Course No.: GEC 003 Instructor: JETLEE A.

MAGNO, LPT
Course Name: PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

MODULE 1: CHAPTER 1. COMMUNICATION PROCESSES, PRINCIPLES AND ETHICS

WEEK NUMBER: 1
TIME ALLOTMENT: 3 Hours

OBJECTIVE:
By the end of this module, the students shall be able to describe properly the nature, elements and
functions of verbal and non-verbal communication in various and multicultural contexts.

LEARNING CONTENT:

COMMUNICATION PROCESSES, PRINCIPLES AND ETHICS

Introduction

This chapter will introduce several concepts about communication beginning from the Ancient
Greeks until the twenty-first century. It will illuminate several perspectives about communication. The
most important one being that it is necessary and important skill that should be honed to become
better citizens and to help in building one’s society.

It will explore the use of English in the world, as well as its usage in the Philippines. It will also
discuss the perils of language, and how we can find the seeds in the language we use – and what
one can do to ensure that one’s language is as academic and inclusive as possible.

Discussion

Communication - is a process by which information, meanings and feelings are shared by persons
through the exchange of verbal and nonverbal messages. The purpose of communication is to
understand information.
- It is a transmission, interpretation and exchange of information.

Communication as a Process

Communication is a process. Process implies dynamics and change. It implies parts interacting and
influencing each other so as to function as a whole. When we accept the concept of process, we
view events and relationship as dynamic, systemic, transactional, adaptive and continuous.

1. Dynamic- anything that is a process is dynamic rather than static. Static things are
fixed and unchanging but dynamic things are changing constantly. Communication
deals with change. If nothing changed, there would be no need for communication;
but our environment changes. Relationship changes as well as our attitudes,
desires, goals, understanding of others, and knowledge. We adjust to change
through communication.
2. Systemic- it means communication within a larger system. By system, we refer to
interrelated and interdependent elements working together to achieve a desired
outcome.
3. Transactional- the essence of the word transaction is relationship. Included in the
transaction is the fact that communication event is a unique combination of people,
messages, and situation.
4. Adaptive- any process exists to achieve some outcome. In order for the process to
be achieved, it must adapt to changes because effective communication is
characterized by an ability to adjust and to adapt to changing situations.
 5. Continuous- communication has no beginning and no end. Communication is
an ongoing process. Our communication moves into our future to affect
subsequent communication.

Components of Communication

1. Communicators- this refers to the sources and receivers of communication. Two

processes especially important in the transaction process are encoding and decoding.
Encoding is the process of selecting a code or language to express intentions, thoughts,
and feelings to a specific receiver. The code might be a sign language for deaf and oral
English for English speaking persons, Filipino for Filipino speakers etc. Decoding involves
interpretation of the message. Decoding means the code containing the message is
identified and changed into its appropriate meaning.

2. Message- refers to the idea, concept, emotion, desire or feeling that a person desires to
share with another human being. The purpose of a message is to evoke meaning in
another person. Not all messages are intentional. Unintentional messages are transmitted
without source consciously encoding them. Many nonverbal messages are unintentional
messages.

3. Channel- is the means by which a message moves from one person to another. When we
communicate face to face, light waves and sound waves are the major channels.

4. Feedback- is the integral of the human communication process that allows the speaker to
monitor the process and to evaluate the success of an attempt to get the desired response
from the receiver. Feedback can be received from one’s own speech mechanism and from
the outside system of transmission.

5. Noise- refers to interferences in communication. It may occur anywhere along the

communication line. It may be physical, psychological, or psychosocial in nature.
Communication interferences may also include an unfavorable environment and
extraneous distractions like background noises, coughing, people passing etc.

Components of Speech Communication

1. Source / Communicator/Speaker
- Full knowledge of the subject matter you intend to talk about.
- Attention and interest of your listeners depend on your capacity to speak clearly.
- Know your purpose – entertain, inform, or seek a solution to a problem

Types of Speakers:
a. The Moving Target

- He moves from left to right, backward or forward while talking to “walk

off” his nervousness.

b. The Great Scientist

- One who uses “high sounding”, profound terms, or technical language that is
over and beyond the understanding of the audience.

c. The Comedian

- The type of speaker who fills his talk with jokes.

 d. The Musician

- One who brings a lot of things with him to divert what he is talking about.
One who uses keys, coins, and other jingling things.

e. The Near-sighted Note Nibbler

- One who has an outline while talking. One whose eyes are stuck to his notes;
always focused on his notes.

f. The Preening Peacock

- One who fixes himself in front of his audience. One who has a lot of
mannerisms while talking.

g. The Fumbler

- One who keeps on spilling of his notes. One whose things keep on falling,
or always picking of his things/notes in front of his audience.

2. Message/Information
- Refers to the ideas, thoughts, or information that the speaker conveys his audience.
- It may be verbal or non-verbal

3. Channel/Medium
- the manner through which the message is sent. It can be a person (voice), media or
an electronic device.

4. Receiver/listener – a listener should have:

a. purpose of listening
b. knowledge and interest in the subject
c. certain levels of listening skills
d. Certain attitude towards self or the speaker.

Types of Listeners

a. The Nodding Neddie

- A type of listener who always nods as the speaker talks.

- A listener who pretends to listen through his body gestures particularly

nodding

b. The Pre-occupied Peter

- A listener who is considered “physically present but mentally absent”

- A listener who looks/glances at the speaker steadily but actually not

focused on what the speaker is saying.

c. The Wandering Willie

- A listener whose eyes are busy looking everywhere. He looks at

something but does not look exactly at the speaker.
 d. The Constant Challenger

- An inquisitive listener. He always asks questions not to be clarified but just

to gauge the speaker’s capabilities and mastery of the topic being
discussed. He is considered a teaser listener.

e. The Garrulous Gabber

- A listener who starts talking to his seatmate when the speaker starts to talk.

- A listener who is considered a “busy bee”

f. The Reticent Reactor

- He is considered as the “good listener”

- A focused, concentrated and reserved listener.

- He assesses first his questions if they are relevant to the topic, if not, he
disregards it.

5. Feedback
- a message sent by the listener to the speaker through verbal or non-verbal

6. Environment
- Communication takes place in a place. There are 2 factors that affect the
environment for an effective communication.
a. Physical Setting – room – size, sitting arrangement etc.
b. Occasion – formal or informal – programs, symposia, meetings

7. Noise
- anything that interferes with communication
a. physical noise – human voice, loud sounds
b. physiological noise – distraction from the body of the speaker – not feeling well,
has colds
c. psychological noise – emotional disturbances – thinking other things while
listening or speaking
d. semantic noise – the listener could not understand the language used, or words
e. factual noise – the listener argues with the speaker about the topic

Forms of Communication

1. Verbal Communication – uses either the written or spoken language

2. Non-Verbal Communication – makes use of non-linguistic symbols such as sign

language, facial expressions, and body language.

Levels of Verbal Communication

1. Intrapersonal Communication – Conversing with yourself by thinking. It is a

process by which you convert raw data into information, organize information
gathered, evaluate results and reach a conclusion.

2. Interpersonal Communication – a communication between and among people.

Dyadic communication – it involves the sharing of ideas or information

a.
between two persons who alternate as speaker and listener.
Ex: telephone conversation, introduction, chit-chat with a friend, an interview between the applicant
and the employer
 Small Group Communication – is a collaborative and systematic sharing of
b.
ideas and information among three to eight persons in order to reach a
consensus or a common solution to a problem, or to obtain facts.
Ex: committee meeting, board meeting, panel discussion, symposium

Large Group Communication/Public Communication – it is a speaker-

c.
audience communication which is used when you wish to address an
audience. It requires a thorough preparation on the part of the speaker.
Ex: conferences, seminars, conventions

Mass Communication – This form of communication may be done through

d.
either printed or oral medium. If it is oral, it utilizes airwaves – through radio
and television, the message reaches a very large audience nationwide.
Ex: SONA, broadcasting

Levels of Non-Verbal Communication

1. Kinesics – the study of body language or gestures, facial expressions, actions

a. Face – it is the organ of emotions. It is most important possessions because it
shows your identity.
b. Posture
2. Paralanguage – An inflection or emphasis applied vocally to a message. It uses
voice and articulation where the content of your message is contradicted by the
attitude with which you are communicating it.
3. Proxemics – the study of the use of space and distance
a. Public space – it is a space between the speaker and the audience at about
12 -25 ft. away from each other.
b. Social space – space between business associates at about 4-10 ft. away.
c. Personal space – space of family members at about 2-4 ft. away
d. Intimate space – space for touching, whispering, embracing at 0-1 ft.
4. Chronemics – the study of time
 The way a person treats time reveals something about him.
- Consistently late – not well-organized
- Who is kept waiting – is not highly regarded
 It is connected with status because we control our time
5. Object Language – This refers to the use of objects, clothes or accessories to aid
communication
 clothing conveys various types.

Summary

In conclusion, the course Purposive Communication plays a great role in developing the students’
communicative competence and in enhancing their cultural and intercultural awareness through
multimodal tasks that provide them opportunities for communicating effectively and appropriately
through a multicultural audience in a local or global context.

The knowledge, skills, and insights that students gain from this course may be used in their
academic endeavors, their chosen disciplines, and their future careers as they compose and
produce relevant oral, written, audio-visual and/or web-based communication for various purposes.

REFERENCES:

1. Madrunio, M., & Martin, I. (2018). Purposive Communication: Using English in

Multicultural Contexts.
Quezon City, Philippines: C&E Publishing.
2. Santos, M. (2018). Communication for Society. Manila, Philippines: Rex Bookstore.
3. Suarez, C. (2018). Purposive Communication in English. Manila, Philippines: BlueBooks