The Essentials of Human
Communication
Chapter 1
What is Communication?

Human Communication consists of the
sending and receiving of verbal and
nonverbal messages between of two or
more people
Skills of Human
Communication
Skills of Human Communication
Self Presentation- how you present yourself as
confident, credible likeable and approachable
Relationship Skills-how to initiate, maintain, repair
and dissolve to be better friend, family member,
coworker, girlfriend/boyfriend
Interviewing Skills-job interviews
Skills of Human Communication
Cont.
Group Interaction and Leadership Skillsparticipating as an effective group member in
relationships and task groups
Presentation Skills- Speaking to small and large
audiences to inform or to persuade builds self
confidence and serves a larger common good
Media Literacy- Being a critical user of the varied
mass media encountered on a daily basis helps one to
act as an informed citizen and consumer
Forms of Human
Communication
Intrapersonal CommunicationCommunication you have with
yourself.
It is how you discover who you are!
Interpersonal-2 person
communication
Relationships that help you interact with
others, learn about yourself and reveal
yourself to others.
InterviewingQuestion and
Answer Communication

Receiving counseling and conducting
interviews.
Small Group CommunicationCommunication Between 5-10
People

Building relationships, developing new
ideas, completing task etc.
Public- Communication as a
speaker to an Audience

Inform and Persuade others
Computer-mediated
Communication-Communication
through the computer
– IM, E-mail, Facebook, Myspace, Chats, Blog
etc.
Possible Misconceptions in Human
Communication
The more you communicate the better
your communication will be.
 When two people are in a close
relationship, neither person should have to
explicitly communicate needs and wants
 Interpersonal or group conflict is a reliable
sign that the relationship or group is in
trouble

Possible Misconceptions in Human
Communications
Like good communicators, leaders are
born, not made.
 Fear of public speaking is detrimental and
must be eliminated

The MODELS OF
COMMUNICATION
Linear Model
Speaker
Listener
Linear Model- the speaker speaks and the listener listens
Interactional Model
Sender/Encoder
Listener/Decoder
the speaker and listener were seen as exchanging turns at
speaking and listening
Transactional Model
Sender
Noise
Receiver
Transactional Model- Each person is simultaneously the
listener and speaker. Holds that the elements of
communication are interdependent, a change in any
element can produce a change in other elements
Communication must be kept in
Context

The context to a large extent determines
the meaning of any verbal or nonverbal
message.
– Physical: the tangible or concrete
environment
– Cultural: the lifestyles, beliefs, values etc
– Social psychological: the status relationship
among participants
– Temporal: the position in which a message
fits into a sequence of events.
NOISE
Anything that interferes with the sending or
receiving of messages
Types
1. Physical: Interference external to speakers
and listeners (ex: side conversations, music)
2. Physiological: Physical barriers within the
speaker or listener (ex: visual or hearing
impairments)
Types of Noise Cont.
3. Psychological: Cognitive or mental influences
(Ex: prejudice)
3. Semantic: Speaker and listener assign different
meanings to messages because of various
comprehension of signals (Ex: different language
competencies)
The Principles of
Communication
Communication is a Process of
ADJUSTMENT
– The ability to identify another persons signals
and understand how they are used and what
they mean
– Communication Accommodation-ability to adjust
communicative style to others
(How does this come into play when we are
talking to children, employers?)
Communication is
AMBIGUOUS
-All messages can be interpreted in more
than one way
SOON
LATE
EARLY
IN A MINUTE
Communication Involves
CONTENT AND RELATIONSHIP
DIMENSION

Content Dimensions: The literal meaning of the
message

Relationship Dimensions: Refers to how
interactants feel about the message, about each
other and their degrees of status and intimacy
Problems often result from failure to distinguish
between content and relationship dimensions of
communication
Communication is
PURPOSEFUL
Some motivation leads people to
communicate.
 The five general purposes of
communication:

– To
– To
– To
– To
– To
Learn
Relate
Help
Influence
Play
Communication is
INEVITABLE, IRREVERSIBLE AND
UNREPEATABLE

Inevitable: No matter if we intend to,
everything we do sends a message

Irreversible: We cannot take it back!

Unrepeatable: You can never convey
communication in the exact same way you
did the “first time”
Culture & Human
Communication
The Importance of Culture
 Dimensions of Culture

– Uncertainty Avoidance/Acceptance
– Acceptance/Rejection of Tradition Views of
Masculinity/Femininity
– High/Low Power Distances
– Individualism/Collectivism
– High/Low Context
The Aim of a Cultural Perspective
 Ethnic and Ethnocentrism
