LESSON 1

COMMUNICATION: AN OVERVIEW
Definition of Communication
Communication is simply the act of transferring information from one place, person or group to another.
Communication comes from the Latin words;

 communicare which means to impart, share, and participate ,

 communis which means common .

It is a process of exchanging information, ideas, feelings and emotions through speech, signals, writing and
behavior.

PURPOSE OF COMMUNICATION

1. Informing:
The purpose of informing is to share facts, knowledge, or details with others, providing them with new or
relevant information.
 Example: A news reporter informing the public about current events, a teacher sharing historical
facts in a lecture, or a colleague updating team members about a project's progress.
2. Persuading:
Persuasive communication aims to influence others' opinions, beliefs, or actions by presenting compelling
arguments or appeals.
 Example: A salesperson convincing customers to buy a product, a politician delivering a speech to
sway voters, or a friend persuading others to join a social cause.
3. Instructing:
The purpose of instructing is to give clear, step-by-step guidance or directions to help others understand
and perform a task or activity.
 Example: A teacher explaining a math problem-solving method, a supervisor providing instructions
for a new work procedure, or a chef guiding someone in preparing a recipe.
4. Collaborating:
Collaborative communication involves working together with others to achieve common goals, fostering
teamwork and cooperation.
 Example: Team members discussing and planning a project, classmates collaborating on a group
assignment, or professionals brainstorming ideas during a meeting.

ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
1. SENDER – the person who conveys the message with the intention of passing information and ideas.
2. ENCODING – the process of putting thoughts, ideas, or information into a symbolic form.
3. MESSAGE – a message is the information conveyed by words (in speech or writing), and/or other signs and
symbols. A message (verbal or nonverbal, or both) is the content of the communication process.
4. CHANNEL – are mediums through which a person can send a message to its intended audience. (e.g. phone
calls, text message, emails, video, radio, and social media)
5. RECEIVER – is the listener, reader, or observer (or the group of individuals) to whom a message is directed.
The receiver is also called the “audience” and decoder.
6. DECODING – decoding is conducted by the receiver. Once the message is received and examined, the
stimulus is sent to the brain for interpreting in order to assign some type of meaning to it.
7. FEEDBACK – is the final step of the process that ensures the receiver has received the message and
interpreted it correctly as it was intended by the sender. It increases the effectiveness of the communication as
it permits the sender to know the efficacy of his message.
8. BARRIERS – are the factors that affects the flow of communication.
PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

SENDER
Encoding

FEEDBACK
Noise MESSAGE
Barrier

Decodin
g

CHANNEL
RECEIVER
The Communication Process
A message of communication is sent by the sender through a communication channel to a receiver or to multiple
receivers. The sender must encode the message (the information being conveyed) into a form that is appropriate to the
communication channel, and the receiver (s) then decodes the message to understand its meaning and significance.
Misunderstanding can occur at any stage of communication process. Effective communication involves minimizing
potential misunderstanding and overcoming any barrier to communication at each stage in the communication process.
An effective communicator understands his audience, chooses an appropriate communication channel, hones their
message to this channel and encodes the message to reduce misunderstanding by the receiver (s). They will also seek
out feedback from the receiver (s) as to how the message is understood and attempt to correct any misunderstanding or
confusion as soon as possible.
Receivers, on the other hand, can use techniques such as clarification and reflection as effective ways to ensure that
message sent has been understood correctly.

VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Verbal communication is using speech or spoken word to exchange information, emotions, and thoughts. It is
the use of words to share information with other people. It can therefore include both spoken and written
communication.

TYPES OF VERBAL COMMUNICATION

1. Intrapersonal Communication

This form of communication is extremely private and restricted to ourselves. It includes the silent
conversations we have with ourselves, wherein we juggle roles between the sender and receiver who are
processing our thoughts and actions. This process of communication when analyzed can either be conveyed
verbally to someone or stay confined as thoughts.
2. Interpersonal Communication

This form of communication takes place between two individuals and is thus a one-on-one conversation.
Here, the two individuals involved will swap their roles of sender and receiver in order to communicate in a
clearer manner.

3. Small Group Communication

This type of communication can take place only when there are more than two people involved. Here the
number of people will be small enough to allow each participant to interact and converse with the rest. Press
conferences, board meetings, and team meetings are examples of group communication. Unless a specific
issue is being discussed, small group discussions can become chaotic and difficult to interpret by everybody.
This lag in understanding information completely can result in miscommunication.

4. Public Communication

This type of communication takes place when one individual address a large gathering of people. Election
campaigns and public speeches are example of this type of communication. In such cases, there is usually a
single sender of information and several receivers who are being addressed.

Nonverbal communication, also called manual language, is the process of sending and receiving messages
without using words, either spoken or written.

TYPES OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

There are many different forms of nonverbal communication. The main categories of nonverbal cues include:

1. Kinesics (body movements)

These includes deliberate hand gestures and head movements like a thumbs-up or affirmative head
shake. This is one of the most easily controllable of the nonverbal forms of communication.
Example: Someone might display a “thumbs-up” to communicate confirmation or that they feel positive about something.

2. Proxemics (Closeness/Personal space)

This is the measure of physical distance between people when they communicate. The standard
amount of personal space expected by someone varies depending on setting and is somewhat culture-specific.
Example: You may stand two to three feet away from a new contact to respect their boundaries.

3. Posture
The way you sit or stand and how open your body is to others around you communicates a lot about
your attitude and emotional space.
Example: Someone might slouch their shoulders if they feel tired, frustrated or disappointed.

4. Eye contact
This is one of the primary ways that human beings gauge interest or disinterest. Wavering eyes tend to
communicate unease or even dishonesty.
Example: Looking away from someone and at the ground or your phone may convey disinterest or disrespect.

5. Touch
May interactions begin with an exchange of physical touch like a hug or a handshake.
Example: Placing your hand on a friend’s shoulder may convey support or empathy.
6. Paralanguage
This category covers vocal qualities like loudness or tone of voice. It includes the non-language
elements of speech, such as your talking speed, pitch, intonation, volume and more.
Example: You might speak quickly if you are excited about something.

7. Facial Expressions
 Facial expressions are one of the main indicators of someone’s attitude. An emotional expression like
a frown or smile can be hard to consciously control. Using the eyebrows, mouth, eyes and facial muscles to
convey emotion or information can be very effective.
Example: You might smile at them when you are happy.

8. Physiology
This category includes changes in body physiology like an increase in sweat or blinking rapidly.
These are nearly impossible to deliberately control.

PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION
7Cs OF EFFECTIOVE COMMUNICATION

1. Clear
When writing or speaking to someone, be clear about your goal or message. What is your purpose in
communicating with this person? If you're not sure, then your audience won't be either.
To be clear, try to minimize the number of ideas in each sentence. Make sure that it's easy for your reader to
understand your meaning. People shouldn't have to "read between the lines" and make assumptions on their
own to understand what you're trying to say.
2. Concise
When you're concise in your communication, you stick to the point and keep it brief. Your audience
doesn't want to read six sentences when you could communicate your message in three. Ask yourself:
a. Are there any adjectives or "filler words" that you can delete? You can often eliminate words like "for
instance," "you see," "definitely," "kind of," "literally," "basically," or "I mean."
b. Are there any unnecessary sentences?
c. Have you repeated the point several times, in different ways?
3. Concrete
When your message is concrete, your audience has a clear picture of what you're telling them. There
are details (but not too many!) and vivid facts, and there's laser-like focus. Your message is solid.
4. Correct
When your communication is correct, your audience will be able to understand it. And correct
communication is also error-free communication. Make sure your message is correct by asking yourself the
following questions:
a. Do the technical terms you use fit your audience's level of education or knowledge?
b. Have you checked your writing for grammatical errors? (Remember, spell checkers won't catch
everything).
c. Are all names and titles spelled correctly?
5. Coherent
When your communication is coherent, it's logical. All points are connected and relevant to the main
topic, and the tone and flow of the text is consistent.
6. Complete
In a complete message, the audience has everything they need to be informed and, if applicable, take
action.
a. Does your message include a "call to action," so that your audience clearly knows what you want them to
do?
b. Have you included all relevant information – contact names, dates, times, locations, and so on?
7. Courteous
Courteous communication is friendly, open and honest. There are no hidden insults or passive-
aggressive tones. You keep your reader's viewpoint in mind, and you're empathetic to their needs.

ETHICS OF COMMUNICATION
Ethics is based on well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do.
Ethics in communication is the judgment that we make based on how appropriate our statements, behaviors
and actions are in a particular situation.
1. Seek to “elicit the best” in communications and interactions with other group members.
2. Listen when others speak.
3. Speak non-judgmentally.
4. Speak from your own experience and perspective, expressing your own thoughts, needs, and feelings.
5. Seek to understand others.
6. Avoid speaking for others, for example by characterizing what others have said without checking your
understanding, or by universalizing your opinions, beliefs, values, and conclusions, assuming everyone shares
them.
7. Manage your own personal boundaries; share only what you are comfortable sharing.
8. Respect the personal boundaries of others.
9. Avoid interrupting and side conversations.