MAR O 31983 Communications Extension Information • University of Missouri-Columbia • 1-98 Agriculture • Columbia, Missouri, 65211 Developing Effective Communications 1 Dick Lee Agricultural Editor Most Americans probably do not cise to ask members of a group to write, separate courses rn composition or appreciate the importance of communi­ in a short paragraph, their meanings for speech." cations in their personal and work-day the term. Two things become apparent: Maybe that's not bad for devotees of lives. Hopefully, those of us in exten­ most individuals have difficulty writing Webster. But I would imagine that sion work recognize the importance of out their actual meaning for the term communication doesn't exactly have good, effective communications. communications and there is a great that meaning for any of us. It's wordy It's been estimated that many Ameri­ variation in meanings. and hard to understand. cans spend 70 to 80% of their time in One of the first places to look is in the We can look up the origin of the communications-writing, reading, old reliable history of word usage­ word . Communication comes from the talking, listening. This is certainly true Webster's Third New International Dic­ Latin communis, "common." When of extension faculty. This suggests that tionary Unabridged (1976). we communicate we are trying to estab­ communications may well be the key to lish a " commonness" with someone. success for an extension worker. That is, we are trying to share informa­ tion , an idea, or an attitude. It seems most everyone is talking com.mu-ni-ca-hon \L. .1 ,m)Un~'kilsh;m\ n -s [ME communi­ cacio,111. fr M F co1>1m un1ra1ion. fr L cumm;micat inn-. eom ­ about the need for communications­ m unicatin. fr comm1mica1u1 !r,ast part of ,· ommunicart 10 Looking further you can find thi s commun1ea te 1 .... -wn-. -icJ. -ion ) l: the a..:t o racu on of impart• in~ or 1ransmi1tin; ( the~ of the cOT!lmon colJ > ( the -.. good, effective communications. Uni­ o f po wer IO the m:ichind 2 a : fad~ 01 1nf.:nma1ion com­ type of definition: ''Communications mum..:ated b: :: k: ter. note. or other l!l~lJ. fl ~•! of wr1nc n 1n• form3n0n ( he haJ nnt )t'! re.1J 1hc sp) ·s ..._, 3 a o/>~ : cu-.­ which human versity faculty often complain of poor VfR<;..,11,,...__ T >. u ,;. b ,.ucl:,.iic : rC"rso:•a! d.-aL,i~s c archaic is the mechanism through : s1:. :i..:t "'- 1•. ~11: c,1( l('E 4 arciw1c : ,·0111m ~:version1 p.1rrn:1ra11on communications between administra­ 6 a : a c..:cs~ ~et·.,,·cn r,·rsuns Jr pL.n:cs: u ;•po~ tunity of com­ relations exist and develop." This municat1oi! • mJ11:ta1n111.; ~ betwecn :iu: rt'"< ".; ' Jrs a nd i.:uer­ rill..1 S ) b commun1caltons ::,I : m.-:rns ..-;f ,.,mmun,.:-:nin~ tors and the faculty; students complain ( \ ' : a ~_.:;1..::m ·as of tclephc,n,:s or ·.d..:gr,1 :1hs 1 fo{ com­ broad definition, found in a book writ­ mu n1 c.1 11n~ tnfur r;1.11,1"Jn a1;J 0r,J<:r5 ·,1s in J 11.1,al ~t'rvic:e l (2 \ : J sys1,:m \,( •0utt.'s for 111o•n,g n oor,s . snpp!i.:s. a nd , c­ about lack of communications between hic les in rr.1\ltJn <'Der.111nns • l , : the f., ,1,1,on 111 ,Ill mJustnai ten by a sociologist, takes in about o r.:: .1 111 1.i t:0n that tr., :1 ~11111s 11k.1\. p0h, 1,:s. a1 '. J ,•: der~ • 4 , J •J"1t'· the faculty and themselves. Parents 11 everything. ~~:":11~~~.;:h i:~·tl~~~n~;:r,~~.\\~~~1n1 \\ ,:~:~~~.~~1\~·' :~1f n~I; ~f m_.:d,~ n,dustr}"' 6 a : 10 11<:r.h:i.11_,. of !hou" '.1\s c ,· op1n10ns : a bemoan the lack of communication f'TOCCS~ ti:, \\ ni,:, n>C,lfl!Tl )S arc t'\l"h:i.n,:,:J t,,:;v.,•,:[l mJ1,,Juals In contrast, some people limit their t hrou ,; h a cornrnon s ~S !t'm o r sv·11 b,)iS , .;, !.111 _:u~!,!e. swn~. or ~..:sll~rc-s 1 b : ~L,sc or in:i:nJte r.1p;,,,rt 1!1.1 : 1~ so-n,:umes between themselves and their children. 1n:t'l1.::~· 1c1.:! :111d nfh'n Jff.:.:11·. .: 7 : :J \bson,,_ lo (1~e J":lCt'llll b definitions of communications rather R or c 0mrr1un1catio11s ;,/ rut Ji'!:;:,,,. ri i,r es,,!;t : :in .-irt that Young people voice the same thought deals ..,, ,h e,rre,:, ~11111: an~ t'uh:i.n <1. i11g: • j~,::J ; effcc-11 , ely 111 narrowly saying "communication is SPt't'dl v• ... ;.,;-. ,. :: r n,,,H'~h , .,,. l<'"I""'·, , ,_ 0 , -!ra~ ·1u.: .Jr!S an.! th:11 u ta u ,;: !-: .u .u1 1n1q;r:i.•c,I rro,~ra m .11 ·. ..i : ,.,,.~ ;. ,.:·, although from a different viewpoint. of eJu,.·Juun m J1•nin, tlo n rn tr a du ion.ii scp.ua ic ..:o urses 1n the process whereby one person tells eomi-n ~:! 1< H1 anJ sr.:ec- h Farmers say the farm story needs to be another something through the written told. Labor union members feel they or spoken word." This definition, from aren't understood. And, ironic as it may a book written by a journalist, seems seem, public relations experts fret over This definition, as is true with many reasonable for those in that field. the feeling that the public misunder­ dictionary explanations, almost pro­ Then, some definitions fall in be­ stands the objectives of their profes­ vides more information than needed . tween these two extremes. Carl s10n. Most people are surprised when they Hovland , a well-know psychologist of see its length. We do learn both old and a few years ago, said communication is What Is Communication? new meanings for the term . In fact, so " the process by which an individual much information is presented that it's (the communicator) transmits stimuli What is communication--or com­ likely to confuse our task of finding a (usually verbal symbols) to modify the munications? It's an interesting exer- " meaningful" meaning for communi­ behavior of the other individuals (com­ 1 Material Archivein this paper is drawn primarily from cation. municates) .'' a chapter in the author's doctoral dissertation: The last of Webster's definition is : This definition describes what many Lee, Richard L. "The Flow of Information to "An art that deals with expressing and extension workers hope to achieve . Disadvantaged Farmers," unpublished Ph.D. exchanging ideas effectively in speech You' II be trying to change behavior. dissertation , University of Iowa , I 967. However, Some object to this definition. Their the author has drawn from several sources. or writing or through the graphic or Contents are also used in an expanded oral dramatic arts and that is taught as an objections center on the phrase " mod­ presentation prepared primarily for extension integrated program at various levels of ify the behavior.'' They say there are workers and adapted for other groups. education in distinction to traditional , numerous occasions when they com- CM 109 municate, in their family and social lives for example, with no intention of attempting to modify behavior. But, we most likely do modify others' behavior even though that may not be our inten­ ARISTOTLE'S MODEL tion! We could find many other definitions of communication. However, " mean­ ings are in people and not words'' and A Speaker it's not likely that we could get a group of any size to agree exactly on one meaning . Besides, an exact definition of the word isn't necessary. My goal is to illustrate that it's difficult for many A Message to formulate their own definition and that there is a wide range in meanings. A Listener The Communication Process To communicate effectively we need to be familiar with the factors involved in the communication process . If we are aware of them , these factors will Fig. 1-Aristotle's Model help us plan, analyze situations, solve problems, and, in general, do better jobs in our work no matter what our job might be . munication process reviewed ts also whether or not communication takes This leads to a discussion of the one of the oldest. place. communication process. Let's look at it Our failure to recognize what Aris­ part by part as viewed by several Aristotle's Model totle grasped thousands of years ago is a communication theorists. Communica­ primary cause, if not the primary one, Aristotle, writing 300 years before tion is of concern to a great many for communication failure. We fail to the birth of Christ, provided an expla­ people. So a lot of thought, work and recognize the importance of the audi­ nation of oral communication that is discussion has gone into different com­ ence at the end of the communication still worthy of attention . He called the munication situations. Man has been chain. study of communication "rhetoric" interested in communication since the We tend to be more concerned about and spoke of three elements within the time language was developed. Today, ourselves as the communications process. He provided us this insight: such people as psychologists, educa­ source, about our message, and even tors, medical doctors, sociologists, en­ Rhetoric falls into three divi­ the channel we are going to use. Too gineers , and journalists represent only a sions, determined by the three often, the listener, viewer, reader fails few of the professional groups whose classes of listeners to speeches. to get any consideration at all .