"Communication always has a purpose. Before speaking, the first law is: you must know why you are talking. You must know what you are communicating for. What do you want?" - Harbhajan Singh Yogi, Spiritual Teacher It is natural for humans to communicate. Even before you learn a language, you already communicate through your coos and cries when you were a baby. One interesting, major milestone about your ability to communicate with others happens as early as the first 10 months of your life. It is at this point that you start to understand that your coos and cries can be used to achieve something. This is the stage in your pre-linguistic life that you first develop intentionality - the stage where you first realize that communication can be used to achieve something, that "communication always has a purpose." The course Purposive Communication is about writing, speaking and presenting to different audiences and for various purposes (CMO 20 s. 2013). It highlights the importance of purposeful and meaningful communication in a global and multicultural world that we live in. The course is composed of various, differentiated, and challenging tasks designed to enhance your critical thinking, listening, speaking, reading, writing, and viewing skills and your intercultural competence in communicating to people coming from diverse backgrounds. You will be exposed and challenged to use the different digital tools in conveying your ideas to audiences whose needs are shaped by the peculiarities of their situations and cultures. By the end of the course, you should have acquired and mastered the essential knowledge, skills and competencies that will help you achieve your academic and professional goals. How do you deal with ideas or views that are different from yours? The ability to engage in communication with people from a wide range of different cultures and traditions is a 21st century necessity. There has been unprecedented cultural, economic, and social integration both in the online and offline world. M. Scott Peck (1987) argues that reconciliation is the prime mission of human communication. This could only be achieved through effective communication. When effective communication takes place. the barriers or misunderstanding that divide and disengage human beings from one another are removed. Communication is the foundation of all human relationships. To build communities, individuals need to communicate effectively first (Neuliep 2006). In this unit Communication in the Global World, you will be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to engage in clear, productive, and respectful communication with a culture different from yours. It is hoped that you will also develop attitudes that neither demeans nor misjudges other cultures and traditions, but celebrates and respects them. LESSON 1: COMMUNICATION PROCESSES, PRINCIPLES, AND ETHICS Individuals define communication in varied ways. These definitions imply that the way people define communication influences how they think and behave towards other people. There are certain properties of communication upon which linguists and experts agree describe nature. Human communication is a dynamic, symbolic and interactive culture-bound process of exchange of messages. Communication is the heart of human relationships. At the end of this lesson, you should be able to: 1. describe the nature and elements of verbal and non-verbal communication in various multicultural contexts: 2. characterize communication in the digital age: 3. analyze the principles and process of effective communication; and 4. explain the ethics of effective communication in the modern age. What went wrong in the communication of the family members? What could have worked better in their communication? How can meal time promote effective communication and family bond? How important is meal time for Filipinos?
