Chapter 1
Human Communication:
What and Why
Chapter Highlight
Communication, as we will study
it in this book, possesses three
important characteristics:
• It occurs between humans
• It is a process
• It is symbolic
Communication Defined
• Communication as we know it is
not a discrete individual act or a
series of incidents pasted like
photograph.
• Communication is a continuous on-
going process
• It is like a motion picture in which
the meaning comes from the
unfolding of interrelated series of
image.
Communication is Symbolic
• Symbols are used to represent
things, processes, ideas, or event in
ways that make communication
possible.
• Effective communication depends on
agreement among people about
these rules.
• Symbolic meaning is not only
applicable to verbal behaviors but
also non-verbal behaviors
communication
Types of Communication
• Intrapersonal Communication
– Communication with one self
• Dyadic/Interpersonal Communication
– two person interacting
– identical to interpersonal
communication
– interpersonal communication is not
limited to two persons only
• Small Group Communication
• Public Communication
• Mass communication
Continuation
Types of Communication
• Small Group Communication
– Common fixtures of everyday life
– Posses characteristics that are not
present in a dyad
– Example, two or more members of
group can form a coalition to
defend their position against other
members
Continuation
Types of Communication
• Public Communication
– occurs when a group become too
large for all members to contribute
– one characteristic of a group is
an unequal amount of speaking
– limited verbal feedbacks
• Mass communication
– messages that are transmitted to
large, widespread audience via
electronic and print media.
Functions of Communication
1. Physical Needs
– absence of satisfying communication can
even jeopardize life itself
– medical researchers have identified a
wide range of hazards that result from
lack of close relationship
Example:
i. People who lack strong relationships have two or
three times the risk of early death
ii. Terminal cancer strike socially isolated people
more than those who have close relationship
iii. Divorced, separated, and widowed people are ten
times more likely to need hospitalization for mental
problem
Continuation
Functions of Communication
1. Physical Needs
Example:
iv. Pregnant women under stress and without
supportive relationships have three times
more complications than pregnant who suffer
from the same stress but have strong social
support
v. Socially isolated people are four times more
susceptible to the common cold than those
who have active social networks.
Continuation
Functions of Communication
2. Identity Needs
a. Shape Identity
• Enable us to learn who we are as a person
• Deprived of communication, we have no sense
of identity
Example: • Wild Boy of Aveyron
– spent his early childhood
without human contact
– could not speak/lack
identity as a human
• Genie
– spent her life in empty,
dark bedroom
Continuation
Functions of Communication
2. Identity Needs
2. Attempt to get others to view us the way we
want them to do so
3. Social Needs
1. Beside helping to define who we are,
communication provides a vital link with others
Example: Pleasure, to have good time,affection,
inclusion, escape, control
4. Practical Needs
1. Is the tools that let us tell the stylist how we
want our hair to be cut or let the doctor know
where it hurts.
2. Key to effectiveness in a variety of everyday
settings
Modeling Communication
1. Linear Model
Modeling Communication
1. Linear Model
a. A sender encodes ideas and
feeling into some sort of message
and then conveys them to a
receiver who decodes them
b. One important element of the
linear model is the communication
channel - the method by which
message is conveyed between
people
Modeling Communication
1. Linear Model
c. Linear model introduces the
concept of noise - a term used by
social scientist to describe any
forces that interfere with effective
communication
b. Three types of noises
1. Physiological
2. Psychological
3. External
Modeling Communication
2. Transactional Model
a. The way most communication
operates
b. Simultaneous sending and
receiving of messages
c. Communication is fluid, not static
d. Communication is relational, not
individual
What Makes an Effective Communicator
• Characteristic of Communication
Competence
a. There is no ideal way to
communicate
b. Competence is situational
c. Competence is relational
d. Communication can be learned
Continuation
• Characteristic of Effective
Communicators
a. Able to choose a wide range of
behaviors
c. Ability to choose the most
appropriate behaviors
d. Posses skill at performing
behaviors
e. Empathy/Perspective taking
f. Cognitive complexity
[Link]-monitoring
Clarifying misconception
about communication
• Communication does not always
requires complete understanding
• More communication is not always
better
• Communication is not always a good
thing
• Communication will not solve all
problems
• Meaning rest in people, not words
• Communication is not simple