Purposive Communication Notes

Foundation of Communication

Definition of Communication

According to Axley (1984), as cited in Dainton & Zelley (2015), communication is the flow of information from one person to another. Deetz (1994) viewed communication as one activity among many others, such as planning, controlling, and managing.

It is a complex process associated with sending, receiving, and interpreting messages.
It is the art and process of creating and sharing ideas (McPheat, 2010).

Communication Principles (Adler & Elmhorst, 2012)

A. Communication is unavoidable: It is impossible for a person not to communicate. Facial expressions, posture, gestures, and clothing offer cues about our attitude.

B. Communication operates on two levels: There are two kinds of messages sent every time people communicate.

1.  Content messages: Information about the topic under discussion.
2.  Relational messages: Signals indicate how a person feels about one another.

C. Communication is irreversible: You cannot take back words you regret uttering because words and deeds are recorded in others’ memories. The more you try to erase an act, the more it stands out.

D. Communication is a process: You should not view communication as if sending and receiving a message were an isolated event. Rather, every communication event needs to be examined as part of its communication context.

E. Communication is not a panacea: Though it can smooth out bumps in relationships, communication is not a remedy for all ills or difficulties. Misunderstandings and ill feelings can increase when people communicate badly.

Elements and Linear Models of Communication

A. Elements

1.  Sender: The communication process begins with the sender, also called the source. The sender has information that they want to share and has the responsibility to encode it in a form that can be understood.
2.  Receiver: The person to whom a message is directed. They decode or interpret the message that was received.
3.  Message: The information that the sender wants to relay to the receiver.
4.  Medium: Also called the channel. It is the means by which a message is transmitted.
5.  Feedback: It is the response that is given after the message has been successfully transmitted, received, and understood. Feedback indicates comprehension and can be done through written or verbal response or in a form of action.
6.  Noise: It interferes with the message being sent, received, or understood. A static over a phone line, misinterpreting a local custom, or language differences are examples of noise.
7.  Context: The setting and situation in which communication takes place.

B. Models

1.  Aristotle’s Model: It is a speaker-centered model with five primary elements: speaker, speech, occasion, audience, and effect. This model shows the communication process as one-way, from speaker to receiver. This process of communication can be used to develop public speaking skills and create a propaganda. The speaker’s words should influence the audience's mind and persuade their thoughts towards him.
2.  Berlo’s Model: Adapted from Shannon and Weaver’s Model (1949), this model focuses on encoding and decoding, which happens before the sender sends the message and before the receiver receives the message. Each of the four main components of this model is affected by five factors.
3.  Lasswell’s Model: According to Harold Lasswell, a convenient way to describe an act of communication is to answer the following questions: “Who?” “Says what?” “In which channel?” “To Whom?” and “With what effect?”
4.  Shannon and Weaver’s Model: Also known as the “Mathematical Theory of Communication,” this model was created by Claude Elwood Shannon and Warren Weaver. This model deals with various concepts like information source, transmitter, channel, noise, information destination, encoder, and decoder.
5.  Dance’s Helical Model: This model gives geometrical testimony of communication. The model is linear as well as circular combined and disagrees with the concept of linearity and circularity individually. This model introduces the concept of time where continuousness of the communication process and relational interactions are very important. Communication is taken as a dynamic process in the helical model of communication, and it progresses with age as our experience and vocabulary increases.
6.  Schramm’s Interactive Model: According to Wilbur Schramm, communication is a two-way process where both sender and receiver take turns to send and receive a message.

Types of Communication

A. Verbal Communication: It refers to the sharing of information between individuals by using speech. It employs readily understood spoken words and ensures appropriate enunciation, stress, and tone of voice.

B. Nonverbal Communication: It refers to messages expressed by other than linguistic means (Adler & Elmhorst, 2012).

1.  Nonverbal cues: Body language, eye contact, facial expressions, and space convey a lot of meaning. In the United States, looking someone in the eye is considered a sign of trustworthiness. A firm handshake, given with a warm, dry hand, is a great way to establish trust.

Proxemics or the different kinds of distance that occur between people also gives meaning standing too far away or too close from a colleague can affect the effectiveness of a verbal communication.

2.  Written Communication: It refers to printed messages such as memos, proposals, emails, letters, training manuals, operating policies, etc. They may be printed on paper, handwritten, or appear on the screen. In contrast with verbal communication which takes place in real time, written communication can be constructed over a longer period of time (open.lib.umn.edu).

C. When is it best to use written or verbal communication?

5 Characteristics of Communication

Five characteristics of communication are: clarity, conciseness, completeness, concreteness, and coherence, often remembered as the "5 C's" - meaning a message should be clear, to the point, fully expressed, specific, and logically structured.

Clarity: The message should be easily understood with no ambiguity, using straightforward language.
Conciseness: Avoid unnecessary words or details, getting directly to the point.
Completeness: All necessary information should be included to fully convey the message.
Concreteness: Use specific examples and details to support your points, rather than vague statements.
Coherence: Ideas should flow logically and be connected throughout the communication.