Basics of Communication

Study Notes

Communication comes from the Latin word "communicare", meaning to share or to make common.
It is defined as the process of understanding and sharing meaning.
Communication helps build relationships by allowing us to share experiences, needs, and connect with others.

Speech is a language that refers to the means of communication used by people.
Three main types of speech:
- Informative speech provides information or teaches the audience about a specific topic.
- Persuasive speech helps to convince an audience that the speaker has the right opinion on a particular topic.
- Entertaining speech aims to amuse people and communicate emotions rather than giving facts and figures.
Other types of speech:
- Motivational speeches aim to inspire an audience and give attendees the confidence to do something better or improve themselves.
- Impromptu speech is delivered without any prior preparation or rehearsal time.
- Manuscript speech involves writing down every word to be spoken during the speech.
- Debate speeches follow a certain set of rules and take place during a debate event.
- Extemporaneous speech involves delivering a prepared but not memorized speech on a given topic.
- Memorized speech involves committing an entire speech to memory.

Visual mode: uses images and graphic design to convey concepts, messages, and information.
Linguistic mode: relies on written and spoken language to convey thoughts, concepts, and information.
Spatial mode: harnesses space and arrangement to convey meaning effectively.
Aural mode: focuses on sound to convey messages through sounds and other sound devices.
Gestural mode: includes movement, body language, facial expression, and physical proximity to convey meaning.