COMM 170 Exam 1

Communication

The process of acting on information

Human communication

The process of making sense out of the world and sharing that sense with others by creating meaning through verbal and nonverbal messages.

3 Criteria of Communication Competence

1. The message should be understood

2. The message should achieve its intended effect

3. The message should be ethical

The 3 Communication Models

1. Human communication as action

2. Human communication as interaction

3. Human communication as Transaction

What is human communication as action?

Human communication is linear withs the transfer or exchange of info. (when the message is sent and received)

What is human communication as Interaction?

Human communication occurs as the receiver of the message responds to the source through feedback. (Views communication as a linear sequence of actions and reactions)

What is human commun

What are communication models?

Visual depictions or descriptions of the major elements included in the communication process.

What are the communication contexts?

1. Physical

2. Historical

3. Psychological

4. Cultural

What is the physical context of communication?

the place where the communication occurs

What is the historical context of communication?

the influence of the past on present and future communication.

What is the psychological context of communication?

the influence of one’s mental and emotional state on communication.

What is the cultural context of communication?

our identification with groups and society, as well as our level of perceived power and position.

What are the 5 characteristics of communication?

1. communication is inescapable

2. communication is irreversible

What is interpersonal and impersonal communication?

1. Impersonal: communication that treats people as objects or that responds only to their roles rather than to who they are as unique people.

2. Interpersonal communication: between two people who acommunication that occurs simultaneously

Material self

the element of self reflected in all the tangible things you own

Social self

your concept of self as developed through your personal, social, interactions with others

Spiritual self

your concept of self based on your beliefs and your sense of who you are in relation to other forces in the universe also includes your thoughts and introspection about your values and moral standards.

Self esteem

your assessment of your worth/value as reflected in your perception of such things as your skills, abilities, talents and appearances.

Gender

a cultural construction that includes one’s biological sex, psychological and emotional characteristics, attitudes about the sexes and sexual orientation

Social comparison

The process of comparing oneself to others to measure one’s worth.

Self-expectations

rules/standards we set for ourself

self-fulfilling prophecy

the notion that predictions about one’s future are likely to come true because one believes that they will come true.

What are the stages of becoming self-aware/competent?

1. Unconscious Incompetence: we don’t know what we don’t know.

2. Conscious incompetence: we don’t know what we know

3. Conscious competence: we are aware that we know/can do something but it has not yet become an integrated skill/habit.

4. Unconscious competence: skills become second nature. We know/can do smth. but don’t have to concentrate to be able to act on knowledge/draw on skill.

Symbol

a word, sound, gesture/visual image that represents a thought, concept, object, or experience.

Meaning

A person’s interpretation of a symbol

connotative meaning

the personal/subjective meaning of a word

concrete meaning

something that can be perceived or experienced with one of the senses

denotative meaning

the restrictive or literal meaning of a word

abstract meaning

refers to something that cannot be perceived or experienced with one of the senses.

meanings are culture bound

the meaning of a word can change from culture to culture

meanings are context bound

the situation/context for communication aids people as they attach meaning to symbols

trigger words

forms of language that arouse strong emotions in listeners

allness

a word barrier created through the use of language that reflects unqualified often untrue generalizations that deny individual differences or variations.

polarization

the tendency to describe things in extremes, as through no middle ground existed

Gunny-Sacking

dredging up someone’s past mistakes/problems and linking them to a current situation.

Ways words have power

1. create and label experience

2. communicate feelings

3. affect thoughts and actions

4. shape and reflect culture

5. make and break relationships

Nonverbal communication

communication other than written or spoken language that creates meaning for someone

Nonverbal functions of nonverbal comm.

1. can substitute for verbal messages

2. delivered simultaneously with verbal messages and complement, clarify or extend the meaning of verbal cures

3. can contradict our verbal cues

4. repeat our verbal actions

5. regulate our participation in conversation

6. accent or reinforce our verbal message

Perception checking

the skill of asking other observers/the person being observed whether your interpretation of their nonverbal behavior is accurate.