Com 101 Midterm Review

Communication

The process of attempting to create meaning in the minds of others.

Types of Communication: Intrapersonal Communication

Communication within yourself

Interpersonal Communication

Communication between 2 people.

Small Group

Communication between at least 3 persons.

Public Communication

communication between many people.

Mass Communication

with the use of technology

Factors (ingredients) that affect communication:

Context, participants, Speaker/Listener, & message

Context

The background or situation of the communication exchange. Time & Place.

Participants

The people actively involved in the communication exchange.

Message

the subject of the communication exchange. Sometimes obvious/ most times hidden.

Channel

The method used to move a message from one participant to another. Ex) Text message, phone call, in person.

Feedback

The response to the message. It can be ongoing. (Makes the conversation unique.

Noise

Any stimulus that gets in the way of the communication exchange (distractions) uncontrollable.

3 Types of Noise

External,Internal, and Semantic Noise.

External (outside) Noise

yelling or car noises any outside distractions.

Internal (inside) Noise

The thoughts, feelings, and senses.

Semantic Noise

the different meanings. Ex). a word like mouse can be an animal ir a computer mouse.

Perception

Your view, take away, opinion,.The process of Giving meaning to what you experience

Perception Process (3 Steps)

Selection,Organization, and Interpretation.

Selection

The decision to notice one stimulus over another.

Organization

The ability to structure what you selected

Interpretation

The ability to explain what you did in steps 1&2.

Factors that Effect Perception

Background,Personality,gender, and culture.

Personality

Self -perception, self concept, self esteem, self image. (how you see yourself.

Functions of the Self-concept

It influences what you hear, it influences what you say, and influences how you act.

Barriers to Perception

Centrism,Xenophobia, Stereotyping, emotional intensity, and the halo-effect.

Centrism

the belief that you are better than someone else

Xenophobia

Fear of people who are different

Stereotyping

Grouping people together based on one common trait.

Emotional Intensity

Having strong feelings towards someone/something.

Halo-effect

Focus only on the positive.

Techniques for Improving Perception

1. Share your perception with other people
2. Use a variety of senses
3. Allow your perceptions to change over time.
4. Avoid comparing yourself to others.

Language

Symbols we use to express a thought, feeling or idea.

Purposes of Language

1. It allows to evaluate specifically
2. It allows us to go beyond the present
3. It allows us to label the world around us.

Language & Structure

The way symbols are organized. Ex). Run I to the store- Subject goes before the verb.

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Syntax

The order words go in. Ex). I runs to the Store - Grammar the way words go.

Denotation

The literal dictionary meaning of a word.

Connotation

The societal meaning of a symbol.

Slang

The meaning understood by a segment of society.

Jargon

meaning understood in a profession

Language & Diversity (Different Backgrounds).

The individual differences between the language users. (Culture,Gender, & Social economic status).

Culture

the ethnicity of the language users.

Gender

the masculine or feminine perspective of a word.

Social economic status

the amount of money the participants have.

Language & Power (Authority/control)

The amount of control you see yourself as having. Powerless people use- Tag questions or qualifiers.

Techniques for improving language

1. Expose yourself to different language options
2. Brainstorming Language choices
3. Consider the listener

Nonverbal Communication

Everything other than words (symbols) used to express a thought, feeling or idea.

Purpose of Nonverbal Communication:

1. It is somewhat cross cultural
2. It is must trusted
3. It is multisensory

Kinesics

Body motions made to communicate a thought, feeling, or idea. (4). (Facial expressions, Posture, Gesture, and eye contact).

Facial Expressions

The movements of the facial feaures.

Posture

The way you position your body- self concept, mood,.

Gesture

The movements of the shoulders through the fingers.

Eye Contact

The amount of time 2 participants look into each other’s eyes. Focused, self-concept,Respect, attention, and honesty.

Vocalics/Paralanguage (how something is said)

Tone, Rate, volume, emphasis, pitch, fillers/interrupters.

Self Presentation

The way you choose to present yourself. Body type, touch time.

Clothing

climate, personality, mood, social economic status, profession, context, culture, religion, and neatness.

Environmental Communication

Movable space, sound, lightning, smell, color and temperature.

Listening

The process of making sense out of the messages you take in.

Listening Process (5 Steps)

Selecting & Attending, understanding, analyzing, remembering, and responding.

Selecting and attending

the ability to notice onse soundwave or another - hearing.

Understanding

The ability to decode/ comprehend the sounds you chose, language part of understanding, accent/dialect, context, and vocabulary.

Analyzing

The ability to determine the accuracy of what you heard and understand.

Remembering

The ability to retain and recall what you did in steps 1-3.

Responding

The ability to give feedback to what you took in.

Barriers to Listening

Noise, Information overload, and prejudge the speaker.

Noise

Internal, external and semantic.

Techniques for Improving Listening

1. Repetition
2. Judge the context/not the speaker
3. Taking good notes - examples, main points, nonverbal signals.
4. Question/Paraphrasing.
5. Mnemonic Device.

Relationship

The process of using your verbal/ nonverbal & listening skills to interact with another participant. Ex) my school counselor, my mother, my best friends .

Relationship stages

Initiation, exploration, intensification, bonding/intimacy, and stabilization.

Initiation

the start or birth of a relationship (3 Reasons)

* Perceived personality trait
* Physical Attraction
* Proximity

(Small talk, no risk topics).

Exploration/Experimenting

The time when the participants learn about each other by asking and answering questions. (focus on our similarities . (friend).

Intensification (close friend)

The time when the participants introduce their differences. Still build on our similarities.

Bonding/Intimacy (Best Friend)

The time when the participants decide the relationship will last long term. Ultimate trust. Anything talked about.

Stabilization

The time when the participants keep the relationship at the same level for an external period. (outside forces, longest phase and lots of pressure.

De-escalation/Detorition (fades away).

The ending or wearing away of the relationship. Seems to happen quickly.

Stagnation

Not moving, a lack of communication, nothing new happening. (The time where the participants put the relationship on autopilot).

Turmoil

The participants spend a lot of time in conflict.

Separation

The participants spend less time together.

Termination

Formal ending.

Self-disclosure

The process of revealing information about yourself for the purpose of developing & maintaining a relationship.(3 steps).


1. Biographical
2. Likes & dislikes
3. Personal

Techniques for Improving Relationships:

1. Always consider the listeners feelings first
2. Self disclosure should be balanced in an ongoing relationship.
3. S.D should move gradually deeper levels
4. Protect what’s being disclosed to you.

Conflict

The struggle that takes place when 2 participants believe their need cannot be met simultaneously.

Sources of Conflict (5)

Perceptual bias, interdependence, goals, & outside interference

Perceptual Bias

comes from the different ways 2 participants view an issue.

Interdependence (between)

Comes from forgetting that your decisions affect someone else.

Goals

comes from each participant wanting something different.

Resources

Comes from struggle over how to manage your finances.

Outside Interference

A third party gets in the way of 2 other participants.

Conflict Outcomes (2)

Constructive & Destructive

Constructive

Both participants leave the conflict feeling better about themselves in the relationship.

Destructive

At least one participant leave the conflict feeling worse about themselves in the relationship.

Conflict Management Strategies (5)

Avoidance, Competition, accomodation, compromise, and most importantly collaboration.

Avoidance

Physically or psychological leaving the conflict. Can be constructive or destructive.

Competition

One participant wins the conflict & the other “loses” the conflict.

Accomodation

One participant gives into the other & gets nothing in return. ex. Fine we’ll just do it you way.

Compromise

Both participants give something up to get something in return. (Can be both).

Collaboration

Both participants work together until they are both satisfied with the outcome. (Can only be constructive). Need both to collaborate. Both participants must be willing.

Process of Public Speaking

Determine the purpose - why? (3) Reasons

Step 1

* To persuade. (PIE)
* To inform
* To entertain

Conduct an audience analysis who? Step 2

age, education level, social class, ethnicity (demographics). interests,hobbies,social activities, and psychological profile.

Choose the topic, What? Step 3

* What do I already know about?
* What interests the audience?
* How long is the speech? 4-6 minutes.
* Has the topic been overdone? Pick my topic.