Chapter Outline Communication Defined m Communication Is a Process m Communication Is Symbolic Types of Communication a lntrapersonal Communication m Dyadic/Interpersonal Communication " Small Group Communication m Public Communication m Mass Communication Functions of Communication " Physical Needs " Identity Needs m Social Needs " Practical Needs Modeling Communication " A Linear Model "' A Transactional Model Communication Competence: What Makes an Effective Communicator? l1ll Communication Competence Defined m Characteristics of Competent Communicators Clarifying Misconceptions About Communication 10 Communication Does Not Always Require Complete Understanding " Communication Will Not Solve All Problems " Communication Isn't Always a Good Thing " Meanings Rest in People, Not Words ., Communication Is Not Simple ., More Communication Isn't Always Better Features m INVITATION TO INSIGHT The Many Meanings of Communication m UNDERSTANDING COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY Social Media Meet Communication Needs m UNDERSTANDING DIVERSITY Call Centers and Culture m ®WORK When More Communication Isn't Better: Declaring E-mail Bankruptcy COMMUNICATION DEFINED Invitation 'to Insight , '! ' ~ YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND: The_" _____ Many _ Meanings of Communication 1. The working definition and characteristics of communication. Few words have as many meanings as communication. The disciplines. People may study history or sociology, but they don't term can refer to everything from messages on T-shirts to 2. The types of communication covered in this book. "historicate" or "sociologize." Having only one word that refers to presidential speeches, from computer code to chimpanzee both the field of study and the activity that it examines leads to 3. The needs satisfied by communication. behavior. Communication has been the professional concern confusion. 4. The characteristics of linear and transactional communication models. of philosophers, scientists (social, biological, and physical), Humanity and Social Science Unlike most disciplines, poets, politicians, and entertainers, to name a few. Respond­ s. The characteristics of competent communication. communication straddles two very different academic domains. ing to this diversity, Brent Rubin asked, "How does being It has one foot firmly planted in the humanities, where it shares 6. Common misconceptions about communication. interested in communication differ from being interested in concerns with disciplines like English and philosophy. At the same life?" YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO: time, other scholars in the field take an approach like their col­ There are several reasons why the term communication has so leagues in the social sciences, such as psychology, sociology, and 1. Define communication and give specific examples of the various types of commu­ many different meanings. Understanding them will help explain anthropology. And to confuse matters even further, communica­ nication introduced in this chapter. how and why this word refers to a broad range of subjects. tion is sometimes associated with the peliorming arts, especially in the area of oral interpretation of literature. 2. Describe the key needs you attempt to satisfy in your life by communicating. Interdisciplinary Heritage Unlike most subjects, commu­ a. Use the criteria in this chapter to identify the degree to which communication (yours nication has captured the interest of scholars from a wide range Natural and Professional Communication This is a natu­ or others') in a specific situation is competent, and suggest ways of increasing the of fields. Ever since classical times, philosophers have studied ral activity that we all engage in unconsciously. At the same time, competence level. the meaning and significance of messages. In the twentieth cen­ there are professional communication experts ~hose specialized tury, social scientists joined the field: Psychologists examine the duties require training and skill. Careers such as marketing, pub­ 4. Identify how misconceptions about communication can create problems, and sug­ causes and effects of communication as it relates to individuals. lic relations, broadcasting, speechmaking, counseling, journalism, gest how a more accurate analysis of the situations you describe can lead to better Sociologists and anthropologists examine how communication and management all call for talent that goes far beyond what is outcomes. operates within and between societies and cultures. Political sci­ required for everyday speaking and listening. entists explore the ways communication influences governmental affairs. Engineers use their skill to devise methods of conveying Communication and Communications Even the name of the field is confusing. Traditionally, (with an "s") messages electronically. Zoologists focus on communication be­ communications has been used when referring to activities involving technology tween animals. With this kind of diversity, it's no surprise that com­ and the mass media. is typically used to describe munication is a broad and sometimes confusing term. Communication face-to-face and written messages, as well as the field as a whole. Field and Activity Sometimes the word communication re­ With the growth of Communication technology, the two terms are fers to a field of study (of nonverbal messages or effects of tele­ being used interchangeably more often. vised violence on children, for example). In other cases it denotes Communication Defined· Brent Rubin an activity that people' do. This confusion doesn't exist in most Communication and Human Behavior Because this is a book about communication, it makes sense to begin by defining that term. This isn't as simple as it might seem because people use the term in a variety of ways that are only vaguely related: ~ A dog scratches at the back door, signaling its desire to be let out of the house. that it obviously doesn't deal with animals. Neither is it about Holy Communion, the m Data flows from one computer database to another in a cascade of electronic bestowing of a material thing, or many of the other subjects mentioned in the Oxford impulses. English Dictionary's 1,200-word definition of communication. !il Strangers who live thousands of miles apart spot each other's postings on a social What, then, are we talking about when we use the term communication? AB networking website, and they become friends through conversations via e-mail, text the reading on this page shows, there is no single, universally accepted usage. Human communication messaging, and instant messaging. This isn't the place to explore the differences between these conceptions or is the process of creating Iii Locals approach a group of confused-looking people who seem to be from out of to defend one against the others. What we need is a working definition that meaning through town and ask if they can help. will help us in our study. symbolic interaction. m In her sermon, a religious leader encourages the congregation to get more involved As its title suggests, this is a book about understanding human commu­ in the community. nication-so we'll start by explaining what it means to study communication that is unique to members of our species. For our purposes we'll define human communication There is clearly some relationship among uses of the term such as these, but we need as the process of creating meaning through symbolic interaction. Examining this defini­ to narrow our focus before going on. A look at the table of contents of this book shows tion reveals some important characteristics of human communication. r ! Chapter 1 HUMAN COMMUNICATION: WHAT AND WHY TYPES OF COMMUNICATION Communication Is a Process Types of Communication CULTURAL IDIOM We often talk about communication as if it occurred in discrete, individual acts such Within the domain of human interaction, there are several types of communication. tune in: as one person's utterance or a conversation. In fact, communication is a continuous, Each occurs in a different context. Despite the features they aJl share1 each has its own focus on ongoing process. Consider, for example, a friend's compliment about your appearance. characteristics. Your interpretation of those words will depend on a long series of experiences stretch­ ing far back in time: How have others judged your appearance? I-I ow do you feel about Intrapersonal Communication your looks? How honest has your friend been in the past? How have you been feeling about one another recently? All this history will help shape your response to the friend's By definition, intrapersonal communication means 'r communicating with oneself. "1 remark In turn, the words you speak and the way you say them will shape You can tune in to one way that each of us communicates internally by listening to the way your friend behaves toward you and others-both in this situation the little voice that lives in your mind. Take a moment and listen to what it is saying. il ,, and in the future. Try it now, before reading on. Did you hear it? It may have been saying something I' This simple example shows that it's inaccurate to talk about "acts" of like "What little voice? I don't have any little voice!" This voice is the "sound" of your thinking. communication as if they occurred in isolation. To put it differently, com­ Intmication isn't a series of incidents pasted together like photographs in a We don't always think in verbal terms, but whether the process is apparent or not, scrapbook; instead, it is more like a motion picture in which the meaning the way we mentally process information influences our interaction with others. Even comes from the unfolding of an interrelated series of images. The fact that though intrapersonal communication doesn't include other people directly, it does af­ communication is a process is reflected in the transactional model intro­ fect almost every type of interaction. You can understand the role of intrapersonal com­ Source: ©The New Yorker Collection 1984 Warren munication by imagining your thoughts in each of the following situations. Miller from cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved. duced later in this chapter. m You are planning to approach a stranger whom you would like to get to know better.