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## Summary Chapter 1 Intro to COMM 1. **Functional Perspective of Communication:** The functional perspective examines how communication helps or hinders individuals in achieving their goals across various contexts (personal, group, organizational, public, or mediated situations). Functional commu...

## Summary Chapter 1 Intro to COMM 1. **Functional Perspective of Communication:** The functional perspective examines how communication helps or hinders individuals in achieving their goals across various contexts (personal, group, organizational, public, or mediated situations). Functional communication serves several purposes. * **Expressing Affiliation:** * Fosters a feeling of connectedness with others. * Helps meet practical needs (such as showing respect for the boss). * Can be facilitated through media technologies to maintain a positive sense of connection. * **Managing Relationships:** * Relationships involve interconnections between two or more people. * Interdependence - what one person does affects others. * Verbal and nonverbal behaviors play a crucial role in managing relationships over time. * **Influencing Others:** * Communication is inherently influential. * Some influence is intentional (politician speeches), while some is unintentional (lack of eye contact). * **Control** - the ability of one person, group, or organization to influence others, and the way interactions occur. * Control varies based on context and status. 2. **Characteristics of Effective Communication:** Consider these six characteristics: * **Symbolic Nature:** Communication relies on symbols - arbitrary language, behaviors, or signs that refer to objects, people, things, or ideas. * **Shared Code:** Shared codes enhance accurate communication. * Code is a set of symbols used to create a meaningful message. * **Encoding** involves mentally constructing a message, while **decoding** interprets and assigns meaning to received messages.