Foundations of Human Communication - Chapter 1 Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards based on Chapter 1 Handout on Foundations of Human Communication.

Human Communication

A dynamic, transactional process through which people create meaning, manage relationships, coordinate action, and participate in academic, professional, and social life.

Intrapersonal Communication

Communication with oneself, including reflection, planning, and internal dialogue.

Interpersonal Communication

Direct interaction between two people or a small number of people.

Small Group Communication

Communication among people who share a task, purpose, or identity.

Public and Mass Communication

Messages intended for larger audiences, ranging from lectures and briefings to media platforms.

Mediated and Digital Communication

Communication shaped by email, messaging, video calls, social media, and collaborative tools.

Source-Receivers

Participants in an interaction who send and receive messages simultaneously while observing nonverbal cues, silence, or digital reactions.

Encoding

The process of translating ideas, feelings, or intentions into verbal and nonverbal messages.

Decoding

The process of interpreting received messages, influenced by differing experiences, expectations, knowledge, and emotions.

Verbal Messages

Messages that rely on spoken or written words.

Nonverbal Messages

Communication expressed through facial expressions, gestures, posture, eye behavior, touch, distance, appearance, pitch, volume, pace, and tone.

Metacommunication

Communication about communication that helps clarify how a message should be interpreted or understood.

Feedback

A response that indicates how a message was received; can be verbal or nonverbal, immediate or delayed, intentional or unintentional, and positive, negative, or neutral.

Channel

The sensory or digital medium through which a message travels.

Physical Noise

External interference such as sounds, crowded spaces, or poor network connectivity.

Physiological Noise

Biological interference such as fatigue, pain, illness, hunger, or hearing difficulty.

Psychological Noise

Internal mental interference such as anxiety, anger, defensiveness, prejudice, or preoccupation.

Semantic Noise

Linguistic interference caused by jargon, ambiguous wording, unfamiliar terms, or differing meanings assigned to the same word.

Linear Model

A model presenting communication as a one-way transmission (sender -> message -> channel -> receiver) that treats the receiver as relatively passive.

Interactional Model

A model depicting communication as a two-way process where participants alternate roles as sender and receiver using feedback.

Transactional Model

A model viewing communication as a continuous, simultaneous, and contextual process where participants act as source-receivers who co-create meaning.

Culture

A learned and shared system of values, beliefs, practices, symbols, norms, and communication patterns.

Ethnocentrism

The habit of judging other cultures exclusively by the standards of one's own culture.

Synchronous Channels

Digital channels that enable real-time interaction and rapid feedback.

Asynchronous Channels

Digital channels that provide participants with time to plan and edit their messages prior to sending.

Audience Collapse

A digital media situation that occurs when distinct social spheres—such as friends, family, colleagues, employers, and strangers—all see the same post.

Communication Competence

The capacity to communicate both effectively (achieving goals) and appropriately (fitting the situation, relationship, norms, and expectations).

Effectiveness

A metric of communication competence that evaluates whether a message achieved its intended goal.

Appropriateness

A metric of communication competence evaluating whether a message fits the specific situation, relationship, social norms, and expectations.