Unit 1: Communication in a Global

Age

LESSON 1: COMMUNICATION
PROCESSES, PRINCIPLES, AND
ETHICS
Definitions of Communication

1. Communication is a process by which we assign and convey

meaning in an attempt to create shared understanding.
2. It is therefore a social interaction where at least two interacting
agents share a common set of signs and a common set of semiotic
rules.
3. Communication is derived from the Latin word ‘communis,’ which
means, “Belonging to many” or “equally” and ‘communico’ – to
confer with others. It is the mutual exchange of information, ideas,
and understanding by any effective means (Ballesterros, 2003).
Other Concepts of Communication
1. Allen Louis – Communication is the sum of all things (telling,
listening, and understanding). It is a systematic activity under any given
circumstances.
2. Henry Kuntz – Communication is the transferring of information
from one person to another whether or not he/she elicits that
confidence.
3. George Terry – Communication is the exchange of ideals, feelings,
and emotions between two or more persons.
Other Concepts of Communication
4. Keith Davis – The purpose of passing information and understanding
between two persons… without the bridge of communication no one
can cross the river of understanding.
Types of Communication According to
Mode
• While communication is often thought of as verbal, the non-verbal
mode is equally essential as it enhances one’s message.

(Ask the students to differentiate verbal from non-verbal)

A. Verbal Communication
• (Linguistics) The process of sending and receiving messages with
words, including writing and sign language.
• It refers to the form of communication in which message is
transmitted verbally.
• Communication is done by word of mouth and a piece of writing.
B. Non- Verbal Communication
• Nonverbal communication is the sending or receiving of wordless
messages. Such gesture, body language, posture, tone of voice or
facial expressions is called nonverbal communication.
• It is all about the body language of speaker.

Ask what are the advantages of verbal and non-verbal

…disadvantages…
Types of Communication According to
Context
• Context in communication is referred to as composite of people
interacting with each other. Communication may also be classified
according to context: (1) intrapersonal; (2) interpersonal.
A. Intrapersonal Communication
• The Latin prefixes intra-means ‘within’ or ‘inside’. Intrapersonal
communication then means talking to oneself. Some label it as self or
inner talk, inner dialogue.
• Intrapersonal communication can be defined also as communication
with oneself, and that may include self-talk, acts of imagination and
visualization, and even recall and memory (McLean, 2005).
B. Interpersonal Communication
• Interpersonal communication can be defined as communication
between two people, but the definition fails to capture the essence of
a relationship.
• This broad definition is useful when we compare it to intrapersonal
communication, or communication with ourselves, as opposed to
mass communication, or communication with a large audience, but it
requires clarification.
• The developmental view of interpersonal communication places
emphasis on the relationship rather than the size of the audience,
and draws a distinction between impersonal and personal
interactions
*impersonal- connection ex. customer- sales rep; personal- intimate distance/relationship ex.
Brother sister
Communication as Process
• Communication process may be simple to complex depending on the
situation. To understand the process there is a need to know the
elements or components of the process.

What do you think are the elements or components of the process?

Elements of Communication Process
• Speaking and listening are vital elements of communication.
Therefore, in any communication situation, you are both speaker and
listener.
• Gronbeck defines model as ―a picture or a representation of a thing
or process that identifies the key parts or elements and indicates how
each element affects the operations of all of the elements.
• Communication Model, therefore, is a sketch that shows the basic
elements of the communication process, and how each element
affects the other elements in the entire communication process as a
system
Components of Communication

Speaker/ Sender Message Channel/ Medium Speaker/ Sender

Receiver/ Listener Feedback Noise Situation/ Context

Components of Communication
1. Speaker/ Sender
- A sender makes use of symbols (words or graphs or visual aids)
to convey the message.
- maybe an individual or a group or an organization
- The communication process begins with the sender, who is also
called the communicator or source. The sender has some kind of
information – a command, request, or idea – that he or she wants to
share with others.
Components of Communication
2. Message
- the key idea that the sender wants to communicate
- The message or content is the information that the sender wants
to relay to the receiver. It also refers to the thoughts, ideas, or
information that you convey to your listeners.
Components of Communication
3. Channel/ Medium
- the means used to exchange or transmit the message
- The channel or medium is the language you use.
- The means through which the sender must choose an
appropriate medium for transmitting the message else the message
might not be conveyed.
Components of Communication
4. Receiver/ Listener
- The person to whom a message is directed is called the receiver
or the interpreter.
- The degree to which the decoder understands the message is
dependent upon various factors such as: knowledge of recipient, their
responsiveness to the message, and the reliance of the encoder on
the decoder.
Components of Communication
5. Feedback
- The main component of the communication process as it permits
the sender to analyze the efficacy of the message.
- maybe verbal or non-verbal.
- Feedback may be direct, such as written or verbal response, or it
may take the form of an act or deed in response.
Components of Communication
6. Noise
- This can be any sort of interference that affects the message
being sent, received, or understood. It can be as literal as static over a
phone line or esoteric as misinterpreting a local custom.
Components of Communication
7. Situation or Context
- This is the setting and situation in which communication takes
place. Like noise, context can have an impact of the successful
exchange of information. It may have a physical, social, or cultural
aspect to it.
The Communication Process
• The goal of communication is to convey information—and the
understanding of that information—from one person or group to
another person or group. This communication process is divided into
three basic components: A sender transmits a message through a
channel to the receiver.
Sender Messages Transmissions Recipients Receiver
(ideas) (encodes) (signals) (decodes) (meaning)

Feedback
The Communication Process
• The critical factor in measuring the effectiveness of communication is
common understanding. Understanding exists when all parties
involved have a mutual agreement as to not only the information, but
also the meaning of the information.
• Sometimes communication is effective, but not efficient.
(ask them to expound on this)
Efficient- not wasting resources
The Communication Models
I. Aristotle’s Communication Model

- Aristotle proposed the model before 300 B.C. He found the

importance of the audience role in communication chain. This model
is more focused on public speaking than interpersonal
communication.
*linear- communication is going one way only.
The Communication Models
II. Shannon’s Model
- This model argues that communication can be broken down into
6 key concepts: sender, encoder, channel, noise, decoder, and
receiver.
The Communication Models
III. Shannon- Weaver Model
- A later version of the Shannon Model by Warren Weaver added a
7th concept ‘feedback‘ which changed the model from a linear to
cyclical model (Drew, 2020).
The Communication Models
IV. Berlos’ SMCR Model
- Berlo‘s model follows the SMCR model. This model is not specific
to any particular communication.
The Communication Models
• Source: The source is situated where the message originates.

• Communication skills – It is the skill of the individual to communicate.

For example, the ability to read, write, speak, listen etc.

• Attitudes – This includes attitudes towards the audience, subject and

towards oneself. For example, for the student, the attitude is to learn
more and for teachers, it is to help teach.
The Communication Models
• Knowledge– Communicating also means that the person needs to be
knowledgeable about the subject or topic.

• Social system – The social system includes the various aspects of

society like values, beliefs, culture, religion and a general
understanding of society. It is where the communication takes place.

• According to this model, people can communicate only if the above

requirements are met in the proper or adequate proportion.
The Communication Models
V. Schramm’s Model of Communication, 1954
-The Schramm Communication Model offers a classic approach to
and explanation of communication. It can be used to determine how
communication between two people works when they‘re exchanging
information, ideas, or attitudes.
- The model is circular. This means at least two parties are
required to send and receive a message. Both the sender and the
recipient will have to encode and decode the message to interpret
the message correctly.
The Communication Models
The Communication Models
Three Elements:
• Source (encoder)- the party who sent the message. The source will
have to be clear when sending the message and will be able to show
why it is important that the recipient reads it.
• Recipient (decoder)- the recipient of a message is the person or group
to whom the message has been sent. Communication is successful
when the recipient correctly interprets the message from the source.
• Message- In the studies of rhetoric and communication, a message is
defined as information. This information is communicated through
words or other characters and symbols.
The Communication Models
VI. Transactional Model of Communication
- This model of communication is the exchange of messages
between sender and receiver where each take turns to send or
receive messages.
The Communication Models
The Communication Models
• Transactional model is the process of continuous change and
transformation where every component is changing such as the
people, their environments and the medium used.
• Since both sender and receiver are necessary to keep the
communication alive in transactional model.
• It is more efficient for communicators with similar environment and
individual aspects. For instance, communication between people who
know each other is more efficient as they share same social system.
The Communication Models
Factors Affecting Transactional Model:
• Social Context- in communication, it refers to the norms, values, laws
and other restrictions of a society to communicate within a specific
limit. Society shapes the way a person communicates.
• Cultural Context- the lifestyle and identity of a person; If two people
are from the same cultural group, they will have better
communication with each other.
• Relational Context- it relates to relationship history and manners.
PRINCIPLES & ETHICS OF
COMMUNICATION
Principles of Communication
• Communication follows a set of rule or guidelines to ensure its effectiveness.
1. Principle of Clarity- it should be worded in such a way that the receiver
understands the same thing which the sender wants to convey. It should
be kept in mind that the words do not speak themselves, but the speaker
gives them the meaning.
2. Principle of Attention- In order to make communication effective, the
receiver‘s attention should be drawn towards message.
3. Principle of Feedback- There should be feedback information from the
recipient to know whether he has understood the message in the same
sense in which the sender has meant it.
Principles of Communication
4. Principle of Informality - Formal communication is generally used for
transmitting messages and other information. Sometimes formal
communication may not achieve the desired results, informal
communication may prove effective in such situations.
5. Principle of Consistency- This principle states that communication
should always be consistent with the policies, plans, programs and
objectives of the organization and not in conflict with them.
6. Principle of Timeliness- Any delay in communication may not serve
any purpose rather decisions become of historical importance only.
Principles of Communication
7. Principle of Adequacy- Any delay in communication may not serve
any purpose rather decisions become of historical importance only.

Other Principles may also be:

• We do communicate even when we are ignoring the message of
another or maintaining complete silence.
• The message received is not necessarily the message sent. How we
interpret verbal and non-verbal messages may be quite different from
the meaning intended by the speaker
Principles of Communication
• Communication occurs simultaneously at more than one level. In
other words, we do not convey information to the receiver verbally
only. ‘Meta-communication‘ refers to any communication or any
verbal or non-verbal cues about the literal content of the message
sent.
meta-communation- you mean the opposite of what you are saying
Four Basic Principles of Interpersonal
Communication
1. Interpersonal communication is inescapable. We can't not
communicate. The very attempt not to communicate communicates
something.
2. Interpersonal communication is irreversible. You can't really take
back something once it has been said. The effect must inevitably
remain. A Russian proverb says, "Once a word goes out of your
mouth, you can never swallow it again."
3. Interpersonal communication is complicated. No form of
communication is simple. Theorists note that whenever we
communicate there are really at least six "people" involved: 1) who you
think you are; 2) who you think the other person is; 3) who you think
the other person thinks you are; 4) who the other person thinks /she is;
5) who the other person thinks you are; and 6) who the other person
thinks you think s/he is. We don't actually swap ideas, we swap symbols
that stand for ideas. This also complicates communication. Words
(symbols) do not have inherent meaning; we simply use them in certain
ways, and no two people use the same word exactly alike.
4. Interpersonal communication is contextual. In other words,
communication does not happen in isolation. There is:
• Psychological context, which is who you are and what you bring to
the interaction. Your needs, desires, values, personality, etc., all form
the psychological context.
• Relational context, which concerns your reactions to the other
person.
• Situational context deals with the psycho-social "where" you are
communicating. An interaction that takes place in a classroom will be
very different from one that takes place in a bar.
• Environmental context deals with the physical "where" you are
communicating. Furniture, location, noise level, temperature, season,
and time of day, all are examples of factors in the environmental
context.
• Cultural context includes all the learned behaviors and rules that
affect the interaction. If you come from a culture (foreign or within
your own country) where it is considered rude to make long, direct
eye contact, you will out of politeness avoid eye contact.
Ethics of Communication
• Ethics is defined as a set of rules or guidelines; these are theories as
to which is right or wrong. In communication, ethics is considerable
important because it would likely guide everyone to effective
communication.
Ethical Principles of Communication
• Completeness- the message must be complete and geared to the
receiver’s perception of the world. The message must be based on
facts and a complex message needs additional information and / or
explanation.
• Concreteness- concrete business communication is also about a clear
message. This is often supported by factual material such as research
data and figures. The words used as well as the sentence structure
can be interpreted univocally. Nothing is left to the imagination.
• Courtesy- in addition to considering the feelings and points of view of
the target group, it is also important to approach the audience in a
friendly and courteous manner. The use of terms that show respect
for the receiver contributes to effective communication.
• Correctness- correct use of language has the preference. In written
business communication, grammatical errors must be avoided and
stylistic lapses or wrong use of verbs are not sufficient either in verbal
communication. Correct use of language increases trustworthiness
and the receiver will feel that they are taken seriously.
• Clarity- clear or plain language is characterized by explicitness, short
sentences, and concrete words. Fuzzy language is absolutely
forbidden, as are formal language and cliché expressions.
• Consideration- communicating with the target group (Consideration).
In order to communicate well, it is important to relate to the target
group and be involved. By taking the audience into account, the
message can be geared towards them.
• Conciseness- a message is clear when the storyline is consistent and
when this does not contain any inconsistencies. When facts are
mentioned, it is important that there is consistent, supporting
information. When statements are varied, they will confuse the
receiver.