Purposive Communication

Communication

focuses on how people use messages to generate meanings within and across various contexts and is the discipline that studies all forms,

communicares

Latin word of communication, which means to share, impart, participate, exchange, transmit or make ideas common.

two-way process

Communication is a ——— of exchanging ideas or information. (Speaker and Receiver)

verbal and nonverbal information.

It is a process of transmitting and receiving ———

desired reaction or response

Communication is considered effective if the desired reaction or response is achieved.

incomplete

In the event of the absence of any response, communication is ———.

Social Process

it involves people. Communication requires two or more people to become the sender and/or the receiver.

Pervasive Function

Communication is needed everywhere; it is an essential part of whatever field. Thus, it’s pervasive.

Continuous Process

Communication is an unending loop of process. Received and processed information from the sender can go through endless transfers.

Understanding

In communicating, this must be one of the priorities. One should aim to be understood for communication to be successful.

Source

The one who imagines, creates, and sends the message. The person giving the speech shares new information with the audience. The source also uses tone of voice, body language, and choice of clothing to convey message.

Message

is the stimulus or meaning produced by the source for the receiver or audience.” (McLean, 2005). The — also consists of how you say it—in a speech, with your tone of voice, body language, and appearance—and in a report, with your writing style, punctuation, and the headings and formatting you choose.

Channel

is the way in which a message or messages travel between source and receiver.” (McLean, 2005). When you speak or write, you are using a —- to convey your message.

Receiver

receives the message from the source, analyzing and interpreting the message in ways both intended and unintended by the source.” (McLean, 2005). The nonverbal responses of your listeners can serve as clues on how to adjust your opening. By imagining yourself in their place, you anticipate what you would look for if you were them.

Feedback

When you respond to the source, intentionally or unintentionally, you are giving feedback. Feedback is composed of messages the receiver sends back to the source. Verbal or nonverbal, all these feedback signals allow the source to see how well, how accurately (or how poorly and inaccurately) the message was received.

Environment

is the atmosphere, physical and psychological, where you send and receive messages.” (McLean, 2005). The choice to text is influenced by the — . As a speaker, your —-will impact and play a role in your speech. It’s always a good idea to go check out where you’ll be speaking before the day of the actual presentation.

context

the— of the communication interaction involves the setting, scene, and expectations of the individuals involved.” (McLean, 2005). A professional communication context may involve business suits (environmental cues) that directly or indirectly influence expectations of language and behavior among the participants. is all about what people expect from each other, and we often create those expectations out of environmental cues. Traditional gatherings like weddings are often formal events.

interference

, also called noise, can come from any source. “——- is anything that blocks or changes the source’s intended meaning of the message.” (McLean, 2005).

Semantic Interference

- pertains to the specialized words by the speaker which are not heard and

commonly used by the listeners.

Physical and External Interference

- pertains to external disturbances such as shouting people

around, someone talking loudly, etc. This may also include an unpleasant environment.

Psychological Interferences

- refers to the physical condition of the speaker; is what happens

when your thoughts occupy and bother your attention while you are hearing or reading a

message.

Physiological Interferences

- when biological or other physical issues interfere with our ability to

communicate

Verbal

- the transmission of information through spoken words or written language. It has two

types: Written and Oral. Written Communication is primarily used to convey information in a

permanent manner. Oral communication, a.k.a spoken communication.

Non-verbal communication

- the expression of information through the body, face, or voice. It

provides a way to convey emotion and information without using words. It can give the listener additional information, sometimes contradicting the spoken message. It is important to note that listeners also display non-verbal cues and should consider how others might interpret or perceive them. Non-verbal communication also encompasses PARAVERBAL communication. Like other forms of communication, paraverbal communication can have an emotional effect.

Visual

communication delivers messages through visual cues such as illustrations, videos, charts, and diagrams. can be an effective tool, especially when it is difficult to relay messages through words. Often, a single diagram, illustration or photograph can relay complex information more succinctly than words. Additionally, visual cues can act as a universal language if there is a language barrier between the provider and patient. Visual cues may allow patients to understand more easily and retain more information than written or spoken words.

Ethics in Communication

– Dr. Deidre D. Johnston pointed out ten ethics in communication that you should bear in mind to avoid being labeled “unethical”.

Mutuality

- Pay attention to the needs of others, as well as yours.

Individual Dignity

- Do not cause another person embarrassment or a loss of dignity.

Accuracy

- Ensure that others have accurate information. Tell them everything they have a right

and need to know, not just what is true.

Access to Information

- Never bolster the impact of your communication by preventing people

from communicating with one another or by hindering access to the supporting information.

Accountability

Be responsible and accountable for the consequences of your relationships and

communication.

Audience

- of the information, you also have ethical responsibilities. The

sender and the receiver of the message are both responsible in ensuring the message to be understood, and that, of course, ethics are followed.

Relative Truth

- As either the sender or receiver of information, remember that your own point of view may not be shared by others and that your conclusions are relative to your perspective, so allow others to respectfully disagree or see it differently.

Ends vs. Means

- Be sure that the goal of your communication and the means of getting to that end are BOTH ethical although no rule can be applied without reservation to ANY situation.

Use of Power

- In situations where you have more power than others, you also have more responsibilities for the outcome.

Rights vs. Responsibilities

- Balance your rights against your responsibilities even if you live in a wonderful society where your rights are protected by law; not everything you have a right to do is ethical.

Globalization

refers to the process of increase interconnectedness and interdependence among countries, cultures, economies, and people around the world.

Cultural Assimilation

– refers to the act of adopting a nation’s language, ways, styles, and systems of communication, and culture while at the same time adapting to their environment. This is needed for effective communication to happen, especially when one is visiting or migrating to the host country or another country.

Diversity

is the concept that endures respect, acceptance, and understanding. It recognizes that people are unique from each other with respect to their age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, socio-economic status, educational background, and ideologies.

Language Dialects Issues

- Not all people speak the same language as you. This issue arises when people try to express in their own dialect and sociolect that many misunderstandings arise.

Take note that the use of English language is not always the solution to this problem. There are billions of people in the world who do not understand English or cannot communicate in English properly. Not speaking properly, or using a specific language dialect or sociolect, can cause various misunderstandings and be a barrier to communication. This phenomenon becomes more profound when the involved parts speak different languages and belong to different cultures.

Direct vs. Indirect Communication Style

– On one hand, there are cultures that value getting to the point quickly without redundancies, nor mincing words – Direct communicators. On the other hand, there are cultures who are indirect and follows a certain system or pattern when engaging in a conversation. For example, Filipinos usually start a conversation by saying “Kamusta?” or tries opening a lighter topic before getting straight to what they want to say.

Cultural Norms and Values

- What might be considered appropriate or respectful communication in one culture could be interpreted differently in another. For example, the “po” and “opo” of the Filipinos which are used to signify respect may seen as inappropriate and unneeded in other cultures or worse, it has a different meaning.

Signs and Symbols (Semantics)

- Signs, symbols, body language, and gestures vary in different cultures. For example, in some cultures eye contact is important whereas in some it is rude and disrespectful. Misinterpreting these cues can lead to misunderstandings. Forexample, a gesture that is innocuous in one culture might carry a different meaning in another culture.

Stereotypes and Prejudices

is the process of creating a picture of a whole culture, overgeneralizing all people belonging to the culture in question as having similar characteristics, and categorizing people accordingly. Stereotyping can be done on the basis of many things like nationality, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, age, and others. It is worth mentioning that Media is a tool of mass communication which sometimes promotes stereotypes and prejudices thereby creating more communication barriers.

Creates Institutional Change

- Communication changes have brought increased transparency and fairness to workplaces. More open communication from leadership. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives to make underrepresented voices heard. Prioritization of ethics in the workplace

Uncovers Needs and Builds Trust

- Successful communication can reveal undiscovered needs that help move an organization or movement forward and let stakeholders know that their voices are heard.

Spurs Large-Scale Cultural Shifts

- many groups and organizations have become more equitable because forward-thinking groups have used communication skills and tactics to change the world.

Educates and Inspires Others

- Information sharing moves faster today than ever before. The internet has created communication changes in the way we work and live, so speaking, listening, writing, and producing graphics are powerful tools that have the potential to educate and inspire more people than ever before.

Cross-Cultural Communication

- comparing two or more different cultures; so cross-cultural communication examines the varying communication styles of different cultural groups

Intercultural Communication

- relates to interactions among people from different cultures. Communication in an Intercultural context is very susceptible to miscommunication...

High-context Cultures

- Consider sender and receiver backgrounds when interpreting messages. Nonverbal cues often have a greater impact on message comprehension than indirect verbal cues (Halverson & Tirmizi, 2008)

Low-context Cultures

- Prioritize direct communication and may downplay non-verbal cues. Relationships have a limited influence on communication. Explicit exchange of ideas and information is emphasized (Halverson & Tirmizi, 2008).

Opening and Closing Conversations

- Cultural norms dictate who is addressed first, how to address them, and when to do so. These customs also influence the order of speaking and concluding a conversation, and not adhering to them can be considered rude and disrespectful.

Taking Turns During Conversations

- In various cultures, there are distinct norms for interaction. Some favor turn-taking, while others prioritize listening before responding. Immediate responses can be viewed differently, with some cultures perceiving them as confrontational or disrespectful.

Interrupting

- In some cultures, interruption during a conversation can be acceptable especially when it is within the context of the interaction. However, in other cultures interrupting in the middle of a conversation, regardless of the point being made, can be viewed as impolite.

Using Silence

in communication varies by culture. It can convey thoughtfulness or be seen as indifference or hostility, depending on the context and culture.

Using appropriate topics of conversation

- Topic appropriateness depends on culture, situation, and individual factors. For instance, money talk varies across cultures, and in Asian cultures, family matters are usually private due to factors like religion and education

Using humor

- In Western culture, humor is an icebreaker to build rapport and ease tension. But in some cultures, humor can be seen as disrespectful.

Knowing how much to say

- The success of communication depends on knowing what and when to say. Western cultures often prefer direct communication, while Asian cultures tend to use a more indirect, less confrontational approach.

Sequencing elements during a conversation

- When to say things is as important as what one says and how one says things. A speaker should always consider the timing in which he or she should introduce a topic, negotiate, or ask for directions. Often, people struggle about when they should change direction in terms of the conversation or how far into the conversation would it be appropriate to ask questions.

CULTURAL AWARENESS

- Cultural awareness is knowing that there are multiple different cultures based on religion, — ethnicity, nationality, and other factors that have different attitudes and outlooks.

CULTURAL SENSITIVITY

- refers to a set of skills that allows you to learn about and understand people whose cultural background is not the same as yours. Seeing differences as a positive thing. Don’t consider one culture better or worse, right or wrong.

GESTURES

- that is acceptable in one culture might be meaningless or offensive in another. Not every gesture is universal

SIGN OF HORNS

- Heavy metal fans are familiar with the so-called “sign of the horns” but

in many European and South American countries, this gesture might be used to mock

husbands whose wives are unfaithful.

THE “OK” SIGN

- Making a circle with your thumb and your index finger is how we signal

But make the same gesture in Brazil, and you’re giving the equivalent of the

middle finger.

THE THUMBS UP

- The esture is a sign of approval in most countries.

However, in several countries in West Africa and the Middle East, it’s basically giving out

the middle finger.

FINGERS CROSSED

- In most cultures, means you’re hoping for good

luck. But not in Vietnam because this is the gesture that resembles the female genitals

and might also be equivalent to the middle finger.

GENDER SENSITIVITY

refers to the aim of understanding and taking account of the societal and cultural factors involved in gender-based exclusion and discrimination.

GENDER-SENSITIVE LANGUAGE

- Gender equality in language is attained when women and men and those who do not conform to the binary gender system are made visible and addressed in language as persons of equal value, dignity, integrity, and respect.

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

- used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of groups in society. Political correctness is nothing more than treating others with respect.

RACE AND ETHNICITY

- The concept of race has changed across cultures and eras ranging from being based on ancestral and familial ties to theorists assigning categories of race based on geographic region, ethnicity, skin color, and a wide range of other factors.

RELIGION SENSITIVITY

- Fear or apprehension of the unknown is a large contributor to inadvertently creating communication barriers. This is especially common when faced with new or different spiritual beliefs and practices.