Week 002 Kinds of Communication PDF

Oral Communication in Context 1 Kinds of Communication Kinds of Communication The previous module gav...

Oral Communication in Context 1 Kinds of Communication Kinds of Communication The previous module gave an overview of what communication is and the principles that govern this process. In this module, the discussion will be about the two main kinds of communication. After reading this module and going through the activities, you should be able: 1. To determine the kinds of communication; and 2. To understand how these kinds are used to be an effective communicator. Learning these kinds of communication will greatly aid you in becoming more aware of how to create more emphasis or to tone down when transmitting your messages or messages you receive. To get an overview of the two main kinds of communication, refer to the illustration below. Communication Non-Verbal Verbal Audio Visual Signals Signals Written Oral Non-Verbal Communication Non-verbal communication transmits messages without relying on language or speech. It uses audio signals or visual signals to communicate a message. 1. Kinesics Kinesics is the language of the body. Notice how our body movements and facial expressions add visuals. You may know a friend or an acquaintance who is entertaining to watch when telling a story because of the gestures or Course Module facial twitches. This friend is practicing this form of non-verbal communication. To illustrate how body language and facial expressions affect how we communicate, click on this link to watch the video FBI Agent Explains How to Spot Liars from KOCO 5 News’ Youtube channel. 2. Proxemics Proxemics is the language of space. Distance and space are devices that can also be used to convey meaning. The relationship of people can be determined by observing the distance they maintain from each other. The illustration below, from the website bodylanguageproject.com, gives a general description of space people take-up depending on their relationship with others. However, one must also consider other factors when deciphering the relationship between people from other cultures. For example, Americans are naturally more aggressive in nature when it comes to positioning themselves when talking to others, on the contrary, an English person will maintain a relatively farther distance as compared to the American. 3. Haptics Haptics is the language of touch. This nonverbal communication reveals feelings and culture. If you have ever heard of the saying mother’s touch, it illustrates how someone can feel loved just through touching. Another example is when friends bump fists to show that they acknowledge another person’s idea or they absolutely agree on something. At work, it’s also important to remember that there are rules to follow when communicating with your superiors or colleagues. There is such thing as Professional- functional touch, which is used to communicate emotions of managers to their team members. (2014, Haptics accessed on slideshare.net) 4. Chronemics Chronemics is the language of time. This shows the interrelatedness of time and communication. A way in which one perceives and values time, structures time, and reacts to time frames communication. Across cultures, time perception plays a large role in the nonverbal communication process (Chronoemics. basicknowledge101.com).  Oral Communication in Context 3 Kinds of Communication An example can be what they call Filipino time. During events, Filipinos allegedly come at least an hour or two late, thus, foreigners usually complain about the practice of Filipino time since foreigners, especially Americans, usually arrive on time. This goes to show that Filipinos and foreigners may have a different understanding of what “on time” really means. 5. Appearance The language of looks-appearance. The way a person looks reflects on his/her status or position, mood, culture, taste, and grooming. As with working, certain companies require a specific look amongst their employees, say a brand ambassador for a make-up brand versus a brand ambassador for a laundry soap. Basically, how you look reflects not only to you as a person but also to an institution or your social group. Buzzfeed did a social experiment called Does It Pay To Be Attractive? This is a good example of how people react to how someone looks. To learn more about this social experiment follow this link. 6. Artifacts Artifactual communication is the language of objects. “Artifactual communication is the aesthetic coding and decoding of symbols or representations. The coding and decoding is subjectively interpreted with culture in mind in order to establish cautious generalizations) about the individual who adorns themselves with an artifact” (2002. Artifactual Communication: A Modern Approach to Understanding Communication through Nonverbal Artifacts, Rudrow, K.). Artifacts and the interpretation of what they mean are never absolute representation, merely approximations. Objects, colors, body modifications, and environments make up criteria that may constitute artifacts. (2002. Rudrow,K.) 7. Paralanguage Paralanguage refers to various nonverbal cues we can hear in our voice. These elements are the following: a. Vocal Quality - refers to the how pleasant or unpleasant a person’s voice sounds. Voice quality is usually referred to as the timbre or tone color. As with communicating, emotions play a role (2008. Flores, C. and Lopez, B, Effective Speech Communication 5th Edition) b. Pitch - lowness or highness of tone. People vary in the pitch of their voice although it can be observed that nervousness, fright, and sometimes excitement may raise the pitch of the voice, on the other hand, sadness or disappointment makes the pitch lower (2008, Flores and Lopez). c. Tempo - how fast or slow someone speaks d. Volume - describes the force of the voice or how loud or soft it goes Course Module  e. Junctures - breaks or pauses applied at the end of utterances or between thoughts Verbal Communication Verbal communication uses written or spoken language to transmit information or messages. It involves sound production; utterance of words phrases and sentences through speech. There are five basic features of human language: 1. Phonology Phonology studies the system of sound in language including how sound is organized and structured to convey meaning. Follow this link for a simplified explanation of this topic. 2. Semantics Semantics deal with meaning of words, phrases, and sentences in a language. Semantics “explains different connotations (associated meaning) and denotations (dictionary meaning of words)”. For a more interesting take, head on to this link to watch “Introduction to Semantics” by Ashton English. 3. Morphology Morphology studies the formation of words. Words can be divided into two categories: content words and function words. To know more follow this link to watch The Linguistic Channel’s video “An Introduction to Morphology”. 4. Syntax Syntax is when one studies how words are put together to form grammatically correct sentences in language. 5. Pragmatics Pragmatics touches on how language is used. It is how words can be interpreted in various scenarios. References Diaz, Rafaela Hernandez. (2014). Speech and Oral Communication for College Students, Revised Edition. Quezon City: National Bookstore “How Important is Communication in Your Life?” (2015, April 7). Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-important- communication-your-life-ted-landgraf Baraceros, Esther L. and Lintao, Rachelle, B. (2010). English 4: Oral Communication in Context (First Edition). Quezon City: Rex Bookstore, Inc. Dapat, Jose Rizal O., Sadorra, Bryan Eli B., and Lumabi, Bethany Marie C. (2016). Oral Cmmunication in Focus. Quezon City: Lormar Publishing, Inc.  Oral Communication in Context 5 Kinds of Communication “Business Communication for Success” (2012). Saylor Academy. Retrieved from https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_business-communication- for-success/ “Non-Verbal Communication (2008). Communication Theory Organization Retrieved from http://communicationtheory.org/non-verbal- communication/ Course Module