Understanding Communication: Types and Effectiveness

• Communication is conveying intended information and understanding from one entity to another.
• The term "communication" comes from the Latin word "Communis," meaning to share.
• Effective communication is when the receiver understands the message exactly as intended by the sender.
• People define it as speaking or writing, and it involves giving and receiving information.
• Effective communication transmits information without changing its content or context.
• It's the art of creating and sharing ideas for a specific purpose.

Types of Communication

• Verbal: Speaking subject matter for others to listen and understand.
• Nonverbal: Others observe and attribute meaning.
• Written: Writing messages for others to read and interpret.
• Aural: Hearing and listening.
• Non-verbal: body language, deportment, facial expressions, gestures, tactile, proxemics, chronemics
• Written: Journals, emails, blogs, or text messages
• Visual: signs, symbols, pictures, graphics, emojis

Communication Skills

Audience Analysis

• Involves knowing the audience, understanding their level, and understanding how they need to receive the information.

Identifying and Overcoming Barriers

• Requires addressing physical and psychological noise, cultural differences, varying levels of expectations and experiences, differences in perspectives, and differences in communication styles.

Communication Process

• A dynamic process starts with the sender conceptualizing ideas and transmitting the message through a channel to the receiver.
• The receiver then provides feedback in the form of a message or signal within a given time frame.
• It has seven major elements:
• Sender: Initiates the conversation and has conceptualized the idea
• Encoding: Uses words or non-verbal methods to translate the information into a message.
• Message: Can be written, oral, symbolic, or non-verbal
• Communication Channel: Sender chooses the medium to convey the message
• Receiver: The person for whom the message is intended or targeted
• Decoding: The receiver interprets the sender's message
• Feedback: Ensures the receiver received the message

Principles of Communication

• Effective communication should follow the 7 C's:
• Clear: Easily understandable
• Correct: Uses correct language without errors.
• Complete: Includes all relevant information for the audience
• Concrete: Clear and leaves no room for misinterpretation.
• Concise: Precise and to the point, using fewer words.
• Consideration: Takes into account the receiver's opinions, knowledge, and background.
• Courteous: Considers the receiver's feelings and viewpoints, remaining positive and unbiased.

Ethics in Communication

• Effective communication is ethical when it is genuine, open, cooperative, and sensitive to cultural and social beliefs.
• Hiding the truth or causing harm is unethical, even without intention.
• Choosing words has an effect on audiences, ourselves, and society.
• Ethical questions ask how helpful or harmful actions are. Communicating ethically has the greatest positive impact.
• Ethics involves judging the appropriateness of actions and policies.
• It studies the best course of action for a positive effect on society and individuals.
• Guidelines for ethical communicators:
  • Respect their audiences.
  • Consider the consequences of their communication.
  • Respect truth.
  • Use information properly.
  • Do not falsify information.

Being mindful in communication

• Respecting others, respecting rights to information, and avoiding prejudice.
• Ethics is observed by people who manifest active and respectful listening.
• Self-awareness is essential for ethical communication and requires considering body language, eye contact, the message, and turn-taking.

Active Listening

• The five key aspects:

  • Pay close attention
  • Show physical manifestations that you are listening
  • Check for understanding
  • Don't interrupt
  • Respond appropriately

• Avoid past experiences that affect communication styles and avoid being prejudice because prejudice influences communication even before it begins.

• Ethical communication involves showing commitment.

• Globalization is not just about technology; it's about how people communicate, especially with different cultures.

Lesson 2 - Communication and Globalization

• Globalization is the key to the worldwide integration of humanity, increasing the interconnectedness and interdependence of peoples and countries
• Communication in the modern world is anchored on the concept of diversity.
• Effective communication entails sensitivity in global communication.
• Digital technology has erased boundaries and revolutionized the concept of "stranger."
• There is a need to develop graduates and professionals who are multiculturalists.

Effects of globalization on communication

 - Increased business opportunities
 - Removal of cultural barriers
 - Creation of a global village

• Cultural differences can lead to cultural insensitivity (issues, etiquette, protocol, communication styles and negotiation approaches).

Examples of intercultural errors within businesses

• McDonald's ad in China: featured a Chinese man kneeling to beg for an expired coupon, which caused uproar.
• McDonald's: Offended Muslims by printing an excerpt from the Korean on take-out hamburger bags.
• Stevadores in Africa: Interpreted the "fragile" symbol (broken wine glass) on packages as a box of broken glasses.
• Show the bottom of your shoes
• Rapid blinking

Lesson 3 - Local and Global Communication in Multicultural Setting

Guidelines for communicating across cultures

 - Show interest in interacting with people who are both similar and different from you.
 - Be sensitive to the concerns of minorities and majorities in your multicultural country.
 - Know that you can sense when those of other cultures do not understand you
 - Have to fear communicating with either major of minor cultures
 - Know that those of other cultures might be angry with your cultural affiliations
 - I can deal with conflicts with people from other cultures depending on the situation and their cultural background.
 - Don't believe your culture is inferior or superior to other cultures.
 - Manage your behavior when dealing with people

• Intercultural communication refers to interactions with people from diverse cultures.

• Forms of Intercultural Communication:

  • Interracial
  • Interethnic
  • International
  • Intracultural

• Communication styles among cultures differ and may be high context or low context communication

• Improving Intercultural Communication Competence:

  • Recognize the validity and differences of communication styles among people
  • Learn to eliminate personal biases and prejudices
  • Strive to acquire communication skills unnecessary in a multicultural world

Language Register

• Determines characteristics of your writing.

  • Formal Language Register: Appropriate for professional writing (letters to a boss or a stranger)

    • Rules:
      • Do not use contractions
      • Spell out numbers less than 100
      • Write in third person point of view
      • Avoid using too much passive voice.

  • Avoid slang, idioms, exaggeration (hyperboles) and cliches

  • Informal Language Register: Conversational and intimate; it's written in ways we talk to our friends

    • Can include:
      • Clichés
      • Symbols and abbreviations
      • Incomplete sentences
      • First, second, and third person
      • Jokes
      • Extra punctuation.

  • Neutral Language Register: Non-emotional and objective; it's appropriate for technical writings.