FUNDAMENTALS OF
COMMUNICATION
DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION
• Is a term derived from the Latin word communicare, meaning
“to share” (Harper, 2013).
• The conveying of information through the exchange of
thoughts, messages, or information by verbal, visual or
written language, signals, written, or behavior.
• Is a fundamental social process.
• It is interaction among individuals and groups through which
identities and meaning are shaped.
COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES
• Communication is a process of exchanging verbal and/or
non-verbal information between two or more people who
can be either the speaker or the receiver of messages.
• Communication is used to meet the purpose of a person.
The purpose could be to inform, to persuade, or to
entertain.
• Communication can be in the form of written, verbal,
non-verbal, and visuals
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
• Involves texts or words
encoded and transmitted
through memos, letters,
reports, on-line chat, short
message service or SMS,
electronic mail or e-mail,
journals and other written
documents.
VERBAL COMMUNICATION
• Involves an exchange of
information through face-
to-face, audio and/or video
call or conferencing,
lectures, meetings, radio,
and television.
NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
• Involves the use of the
following to convey or
emphasize a message of
information.
NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
• Voice
• Body Language
• Personal Space or Distance
• Personal Apperance
VISUAL COMMUNICATION
• Involve the use of
images, graphs,
charts, logos, and
maps.
COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES
• Communication can be intended or unintended.
• Communication is a complex process that requires you to
-know your audience, -identify your topic,
-determine your purpose, -expect objections,
-establish credibility with your target audience,
-present information clearly and objectively, and
-develop a practical, useful way to seek for
feedback.
INTENDED COMMUNICATION
• Refers to planning what and how you communicate your
ideas to other people who are older than you are or who
occupy a higher social or professional position such as
your parents, teachers, and supervisors, among others.
UNINTENDED COMMUNICATION
• Happens when you unintentionally send non-verbal
messages to people you are communicating with, or
when you suddenly make negative remarks out of
frustration or anger.
COMMUNICATION PROCESSES
• The communication process involves elements such as source,
message, encoding, channel, decoding, receiver, feedback,
context, and barrier.
Source- the speaker or sender of a message
Message- the message, information, or ideas from the
source or speaker
Encoding- the process of transferring the message
COMMUNICATION
PROCESSES
Channel- the means to deliver a message such as face-to-
face conversations, telephone calls, e-mails, and memos,
among others.
Decoding- the process of interpreting an encoded message
Receiver- the recipient of the message
Feedback- the reactions or responses of the receiver to the
message from the sender
COMMUNICATION
PROCESSES
• Context- the situation or environment in which
communication takes place.
• Barriers- the factors which may affect the communication
process.
Examples:
-Culture Noise
-Individual Differences Past Experiences
-Language Use Status
COMMUNICATION PROCESSES
• Communication can be a one-way or two-way process.
• Communication as a one-way process is best illustrated in the
model of Shannon-Weaver (1949). In this model, the sender
is active while the receiver is passive during the
communication process.
• Communication as a two-way process is exemplified by a
transaction model. In this model, the messages, information,
or ideas are sent and received at the same time. Hence, the
sender and the receiver become active during the process,
and both serve as communicators.
SHANNON-WEAVER’S MODEL OF
COMMUNICATION
TRANSACTIONAL MODEL OF
COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION ETHICS
• Uphold integrity
• Respect diversity of perspective and privacy
• Observe freedom of expression effectively
• Promote access to communication
• Be open-minded
• Develop your sense of accountability
GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION
• Be clear with your purpose
• Support your message with facts
• Be concise
• Provide specific information in your feedback
• Adjust to the needs, interests, values, and beliefs of your
audience
• Observe communication ethics
• Be your natural self and appear very confident
SEVEN LEVELS OF
COMMUNICATION
1. Intrapersonal Communication
2. Interpersonal Communication
3. Small group Communication
4. Public Communication
5. Organizational Communication
6. Mass Communication
7. Cross-cultural Communication
INTRAPERSONAL
COMMUNICATION
• Is extremely private and
restricted to the self. It
includes a silent
conversation with the self.
INTERPERSONAL
COMMUNICATION
• Takes place between two
individuals in a one-on-one
conversation.
SMALL GROUP COMMUNICATION
• Takes place only when more
than two people are involved. It
occurs between 3 and 20
individuals (Pole, 1989)
communicating in a context that
is both relational and social
(Johnson, 1991), in which
decision-making requires that
members both identify with the
group and have an attitude of
commitment to participate in
interaction (Ellis, 1994).
PUBLIC COMMUNICATION
• Takes place when one
publicly addresses a
large gathering of
people.
ORGANIZATIONAL
COMMUNICATION
• Can be external or
internal. Its purpose is to
achieve organizational
effectiveness using
available resources. The
use of messages and
various channels in a
formal and informal
manner within an
organization.
MASS COMMUNICATION
• Is the use of print
(newspaper and
magazines) and
broadcast (radio and
television) media
channels to reach a wider
coverage.
CROSS-CULTURAL
COMMUNICATION
• Results when people
from different cultures
communicate based on
their learned and
acquired values and
manners.
SIX CRITERIA IN ASSESSING COMMUNICATION
COMPETENCE
1. Adaptability
2. Conversational involvement
3. Conversation management
4. Empathy
5. Effectiveness
6. Appropriateness