Communication Theories and Practices

Flashcards covering key communication concepts and theories discussed in the lecture notes.

Communication

Generating meaning through verbal and nonverbal symbols influenced by context.

Intrapersonal Communication

Internal dialogue or reflective thinking.

Interpersonal Communication

Communication between mutually influential individuals.

Group Communication

Three or more people collaborating toward a shared goal.

Public Communication

One person conveying information to an audience.

Mass Communication

Information shared with a large audience via media.

Participants

Senders/receivers of messages.

Message

Verbal/nonverbal content (content + relationship aspects).

Channel

Sensory route (e.g., auditory, visual).

Noise

Environmental or semantic interference.

Encoding

Turning thoughts into communication.

Decoding

Interpreting communication into thoughts.

Transmission Model

A linear, one-way process where a sender sends a message to a receiver.

Interaction Model

A two-way communication process with alternating sender/receiver roles, including feedback and context.

Transaction Model

Simultaneous sending/receiving of messages within social, relational, and cultural contexts.

Perception

Selecting, organizing, and interpreting sensory information.

Salience

Focusing on stimuli based on visual/aural stimulation, needs/interests, and expectations.

Proximity

Grouping things that are close together.

Similarity

Grouping similar things together.

Difference

Noticing elements that stand out.

Schemata

Mental frameworks from past experiences used to assign meaning.

Scripts

Event schemas.

Prototypes

Typical examples.

Stereotypes

Overgeneralized group schemas.

Perception Checking

Verifying perceptions internally/externally for accuracy.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Overemphasizing personality and underestimating the situation.

Self-Serving Bias

Attributing successes to self and failures to external factors.

Culture

Learned, dynamic beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors shaped by family, school, peers, and media.

Intercultural Competence

Overcoming ethnocentrism (viewing own culture as standard).

Structure (of Language)

Grammar rules (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics).

Productivity (of Language)

Infinite expression from limited words/rules.

Displacement (of Language)

Referring to non-present things (past, future, abstract).

Self-Reflexivity (of Language)

Language about language.

Denotation

Dictionary definition.

Connotation

Emotional/experience-based associations.

Ladder of Abstraction

Ranges from concrete to abstract terms.

Informative Speaking

Speaking to teach using objective, factual information.

Persuasive Speaking

Speaking to influence beliefs, attitudes, values, or behaviors.

Proposition of Fact

Establish if something "is or isn’t" (logical, objective).

Proposition of Value

Argue "good/bad," "right/wrong" (emotional, testimony-based).

Proposition of Policy

Advocate "should/shouldn’t" (research laws/procedures).

Logos

Logical reasoning.

Ethos

Speaker credibility.

Pathos

Emotional appeal.

Demographics

Age, gender, race, socioeconomic status, etc.

Psychological Dispositions

Attitudes, values, beliefs toward topic/speaker.

General Purpose

Inform, persuade, entertain.

Specific Purpose

Objective statement (audience-centered, not spoken).

Thesis Statement

Central idea (content-centered, spoken aloud).

Topical Organization

Organization by topic.

Chronological Organization

Organization by time.

Spatial Organization

Organization by space.

Cause-Effect Organization

Organization by cause and effect.

Problem-Solution Organization

Organization by problem and solution.

Monroe’s Motivated Sequence

Attention, Need, Satisfaction, Visualization, Action.

Impromptu Delivery

Minimal preparation.

Manuscript Delivery

Reading from a script.

Memorized Delivery

No notes, fully memorized.

Extemporaneous Delivery

Memorized structure, spoken from notes.

Nonverbal Communication

Generating meaning through behavior (not words).

Verbal Communication

Communication using spoken words (vocal) or symbols (non-vocal).

Paralanguage

Vocal elements such as pitch, volume, and rate.

Kinesics

Hand, arm, body, and face movements.

Oculesics

Eye contact for interpreting interactions.

Haptics

Communication through touch.

Vocalics

Paralanguage roles (repetition, complementing, accenting, substituting, regulating, contradicting).

Proxemics

Space and distance (in communication).

Chronemics

Time’s influence on communication.

Listening

Active process of receiving, interpreting, recalling, evaluating, and responding to messages.

Informational Listening

Listening to understand and retain information.

Critical Listening

Listening to analyze and evaluate credibility, logic, or persuasiveness.

Empathetic Listening

Listening to understand feelings/perspectives with emotional presence.

Interrupting

Breaking into the speaker's turn.

Distorted Listening

Mishearing or bias-driven misinterpretation.

Aggressive Listening

Listening to argue, not understand.

Narcissistic Listening

Focusing on self, not speaker.

Pseudo-Listening

Pretending to listen without processing.

Source Evaluation

Assessing currency, reliability, authority, purpose, point of view of a source.

Credibility

The quality of being trusted and believed in.