FINAL EXAM INFORMATION INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION Chapter 1 Getting started in Communication Communication transactional process by which people interacting in a particular context negotiate the meanings of verbal and nonverbal symbols in order to achieve shared understanding Transactional process continuous and ongoing It may not involve direct speaking Transactional because it involves exchange and because both parties are responsible for the outcome of the interaction and both are affected by it Context the situation in which the communication takes place and affects how we communicate and even the success or failure of our communication Environment changes the context changes Ex If mom were to be at the apartment with Tim and I on a Saturday night Intrapersonal context self talk communication that occurs within you It is the foundation of all other types of communication Interpersonal context communication that occurs between people dyads two people communicating with each other Group context three to seven people interact with each other in order to accomplish a meaningful objective Organizational context individuals dyads and groups communicating with other individuals dyads and groups Dyads account for approximately half of all organizational communication Public context oral presentations a single speaker addresses a defined audience that might range in size Mass communication context a single individual or company sends a message to a few or thousands of receivers who are not immediately present Negotiated meaning symbol is something that stands for something else they can be verbal or nonverbal Ex I don t cry when a family member dies so my family becomes angry because they think I don t share their grief Symbols don t usually have universal meanings so communicators have to negotiate meanings for the symbols they use Shared understanding both parties in the process perceive as clearly and as accurately as possible the ideas and emotions that each intends to communicate to the other Basic communication process communication models help understand communication Action models earliest models of communication views the communication process as a linear or one way transmission of messages beginning with the sender and ending with the receiver This model is missing the element feedback Sender encodes the symbols that represent ideas and feelings into a message and sends it via code verbal or nonverbal symbols through a channel ex Phone to a receiver who decodes interprets the message often in presence of noise distractions Interaction models circular process involving feedback not as complete as transaction model conversation Person A sends Person B replies Person A replies Person B replies and so on Transaction models the most complete and useful model of the communication process Both parties are responsible for the creation of meaning and each party affects and is affected by the other Sending and receiving messages is neither necessarily circular nor separate Instead both communicators send and receive simultaneously Each element of the basis communication process using the transactional model Sender receiver sender initiates the communication and receiver is the person whom a message is aimed It is simultaneous Ex I m the speaker at an event but I pay attention to the audience s reaction to my speech to see if I have to adapt it Message the idea thought or feeling that a communicator wishes to convey to others Communication is both intentional and unintentional our facial gestures communicate messages too complex and difficult the message is not always interpreted the way me meant it Encoding decoding encoding is the process the sender goes through in choosing the verbal and nonverbal symbols to use Decoding is the process where the receiver attempts to interpret or make sense of the symbols conveyed in the message Communication is irreversible once you re angry and say something without thinking there s no turning back There are bound to be misunderstandings in encoding and decoding because individuals use their own different backgrounds to do these processes called Frame of reference individual perspectives and views of the world Culture and gender differences have the greatest potential for misunderstandings Code includes the verbal and nonverbal symbols that communicators use to convey their messages The code is not the message itself it consists of the symbols that carry the message Successful communicators make sure their verbal and nonverbal codes are congruent The level of importance between verbal versus nonverbal codes depends on the situation the message and the people involved the ability to encode and decode nonverbal messages is critically important to successful communication Verbal code consists of language symbols including written or spoken words Nonverbal code are visual cues like gesture posture expressions and vocal cues that accompany word symbols such as tone of voice Channel the means or method of transmitting the code 5 senses media Factors to consider when choosing a channel Message importance Receiver needs and abilities Feedback importance Cost Formality Feedback verbal and visual response to a sent message It indicates how our messages are received it is used as a form of self monitoring It s important for the communicator to determine if the cannel chosen to send the message is adequate for dieback Ex Email from boss which you don t understand go to his office and speak face to face It also increases the chance of encoding and decoding errors Suggestions on giving or receiving feedback Make them brief and specific Pay particular attention to the receiver s nonverbal reactions Ask questions or adjust your feedback if you observe a problem Don t assume your feedback was clearly understood follow up and plan for possible failure When receiving feedback use paraphrasing to verify meaning Context the situation in which a communication event takes place and can be viewed from a narrow perspective time place physical or social environment where communication occurs or a broad perspective from interpersonal to intrapersonal to public or group communication Effective communicators do their best to control context because it will help or harm the success of their communication Communication is affected by rules and norms Rules are standards of acceptable behavior in a given situation that are explicitly spelled out Norms are standards of