A study reveals that many of us spend 70 to 80 %
of our waking hours in some form of
communication. Further, statistics point to the
fact that approximately 85% percent of our
success in life is directly attributable to our
communication skills.
(http://extension.missouri.edu/p/CM150; http://advancedlifeskills.com/blog/14-very-effectivecommunication-skills/ )
STOP & THINK. Find the elements of communication.
If one is missing, say this missing one aloud. 
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STOP, READ, & THINK. Can you identify the
elements based on this scenario?
A travelling salesperson stopped at a fast food
restaurant for a cup of coffee. When the server
delivered the coffee, the friendly salesperson
attempted to make a conversation.
“Looks like rain,” the salesperson said.
“I don’t make this stuff,” the server responded,
“I just serve it.”
Van Ekeren, G. (1994). Speaker’s sourcebook 2: Quotes, stories, and anecdotes for every occasion. New Jersey. Prentice Hall.
TOPIC 1: ELEMENTS
OF COMMUNICATION
1. Sender
- the encoder or the source of the message
- can be a person, group of people, and
organization w/ their own distinct
characteristics, e.g. age, gender, values, etc.
2. Message
- the ideas and feelings the sender encodes or
sends
- in verbal (words) form or nonverbal symbols
(paralanguage: pitch, tone, volume; body
language: gestures and facial expressions,
posture, eye movement; physical distance to the
receiver, and appearance/clothing)
According to Albert Mehrabian, a psychologist known for his
pioneering work on nonverbal communication, when words and
body language contradict, one is inclined to believe the latter (Belludi,
2008). If this takes place, movements or gestures may become
barriers to a successful exchange of ideas. For instance, when the
nonverbal replaces the verbal, e.g. the ‘ok’ hand gesture
instead of saying ‘ok’, this signal may be mistaken as a
sign for money.
Hence, a harmony between the verbal intent and the nonverbal
meaning is crucial in attaining effective communication.
3. Channel
- the vehicle by which the message is sent
also called medium used in message
conveyance
 can be grouped based on form (verbal or
nonverbal) and means (face-to face or
technology-mediated) of delivery
4. Receiver
- the decoder or the recipient of the message
- has his/her/their distinct characteristics, e.g.
educational background, values, etc.
5. Feedback
- the verbal or nonverbal
responses to the sender’s
encoded signals/messages
6. Noise or interference
- the factors that hinder the recipient’s ability to
send or receive messages
 As a barrier to communication, this may be:
- external - physical environment
- internal - psychological/mental (e.g. biases,
inattention), physiological (physical
traits/disability, e.g. cleft palate), semantic (words
used), and syntactic (grammar/sentence structure)
7. Context
- the situation and environment in
which the communication occurs
• the background or framework surrounding
an event/occurrence
• 3 dimensions: physical, social (occasion,
people involved), cultural
COMMUNICATION PROCESS
Context
Noise
encoding /
decoding
encoding/
decoding
Message(s)
Channel/
Medium
Channel/
Medium
Feedback
Noise
Context
*Combined ideas from Dunn & Goodnight (2011)and Gamble & Gamble (2010)
DEFINING COMMUNICATION
The process of transmitting information
and common understanding from one
person to another (Keyton, 2011)
The interdependent process of sending
and receiving, and understanding
messages (Dunn and Goodnight (2011)
STOP & THINK. Based on the image below, when is communication
considered successful?
Successful communication = common understanding between the sender and the receiver, that
is the meaning intended by the sender through her/his message is the same meaning
understood by the receiver
STOP, READ, & THINK AGAIN.
This time, identify the elements, and determine if the communication
between these individuals can be considered successful?
A travelling salesperson stopped at a fast food restaurant for a
cup of coffee. When the server delivered the coffee, the
friendly salesperson attempted to make a conversation.
“Looks like rain,” the salesperson said.
“I don’t make this stuff,” the server responded,
“I just serve it.”
Van Ekeren, G. (1994). Speaker’s sourcebook 2: Quotes, stories, and anecdotes for every occasion. New Jersey. Prentice Hall.)
STOP & THINK. Read these communication pieces – emails.
Is the communication between the sender and the receiver successful?
Why? Why not?
A Minnesota couple decided to vacation to Florida during the
winter. They planned to stay at the very same hotel where
they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier. Because of hectic
schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules.
So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on
Thursday. His wife would fly down the following day.
The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in
his room, so he decided to send an e-mail to his wife.
However, he accidentally left out one letter in her e-mail
address, and without realizing his error, he sent the e-mail.
Meanwhile somewhere in Houston, a widow had just
returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a
minister of many years who was called home to glory
following a sudden heart attack. The widow decided
to check her e-mail, expecting messages from relatives
and friends. After reading the first message, she
fainted.
The widow's son rushed into the room, found his
mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen
which read:
To:
My Loving Wife
Subject: I've Arrived
Date:
16 May 2003
I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have
computers here now and you are allowed to send e-mails to
your loved ones. I've just arrived and have been checked in. I
see that everything has been prepared for your arrival
tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your
journey is not as uneventful as mine was.
P.S. Sure is hot down here!
[From: Wrong email(n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.cleanjoke.com/humor/Wrong-Email.html]
STOP & THINK
 In your future field of work or chosen
career, how important is it for you to be
able to communicate your thoughts
clearly in the written or spoken form?
Why?