uses
words effectively.
Types of Communication
• Any communication that must be read is written
communication.
• Any communication that is spoken is called oral or
verbal communication.
– This does NOT include tone of voice. It only includes the
words that are spoken
• Any communication that occurs with body language,
gestures, tone of voice, personal appearance or use of
space is called nonverbal communication.
– Nonverbal communication often expresses your feelings or
moods about a person, situation or topic.
– More than 80% of all communication is nonverbal.
Confidence and Fear
• What is confidence?
• The feeling you can handle any situation successfully
• What is fear?
• A biological process which allows you to get a job done which
might result in physical or physiological injury.
•Phobia – an irrational fear
•Communication Apprehension – stage fright/ an extreme fear of
audiences
•Perception – While you are giving the speech: how you “see”
yourself, the audience, the speech itself…
•Self Esteem – The personal value one feels for themselves. This
often occurs after personal discovery.
You are not alone…
• 80-90 % of people admit to feeling uncomfortable
about any kind of public speaking.
• Many people fear public speaking more than they
fear death.
• But what if I make a mistake:
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DON’T PANIC
Relax and take a deep breath
Laugh at your mistakes
Remember, you are only human and so is your
audience. Shockingly, you are NOT perfect, but
neither is your audience!