PURPOSIVE

COMMUNICATION
GEC 8
 COMMUNICATION
PROCESSES, PRINCIPLES
AND ETHICS,
COMMUNICATION AND
GLOBALIZATION
UNIT 1
 “Real communication occurs ...
when we listen with understading -
to see the expressed idea and
attitude from the other person’s
point of view, to sense how it feels
to him, to achieve his frame of
reference in regard to the things
he is talking about.” - Carl Rogers
(1952)
 WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?
Communication can be defined as a process by which information,
meanings and feelings are shared by persons through a common
system of verbal and nonverbal symbols, signs or behavior.
As a process, communication is characterized as:
1. dynamic - it is constantly changing because it relies on human
perception that can change overtime; therefore, it is irreversible
and unrepeatable;
2. continuous - it is an ongoing exchange of meaning-sharing
behaviors between/among individuals who operate within a frame
of experience; it does not have a beginning, an end, a fixed
sequence of events;
3. adaptive - it adjusts to the changes that occur in its physical and
psychological environment;

4. systemic - it adjusts to the changes that occur in its physical and

psychological environment;

5. transactional - every communication is a unique combination of

people, messages and events; it consists of unending sharing
(transmission and reception) of messages between/among people on
some occasion.
 A. FORMS OF COMMUNICATION
Intrapersonal Communication is talking to
oneself (self-talk) through internal
vocalization or reflective thinking due to
some internal or external stimulus. In other
words, this type of communication takes
place within the person. For example, you
may talk to yourself about what you want to
drink because of the internal stimulus of
thirst, or you may think about a car accident
you have witnessed. In contrast with other
forms of communication, intrapersonal
communication takes place only inside a
person’s head.
2. Interpersonal Communication is form of
communication wherein individuals are
engage actively in the overt and covert
transmission and reception of messages.

a. Dyadic Communication is a two-person

communication such as telephone
conversation, job interview and doctor-
patient conversation.

b. Small Group Communication ideally

consists of three to six persons such as
committee meetinf, buzz session and
brainstorming activity.
3. Public Communication is conveying information to a large
audience. It is more sender-focused than intrapersonal forms of
communication.

a. Speaker-Audience Communication is talking to a large number

of people who are gathered for some occasion. The speaker
centers the communication event on the audience. He analyzes
the audience to determine the content, language usage and
listener expectations. Effective communication occurs because
the speaker can tailor messages to the needs of the listeners.

b. Mass Communication is “process whereby media organizations

produce and transmit messages to large publics and the process
by which those messages are sought, used, understood, and
influenced by audience”(Littlejohn and Foss, 2011),
 B. MODELS OF COMMUNICATION
The following material is based on the book Communication in the Real World:

1. Transmission Model considers communication as a one-directional exchange

in which the message is purposely conveyed by a speaker to a listener (Ellis
& McClintock, 1990). This model centers on the sender and information
present in a communication environment. Despite the inclusion of the
receiver in this communication model, this function is regarded merely as
target or destination and not a part of a continuous exchange of meanings.
Therefore, communication is considered simply as source and destination of
messages.

Message
Sender Receiver

Channel
2. Interaction Model describes
communication as a process in which
communicators change roles as sender
and receive and produce meaning by
exchanging messages illustrating
communication as a liner, unidirectional
method, the interaction model
incorporates feedback that makes
communication significantly
collaborative, two-way method.
Feedback is conveyed as a response to
receive messages. From this standpoint,
communication can be described as
producing exchanges of meanings within
physical and behavioral settings.
3. Transaction Model explains communication as a way of creating realities
based on our social, relational and cultural backgrounds. This model shows
that communication is not a mere exchange of experiences. It rather shows
that we intend to build relationships, create intercultural understanding,
form our self-identity, and interact with others to engender societies. In
other words, transactional communication aims towards creating
experiences instead of merely talking about them. It considers
communication as an amalgam of our constant engagements with other
people to not only construct experiences but modify them as well.
Social Context can be described as the declared rules or undeclared
norms that guide communication. As we get integrated with
different communities, we become acquianted with rules and
indirectly get along norms for sharing experiences. Some common
rules that influence social contexts include don’t lie to people, don’t
interrupt people, don’t pass people in line, greet people when they
greet you, thank people when they you a compliment, and so on.
These rules are often overtly taught to children or students by their
parents or teachers. Rules may be stated over and over, and there
may be punishment for not following them.
Relational context involves our erstwhile socializations and type of
association we have forged with other people. We communicate
differently with someone we just met versus someone we’ve known
for a long time. First time encounters with individuals are inclined to
be dictated by established rules and norms; however, once we have
a strong relational context, we tend to disregard or alter social
norms and rules more easily.
Cultural context
consists of an individuals self-concept and self-perception in
relation to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, race, gender
and sexual orientation. We have not just one but multiple identities
that influence our communication. Our awareness of these identitis
adversely impact the way we interact with others, especially when
we feel inferior to other cultures. Similarly, people with identities
that are dominant or in the majority -who think highly of their
culture - show more confidence in the way they communicate with
others particularly those have been historically oppressed and
downgraded.
 C. VERBAL AND NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
Verbal communication can be defined as the exchange of ideas that occurs
through words. This can be both written and oral.
Verbal communication allows individuals to exchange ideas, opinions,
values and suggestions, and creates an atmosphere where an individual
can connect with another.
Verbal communication may take place face-to-face or through some
media such as the telephone.
When a person engages in a conversation with a friend, this is verbal
communication because it allows them to use words to communicate with
each other. Through letters, various documents, memos, text messages,
and bills, people communicate with others. Both situations exemplify
verbal communication in oral and written form, respectively.
Since words are man's primary symbols, verbal communication creates a
condition where transferring information becomes very clear.
 C. VERBAL AND NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
Nonverbal communication is wordless exchange of information,
thoughts, feelings, etc. between or among individuals.

People communicate a lot nonverbally through intonation and

stress, gross bodily movements such as gestures and facial
expressions, material things such as hair style and jewelry, and
touching, kissing and hugging.
These nonverbal elements give deeper meaning and intention to
words.
Nonverbal signals can give clues and additional information and
meaning over and above verbal communication.
Nonverbal signals are more vulnerable to misunderstanding.
 C. VERBAL AND NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
It includes the following types:
(1) Paralanguage (Vocalics) refers to vocal qualities that go along
with verbal message, such as pitch, volume, rate, vocal quality, and
verbal fillers (Andersen, 1999).
(2) Action Language (Kinesics) refers to gross bodily movements
such as walking and eating. It consists of (a) gesture, (b) facial
expression, (c) eye contact and (d) posture.
(3) Sign Language consists of body movements that are used as
substitute for letters, words, numbers, phrases and even sentences
(4) Object Language (Objectics) refers to the intentional or
unintentional display of material things such as the clothes you
wear, hair style, the decoration of a room, jewelry, implements,
machines, the human body, etc.
C. VERBAL AND NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
(5) Tactile Language (Haptics) is communication by touch such as a kiss
or a tap on the back. It is the most elementary mode of communication
and the first an infant experiences.
(6) Space/Distance (Proxemics) expresses certain types of messages. In
America, there are four primary distance zones: (a) intimate, (b)
personal,
(7) Time (Chronemics) refers to man's use of time in sending certain
types of messages. Time as a form of nonverbal communication can be
best explained by the concept of punctuality, willingness to wait and
interactions.
(8)Silence is the lack of audible sound, or the presence of sounds of very
low intensity. It can be best explained by the statement "What is not said
is as important as or even more important than what is said." Sometimes
silence can communicate better than any words.
COMBINING VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL CUES
Both verbal and nonverbal communications are part of the
complete interaction process and, in practice, are
inseparable. A combination of verbal and non-verbal signals
is a good style to effectively convey information, thoughts
and feelings. Smiling. laughing, and using a friendly tone of
voice while saying, "That is so funny," lets your listener know
that you really do think the situation is funny. However,
making the same statement while using an unfriendly tone of
voice accompanied by no smile, clearly lets your listener
know that you do not, in fact, find the situation humorous.
Another example that shows successful integration of verbal
and nonverbal communication is using your finger to point to
the direction you are describing.
 D. CAUSES OF MISUNDERSTANDINGS IN
COMMUNICATION
The book Business Communication identified and explained the major
barriers to effective communication

1. Problems in developing the message

a. Indecision about the message content. This is due to the fact that the
sender has too much information on the subject, which gives rise to the
difficulty in choosing what to include and what to exclude. When the
message has too much of information then the receiver can get confused.
b. Lack of familiarity with the situation or the receiver. The sender should
get all the necessary information and find out to whom the message is to
be sent. This would enable the sender to state the message in a language
that is appropriate to the situation and clearly understood by the
receiver.
 D. CAUSES OF MISUNDERSTANDINGS IN
COMMUNICATION
c. Emotional conflicts. There are times when the message has to be
delivered that would cause emotional disturbance to the receiver. In such
case, without being defensive, the sender should state the message in a
manner that would avoid emotional conflict.

d) Difficulty in expressing ideas. This is due to the lack of experience in

writing or speaking that the sender may have and cause difficulty in
expressing his/ her ideas. One must possess sufficient knowledge of
language to express using appropriate words.
 D. CAUSES OF MISUNDERSTANDINGS IN
COMMUNICATION
2. Problems in transmitting the message
a) When speaking, the sender may find that the acoustics in the place is poor,
or there may be no proper facilities for the audience to hear the speaker.
b) There are written messages that are difficult to understand because of
illegibility due to poor printing quality.
c) When more than one message is sent on the same subject there is a good
possibility of contradictions. In such a case, the receiver is uncertain and
interpretation may be confused.
d) When there are too many links in the communication line there could be
distortion of message. For instance, when the message has to pass through
many people there is a possibility of each person interpreting the message in
his or her way. By the time the message gets to the actual receiver, the
message would have undergone change that would be far from the intended
 D. CAUSES OF MISUNDERSTANDINGS IN
COMMUNICATION
3. Problems in receiving the message

a) Physical distraction: The receiver may have physical impairment (difficulty

of hearing, poor eye sight) that could cause hindrance in understanding the
message.

b) Lack of concentration: The receiver may not have enough capacity to

concentrate and may get his/her mind wander off the message-i.e. sometimes
we are thinking of some other issue when a person is telling us something This
file else. This is a big hindrance in communication process.
 D. CAUSES OF MISUNDERSTANDINGS IN
COMMUNICATION
4. Problems in understanding the message
a) Different cultural background, such as education, social status, economic
position, etc. could become a hindrance in the process of understanding the
message.
b) Different interpretation of words: This happens when the receiver is not
familiar with a particular language. For example, the receiver may not be
computer literate and hence, may not understand the computer language that
the sender is using.
c) Different emotional reaction: The message consists of both the content
meaning and relationship meaning. The message may be clear, but the manner
in which it is expressed or worded may not be acceptable to the receiver. When
the message is not acceptable, then it may give rise to negative feelings and
the communication can breakdown and not receive proper response.
THANK YOU
VERY MUCH