Why do we communicate?
by communicating we full fill at least one of the objetives
-TASK/INSTRUMENTAL OBJECTIVES
acquire info, get stuff we want (“give me that stapler”), influence others
-INTERPERSONAL/RELATIONAL OBJECTIVES
developing and maintaining relationships; meet social/psychological needs
-IDENTITY OBJECTIVES
presenting an image of ourselves to others (get people to like us- “give me the stapler, please”); develop sense of self
Definition Communication
The process through which people create and manage their relationships, exercising mutual responsibility in creating meaning.
- ongoing process (impossible not to communicate)
- can be intentional and unintentional
- body language is also communication
Transmitting a message
(communicating) to someone else involves putting thoughts/feelings/ideas/images/attitudes into a form that can be recognised by another person
Factors that influence transmission
- sender & receiver characteristics
- encoding & decoding process
- noise
- feedback
- context
Sender & Receiver (participant characteristics)
-social & personality factors
-perception of the situation
-emotional state
-mindfulness (being aware whats going on around you)
-communication resources: cognitive (thinking), affective (feelings), behavioural, ethics
=> all these factors influence behaviour & communication
the Message
- the verbal utterances (inc. words), and non-verbal behaviours used, that communicate meaning
- MEANING: thoughts in our minds + the interpretation that the other person makes of our message
- meanings not automatically transferred-but created together during an exchange
- SYMBOLS: words, sounds & non-verbal behaviours that are generally understood to convey meaning. Listeners interpret these
- involves ENCODING (by sender) & DECODING (by receiver)
Noise
-anything that interference with the communication of meaning
EXTERNAL sights, seconds, etc that can distract attention from the message
INTERNAL thoughts/feelings that distract attention from the message
SEMANTIC emotional reactions or distractions caused by interpretations of symbols
Feedback
- a response to a message that indicates whether & how it was received & interpreted
- can be verbal or non-verbal
- allows sender to adjust their message to enhance understanding
- can be provided & acted upon even while initial message is being sent
Context
- the setting - including what precedes&follows what is said
- context affects participants, the meaning & subsequent behaviour
PHYSICAL inc. location, environmental conditions, distance between people, time of day
SOCIAL type of relationship that already exists
HISTORICAL previous episodes of communication
PSYCHOLOGICAL moods & feelings of each person
CULTURAL inc. beliefs, attitudes, meanings, social hierarchies, religion, ethnicity & roles of the participants
Source/Sender
originator of a thought or feeling, who puts it into a code that can be understood by a receiver
encode-> to translate ideas feelings, and thoughts into code
decoding-> to interpret ideas, feelings, and thoughts that have been translated into a code
Channel
Pathway through which messages are sent
- auditory (speaking on the phone with someone)
- visual (see)
- olfactory (smell)
- tactile (feel)
Receiver
person who decodes a message and attempts to make sense of what the source has encoded
