Defining Communication 02 03 2014 Issues involved in defining communication Intentional Does communication need to be intentional Watzlawick Beavin and Jackson published their ideas in 1967 on what constituted to be communication They came up with the axiom you can not not communicate As long as some meaning was received communication took place Therefore it does not need to be intentional Correspondence Does the message sent have to equal the message received in order for communication to take place Some say yes some say no Can one say communication does not need to be intentional and needs correspondence to take place No The two are mutually exclusive If you have to have intention than the stomach growling previously discussed If a professor hears a student s stomach growling is this communication is not communication Successful Is communication only successful if we persuade effectively Ethical Honest Should communication scholars study things that are not ethical and not honest Or is that wrong in some way Symbolic actions Whether or not communication should only include symbolic actions it represents something words gestures Other people think its okay to study things like signs or symptoms like stomach growling and yawning from communication Cognition thought perception Is this communication or is it distinct Is communication only a human to human endeavor or does it involved plants animals and aliens People just study human communication Why is it important to define communication In a field of communication there is no one definition of communication If we cant define what it is we are studying then we wont have a credible It is important that we come up with a definition so we know what we are field studying Communication A social process in which individuals employ symbols to establish and interpret meaning in their environment Process of Communication Symbols words nonverbal etc Interpret our perception of message success of message Meaning in environment environment changes and symbols change with it There are also relationship differences Individuals people transforming internal thoughts to something others can understand Process may imply a beginning and an end Process of Communication Communication Contexts Contexts environments in which communication takes place people raise hands in class to speak but not at home Situational contexts environments that are limited by such factors as the number of people present the feedback the space between communication among others Intrapersonal communication with oneself what goes on inside your head even if you re with someone includes times when you imagine daydream perceive and solve problems in head example employee shows late to work every day employer thinks person doesn t take is seriously self esteem the degree of positive orientation people have about themselves Interpersonal face to face communication between people geared toward the development establishment and maintaining of relationships communication with a group of people at least three people cohesiveness the degree of togetherness between and among Small Group communicators synergy the intersection of multiple perspectives in a small group networks communication patterns through which information flows roles positions of group members and their relationship to the group Organizational communication within and among large and extended environments examples emails task group preparing report etc hierarchy an organizing principle whereby things or people are ranked on above the other hawthorne experiments a set of investigations that ushered in a human relations approach to organization Public Rhetorical communication to a large group of listeners audience examples public speech giving to big audiences in public speaking the three primary goals to inform to entertain or to persuade Persuasion is the core of rhetorical communication principles of persuasion audience analysis speaker credibility and verbal and nonverbal delivery of a message rhetoric a speaker s available means of persuasion communication apprehension a general sense of fear of speaking before an audience Mass Media Mass Media the channels or delivery modes for mass messages Mass Communication communication to a large audience via various channels radio Internet television etc New Media computer related technology Cultural vary Communication between and among individuals whose cultural backgrounds Culture a community of meaning and a shared body of knowledge Co cultures groups of individuals who are part of the same larger culture but who can be classified around various identities This is huge because of our global economy and diverse populace opportunity to communicate with people interculturally communication differs from culture to culture how can we deal with this most effectively Theory What is Theory 02 03 2014 Any conceptual representation or explanation of a phenomenon LittleJohn conceptual taking a stand idea label for communication events label we use to describe a lot of concrete communication events not specific things general ideas that may be used to describe a specific thing in mind or suggestion that it can be either or explanation some type of how or why phenomenon communication behaviors Does a theory have to include an explanation according to Littlejohn No A set of statements specifying an explanatory relationship between two or more classes of phenomenon Smith What is the difference between the two definitions Smith is saying that theory has to do with relationships between two things For Smith s definition the explanation element is integral Littlejohn believes a theory can stop at a conceptual level and Smith believes it has to continue on through with the explanation Theory vs Taxonomy and model Taxonomy persuasion a conceptual representation of categories of a phenomenon for example a categorizing scheme for different communication behaviors they turned strategies into a taxonomy by labeling them in some ways and giving organization scheme labels Would littlejohn consider a taxonomy a theory Yes Because it is a conceptual representation Smith however wouldn t because there are no explanations Model a simplified version of reality specify relationships between concepts how do the different parts go together message sender receiver how they all relate temporal order what comes first second and third model of persuasion process that she showed on the projector What are the
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