The Discipline of Communication

The word communication is derived from the Latin word

Communist” which means “Common The first time that communication
scholars like Frank Dance and Carl Larson (1976) Studied communication.
They already found 126 existing definitions of the word from dictionary
and various communication Books.

Characteristics Of Communication

Communication is dynamic- The everydayness of Communication is

contradicted by its dynamism.

Communication is unrepeatable and irreversible – Every

communication encounter is unique Each communication encounter
affects and change people.

Communication has no opposite – Communication is inevitable. While

it is true that we communicate with a purpose we may also communicate
without any awareness of doing so.

Communication is affected by culture- in the Philippines and in some

Western Culture when someone gives you a thumbs-up sign.

Communication is influenced by ethics- Since Communication has an

affect it requires that the participants of communication make judgements
of what is right and wrong.

Communication is competence-based- Being good in communication

is something that something that we are not born or blessed with
Communication is a skill that needs to be developed

Communication is being transformed by media and technology-

Technology has become one of the defining elements in this generation.
Types of Communication.

•Verbal Communication

•Oral Communication

•Written Communication.

•Nonverbal Communication

•Body Language

•Visual Communication

•Para language

Goals of Communication

To inform and Be informed

To persuade and influence

To build and Maintain Relationships

To Develop a Career

Principles of Clarity – means clearness and intelligibility of what is being

communicated.

Principles of Attention – it is said that both speaker and the message

should command the attention of the listeners or receivers.

Principles of Feedback – is the response from the recipient of the

message.

Principles of Informality – typically formal communication 1 is defined

as an “official” way of transmitting messages and other information.
Principles of Consistency – this principle adheres to the notion that we
use communication to get our point or our message across to facilitate
understanding or work toward a common goal.

Principles of Timeliness – in journalism, there is a quote that says old

news is not news. Timeliness is an important feature of news writing and
reporting because this connotes immediacy and relevance.

Principles of Adequacy – any effective communicator knows that

information should complete and sufficient. In journalism, an adequate
information typically covers the 5 Ws (Who. What, When. Where, and
Why) and 1H (How).

Elements of Communication

Are you familiar with Shakespeare’s quote that says, “All the world is a
stage and all the men and women merely players?” This quote applies to
communication as well since the participants play roles that contributes to
the success of the communicative transaction. It is important to know
these roles so we can play our parts well. It is also our responsibility to
know the other factors that may affect our performance as communicators
since it will hinder us from our goal of creating understanding and shared
meanings.

Message

The message is the content of the communicative act. It is encoded into

symbols and communicated through verbal and nonverbal methods. For
the message to be delivered and understood, the sender and receiver
must share a common system of symbols (e.g., language).

Sender and Receiver

The sender decides what is to be communicated, encodes the ideas and

feelings into verbal and nonverbal symbols, and transmits the message
through an understandable communication system. The sender is also
known as the encoder or source. The person who receives, interprets, and
responds to the message through feedback is called the receiver. The
receiver is also known as the decoder or interpreter.

The role of sender and receiver does not belong exclusively to one
participant of communication. These roles of sender and receiver gets
constantly reversed as messages are simultaneously sent and received
during the process of communication.

Channel

All messages are transmitted through a channel. Channel refers to the

medium by which the message is transmitted from sender to receiver. The
basic and natural channels of communication are the five senses: hearing,
touching, smelling, tasting, and seeing. With the evolution of technology,
technical medium-including printing press, telephone, radio, television,
and the Internet were developed to heighten the communication effect.

Feedback

Feedback refers to the information or signal sent back to the sender by

the receiver through verbal or nonverbal means. A feedback may be as
simple as a nod, a raised eyebrow, or a smile or as noticeable as clapping
or shouting. Feedback enables both the receiver and sender to adjust their
communication to reach an understanding or meet their common goal.

There are two kinds of feedback: positive and negative. A positive

feedback encourages us to continue a behavior in progress. A negative
feedback, on the other hand, gives us a cue to correct or stop a behavior.
For example, students leaning forward to the teacher during the
discussion tells the teacher that they are listening intently and this
encourages them to continue teaching. When a teacher sees someone
suppressing a yawn or sporting a dazed look, he or she may crack a joke
even in the middle of a serious discussion to gain the attention and
interest of the class.
Context

Context pertains to the setting or environment surrounding the

communication trans- action. This may be a place, a time, an event, and
even includes the social, cultural, and psychological condition of the
communicators.

Context is made up of rules and roles that we have to abide to make the
communication successful. Rules are the guides to follow while
communicating in different situations. We adjust our communication style
and behavior depending on the communication setting the place, the
participants, and the intention, content, and means of communication,
among others. For example, we are not allowed to raise our voice or laugh
aloud when we are in the library or in church. Roles, on the other hand,
refer to the part each participant has to play in any communicative event.
For example, in a panel discussion, it is the moderator’s role to facilitate
the discussion between the members of the panel.

Noise

Noise is anything that can distort the message. It is also known as

interference. This can be anything that serves to distract the sender and
receiver from achieving their intended communicative goal.

The noise may be external or internal. External noise refers to physical

noise or interference from the environment, such as boisterous laughter,
cars honking, or bad odor. Internal noise, on the other hand, concerns the
mind of communicators. If a student comes to class hungry, for example,
this hunger may distract him or her from concentrating in class.

While noise is always present, we can minimize its effect through various
methods like using good grammar, clarity of voice, simple language, or
quality signal, among others.

Effect

Each communication has its consequences. This consequence or result of

communication, both positive and negative, is referred to as effect. This
effect may be classified as Cognitive, affective, or behavioral.
Levels of Communication

Communication takes place on different levels. It may be intrapersonal,

interpersonal, group, public, mass, or computer-mediated.

Interpersonal Communication

When the communication takes place between people with an aim to

build, maintain, or end relationships, it is referred to as interpersonal
communication. Unlike intrapersonal communication, this level of
communication is more goal-oriented, may be planned or unplanned,
interactive, and fulfills social and instrumental needs. Since interpersonal
communication is interactive, it is usually more structured and influenced
by ethical considerations. It also occurs in different contexts and subfields
of communication study, including group, multicultural, and computer-
mediated communication.

Group Communication

This is communication among three or more people that is usually more

formal in nature and is more oriented toward fulfilling a task or achieving
a goal than interpersonal communication. As students, you usually
participate in group communication during group activities or projects.
Further, interpersonal and group communication tend to overlap since
there are group members who are already acquainted with each other on
a more personal level.

Public Communication

This is a sender-focused communication that usually involves one sender

transmitting information to a large audience. It is more formal, purposeful,
and goal-oriented as compared to interpersonal and group
communication. Example of public communication are political campaign
rallies.

Mass Communication
In mass communication, message is transmitted to a potentially large
audience across great distances with the use of a technological medium.
This medium may be print, such as magazines and newspapers, or
electronic, such as television and radio. There is a greater degree of
intentionality in delivering a message in mass communication as it may
involve complex technologies, manpower, and resources.

It is different from other forms of communication because:

a. There is little or no contact or interaction between the sender and

receivers
b. Feedback is restricted
c. Messages are developed by skilled professionals working for large
organizations (gatekeepers)

Computer and Mobile-mediated Communication

Do you use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram to connect with

people? If you do, then you are engaging in online or computer and mobile
mediated communication. This level of communication was brought about
by the invention of computers during World War II and when the first e-
mails were exchanged in the early 1960s.