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Communication in a Changing
World, 2006 Edition
C
H
A
1
P
T
E
R
Understanding the Process
of Communication
Bethami A. Dobkin
Roger C. Pace
McGraw-Hill
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Chapter Summary
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•
•
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Why Study Communication?
Defining Communication
Communication as a Discipline
Basic Elements in the Communication
Process
• Dynamic Characteristics of the
Communication Process
• Communicating Responsibly: Guiding
Principles for Communicators
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Why Study Communication?
• Communication has the potential to shape
identities, relationships, environments, and
cultures
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Why Study Communication?
• Communication in Relationships
– Humans rely on communication as the basis of
relationships
• Satisfaction with relationships, living arrangements,
classroom performance, and working environments
hinge on ability to communicate
• Use to learn about people we interact with
• Utilize as a tool to express ourselves and instruct,
inspire, and motivate others
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Why Study Communication?
• Communication and Society
– Key to establishing identities, communities, and
systems of shared governance
– Communicate sense of self through clothing,
possessions, and style of speech
– Necessary for a healthy democracy
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Why Study Communication?
• Communication and Changing Technology
– New technologies and the demands of global
markets create the expectation that everyone has
good interpersonal and presentational skills
• Communication in a Diverse Workplace
– Working with diverse groups of people requires
skills in collaboration and relationship building
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Defining Communication
Communication the process of creating and
sharing meaning through the use of symbols
• Partly an art, and a form of expression
• Also a science, open for study and rigorous
examination
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Defining Communication
• Four facets of Communication
1. Communication Is a Process
– We are always engaged in some form of
communication
– Communication continues even as we stop to
think about what might be happening
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Defining Communication
2. We Create and Share Meaning through
Communication
– Create meaning whenever we think about our
actions, interact with others, or even engage in
an internal dialog with ourselves
– Assume that if we say something clearly
enough, we have conveyed or shared meaning
with others
• Our attempts at sharing meaning can fall short of
creating mutual understanding
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Defining Communication
3. Communication Is Largely Intentional
– Creating and sharing meaning places particular
importance on those behaviors that are
intentional
• Although intent can be difficult to determine, we
make assumptions about it all the time
– We can make conscious choices about
intentional communication and work to improve
our skills as communicators
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Defining Communication
4. Communication Is Symbolic
– Communication depends on the use of symbols,
which includes all the words, images, gestures,
and expressions that we use to represent out
thoughts, ideas, beliefs
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Communication as a Discipline
• Communication as a Discipline
– Understanding how people communicate can be
traced back to the ancient Greek study of
rhetoric (Brummet 1991)
– Rhetorical tradition has been complemented by
social scientific approaches to studying
communications (Griffin 1991)
– More recent approaches to communication and
influence focus on understanding how
communication contributes to social change
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Communication as a Discipline
• Communication as a Discipline (continued)
– From its inception, the study of communication
has included
• A focus on the initiation and interpretation of
messages
• A concern about:
– How people see the world
– How they should behave
– The role of interaction in making the world a better place
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Basic Elements in the Communication
Process
• Activity
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Basic Elements in the Communication
Process
• Basic Elements in the Communication
Process
– Every communication situation contains:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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Two or more communicators
One or more messages
One or more communication channels
A certain amount of noise or interference
Feedback exchange between communicators
A communication setting or context (NCA 1998)
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Basic Elements in the Communication
Process
Figure 1-1. A Contemporary Model of the Communication Process
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Basic Elements in the Communication
Process
• Communicators
– Initiators and Interpreters
• Initiator starts or advances the communication
process by generating a message
• Interpreter perceives and attempts to understand a
message
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Basic Elements in the Communication
Process
• Communicators (continued)
– Encoding and Decoding
• Encoding occurs as a communicator translates ideas,
thoughts, and feelings into symbols
• Decoding occurs as a communicator interprets a
message by deciphering the symbols into
understandable and meaningful ideas, thoughts, and
feelings
– The Self is the total composite of a person’s
personality, experiences, and identity
• Messages in the communication process must pass
through the “self”
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Basic Elements in the Communication
Process
• Messages—symbolic expressions of ideas,
thoughts, and feelings
– Verbal or nonverbal or both
• Verbal messages are expressed through a formal
language suing oral, written, or signed words
• Nonverbal messages use symbols other than words
– Written or oral
• Oral communication usually less formal and more
personal, more interactive, and more transient than
writing
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Basic Elements in the Communication
Process
Figure 1-2. Messages and Shared Meaning
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Basic Elements in the Communication
Process
• Channels
– Mediums used to carry messages between
communicators are called channels
• Influence the message and alters the intent,
substance, or result of the message
– Three dimensions of mediation [that]can alter
message:
• Specificity—ability of a channel to focus or
customize the message for particular individuals
• Richness—the number of verbal and nonverbal clues
or modes of communication that a channel carries
• Interactivity—the interactive quality of the channel
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Basic Elements in the Communication
Process
• Noise
– Anything that interferes with the creation of
shared meaning between or among
communicators
• Internal Noise—occurs when physiological or
psychological characteristics interfere in the
communication process
• External Noise—created by interference in the
environment, such as sounds that compete for
attention
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Basic Elements in the Communication
Process
• Feedback
– Feedback is a response or reaction to a message
• Tells if messages are being interpreted as intended
• Used to adjust and clarify messages
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Basic Elements in the Communication
Process
• Context
– The environment surrounding the
communication process
• Physical Setting—includes time of day, proximity of
communicators, and occasion
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Basic Elements in the Communication
Process
• Context (continued)
• Communicative Settings refers to the number of
communicators, the type of relationship, and the nature of the
interaction. Includes:
– Intrapersonal communication—communication within oneself,
self-talk
– Interpersonal communication—interaction among a small
number of people
– Small group communication—takes place among 3 to 7 people
– Public communication—interaction with large numbers of
people
– Mediated communication—uses some form of technology and
includes communication by means of television, radio, film,
printed books, newspapers, and the Internet
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Basic Elements in the Communication
Process
“Not a sentence or a word is independent of
the circumstances under which it is uttered.”
—Alfred North Whitehead, English
philosopher
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Basic Elements in the Communication
Process
Figure 1-3. Communicative Settings Concept Map
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Basic Elements in the Communication
Process
• Exploring Communication Concepts
– Self-Talk
• When are you most likely to engage in self-talk?
• How might self-talk help you prepare for future
interactions with others?
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Basic Elements in the Communication
Process
• Culture
– Culture is everything that makes up one’s way
of life, including:
–
–
–
–
–
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Shared values
Knowledge
Behaviors
Symbolic expression
Co-cultures—cultures within a culture
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Dynamic Characteristics of the
Communication Process
• Communication is Transactional
– Activity
• Communication is Irreversible
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Dynamic Characteristics of the
Communication Process
“Every once and awhile, you let a word or
phrase out and you want to catch it and
bring it back. You can’t do that. It’s gone,
gone forever.”
—Dan Quayle, former Vice President of the
United States
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Communicating Responsibly: Guiding
Principles for Communicators
• Communicating with Civility
– Accepting others as equal partners in reaching
common goals
– Calls for communicating clearly, effectively, and
appropriately
• Valuing Diversity
– Understanding the process by which difference
becomes meaningful and developing the ability
to live, learn, and work within many cultures
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Communicating Responsibly: Guiding
Principles for Communicators
• Communicating Ethically
– Principles that guide our decisions about what is
good or bad, right or wrong
• Appropriateness—responding in ways that fit the
communications context
• Perspective Taking—ability to consider behavior
from someone else’s point of view
• Self-monitoring—ability to see, think about, and act
based on the consequences of your behavior.
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Communicating Responsibly: Guiding
Principles for Communicators
“To the extent that we protect other people’s
religion, speech, freedom to learn and
participate in the political process, we
preserve our own.”
—John Frohnmayer, Chair, National
Endowment for the Arts
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Summary
• Communication is the process of creating
and sharing meaning through the use of
symbols.
• Communication is a diverse field focused on
the the initiation and interpretation of
messages in a variety of contexts.
• The basic elements of the communication
process are initiators and interpreters,
messages, noise, channels, feedback,
context, and culture.
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Summary
• Verbal communication uses formal
languages. Nonverbal communication uses
extralinguistic symbols.
• Communication process is transactional,
irreversible, and multidimensional.
• The civil communicator cares about and
participates in the world. Attention to
diversity aids the communicator. Ethical
guidelines help practice civility and
diversity.
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