Communication Terms and Concepts
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Definition: "Communication
is the process of sharing meaning through continuous flow of symbolic
messages." (Froemling 5)
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Communicator (Sender/receiver) - the participants
in communication. Typically the roles reverse regularly.
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Message - a single
uninterrupted utterance. Verbal or nonverbal
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Code - a system suitable for
creating/carrying messages through a specific medium
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Channels (verbal, nonverbal,
etc.) - the specific mechanism (“pipeline”) used to transmit the message
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Medium (face-to-face,
television, web, phone, etc.) - form or technology of transmission
— determines kind of code used.
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Noise - interference with message —
external (physical), internal (mental) or semantic
(misunderstanding/reaction
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Environment (part of context) - that which surrounds
and provides a basis for the meaning of a message:
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Physical
(surroundings)
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Temporal (point in time)
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Relational (the existing relationship between communicators - friends,
strangers, etc.)
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Cultural (language and behavior community the communicator(s) come
from)
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Feedback - checks effects of
messages
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positive feedback - "keep doing what
you’re doing"
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negative
feedback - change what you’re doing.
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Levels (contexts) of Communication
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Intrapersonal
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Interpersonal
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Public Communication
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Mass Communication (non-interactive)
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Computer Mediated Communication
(interactive)
Communication Universals
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You cannot not
communicate
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All Communication has
content and relationship dimensions
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Content - Literal meaning, information
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Relationship - defines the relationship
between sender and receiver. Features of relationship that get defined
in message exchanges include:
[ Liking, Responsiveness (intensity), Control, Trust
]
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Communication is a series of puncuated events
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Communication is
irreversible and unrepeatable.
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Communication is
culture-specific.
"How Americans Communicate"
--
A Roper Poll
Discussion Questions on Terms and Concepts:
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Be able to describe
a communication event you have experienced that illustrates each of
the five "Communication Universals." Explain how.
-
What makes someone
and effective Communicator? How will being an effective
communicator be valuable in your life as you see it?
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Think of at least
three examples of "codes," one each in three different media.
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Come up with
examples of how variations in each of the four types of "environment"
can affect and alter meaning (e.g. How could the same words mean
something different in different environments?)
Works Cited
Froemling, Kristin, et al.. Communication:
The Handbook.
Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2011. Print
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