Contexts of Communication

The context of communication is its environment. Context is particularly important in choosing the types of verbal and non-verbal communication we use every day. A doctor does not wear short pants and slippers at the clinic; this would be inappropriate. A lawyer may choose to speak in simple language to a client while using more complex language to a colleague. A hip-hop star covers himself in “bling” and speaks a version of English that is not standard when addressing his fans. All of these are examples of how communication context influences form of communication.

When deciding on which form of communication to use, always ask yourself these questions:

* Who am I communicating with?

* What is the attitude of my audience?

* Where is this communication act taking place?

Usually, communication contexts occur along a scale from formal to informal. Formal contexts require certain types of communication and communicative behaviours; informal contexts require others. A conversation between employer and employee, for example, is not the same as one between friends, even if the subject matter under discussion is the same.

Basically, a formal situation is one where behaviour is dictated by social norms and patterns, and an informal situation is one where there are no constraints on behaviour and communication.

Communication Settings

Intrapersonal

This means communicating within yourself. When you think, daydream and solve problems that is seen as intrapersonal communication. Hunger, pain and pleasure are said to be physical feedback mechanisms.

Interpersonal

This form of communication refers to the interactions of two or more people. All communication involving other people and oneself is seen as interpersonal. It is characterized by oneself being in direct contact with one other person or a few other people. Interviews, conversations and intimate communication are all examples of this type of communication.

Small Group

This form of communication is characterized by leadership, a somewhat equal sharing of ideas, peer pressure, roles and norms, and focus on a common goal, usually in face-to-face interaction. The small group is one of the most important communication settings. Examples of small groups include the family, interview teams, roommates, workgroups, legislative subcommittees and military and business groups.

Public Communication

This occurs where one person talks to several others and is the dominant focus of the communication in a public setting. It is characterized by having a speaker and an audience. Here, the speaker is the primary sender of messages, while others function primarily as receivers of those messages.  The number of the audience is not important here.

Mass Communication

This occurs where a message needs help to get from point A to point B – from its source/sender to its destination/receiver. Some form of mechanism is needed to connect the sender to the receivers.  These include print (newspapers or magazines), electrical (radio, television or video), or electronic (computer modems).  There is usually some delay in sending and receiving. There is also some delay in the feedback, if any, that the sender gets from the receiver.

Organizational Communication

This is a very specialized area that focuses on interpersonal, small-group, public and mass communication as they interact in a complex, multi-group setting. It is especially important to business, government, and educational institutions. It accounts for what happens to messages as they travel up, down and around a large collection of individuals.

Inter-cultural Communication

Otherwise known as cross-cultural communication, it describes what happens when the sender of a message is from a different cultural background than the intended receiver. It may be found in any other context of communication whenever one individual speaks to another individual from another country. It is important to take into consideration the differences in cultures in order to ensure successful cross-cultural communication.

Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication

There are TWO (2) major forms of communication – verbal and non-verbal communication.

I. Verbal Communication
This form of communication is characterized by the use of oral and written language. In this form of communication words are used to bring across a certain message. There are two main ways in which human beings communicate verbally, that is, through speech and writing. Reading, writing, speaking and listening are the four ways in which we use this verbal communication. Each of these is a skill, and effective use of each is necessary for communication to take place.

Your notes, for instance, are in a written format. However until it is read and interpreted by an audience/ receiver (you, the student) no communication has taken place. In addition to this, the entire process is incomplete unless some feedback, in the form of presentations/periodic tests/assignments, is provided.

For communication to take place, both writing and reading skills must be employed. Similarly, speech communication does not end with speaking. For communication to effectively take place, the receiver/audience must employ listening skills.

It is important, then, for us to be able to not only write and speak effectively, but also to read and listen effectively.


II. Non-Verbal Communication
This form of communication relies on elements other than speech and writing. Non-verbal communication is equal in importance to verbal communication. According to Leathers (1992), non-verbal communication is the use of interacting sets of visual, vocal, and invisible communications systems to convey and interpret meaning.
Non-verbal actions often tell a different story from the one we are telling with words. For example, if you are making an apology to someone for a wrong done with a smirk on your face, the person may not believe that you are serious and genuinely apologetic. Some major categories that fall under non-verbal communication are paralanguage/vocalic, Space/proxemics, objects/artifacts, posture & movement, time and the senses. These basic elements of non-verbal communication may be used to enhance communicative behaviours and can have a significant impact on your total message.

Vocalics/Paralanguage
The use of volume, tone, rate, pitch, and quality of voice to give dimension and meaning to words. This is also referred to as paralanguage as the voice ‘surrounds’ the words. For example you raise your pitch at the end of a sentence to indicate that you have completed a thought.

Proxemics
This is the use of space to communicate. For example if someone comes to sit next to you in the library when the whole table is empty it can communicate a range of things about relations/interests/personality types.

Artifacts
Artifacts are those items, such as jewelry, clothing or a vehicle that may communicate something about the type of person you are. If a male wears extremely tight pants or shaves his eyebrows, it may communicate something about him to others.

Movement
This includes posture, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact. Waving, smiling, gazing at someone, or slumping at your desk, are all instances of movement. Movement communicates messages.

Time/Chronemics
The way you use time, or chronemics, can communicate attitude or status. For instance, one may show/communicate respect by being early for an appointment or job interview. Conversely, lack of respect may be communicated by turning up half-an-hour late for a class.

Senses 
Finally, messages can be sent through the five senses – taste, touch, smell etcetera. 

The Communication Process & Elements of Communication

Communication as a Process
Human communication is interpersonal, it is purposive and it is a process.
Question: What do we mean by process?
Answer: By process we mean that steps have to be taken and in a set/particular order to achieve a desired result/goal. These are the important elements of the communication process:

1. SENDER/ENCODER
The sender also known as the encoder decides on the message to be sent, the best/most effective way that it can be sent. All of this is done bearing the receiver in mind. In a word, it is his/her job to conceptualize.
The sender may want to ask him/herself questions like: What words will I use? Do I need signs or pictures?

2. MEDIUM
The medium is the immediate form which a message takes. For example, a message may be communicated in the form of a letter, in the form of an email or face to face in the form of a speech.

3. CHANNEL
The channel is that which is responsible for the delivery of the chosen message form. For example post office, internet, radio.

4. RECEIVER
The receiver or the decoder is responsible for extracting/decoding meaning from the message. The receiver is also responsible for providing feedback to the sender. In a word, it is his/her job to INTERPRET.

5. FEEDBACK
This is important as it determines whether or not the decoder grasped the intended meaning and whether communication was successful.

6. CONTEXT
Communication does not take place in a vacuum. The context of any communication act is the environment surrounding it. This includes, among other things, place, time, event, and attitudes of sender and receiver.

7. NOISE (also called interference)
This is any factor that inhibits the conveyance of a message. That is, anything that gets in the way of the message being accurately received, interpreted and responded to. Noise may be internal or external. A student worrying about an incomplete assignment may not be attentive in class (internal noise) or the sounds of heavy rain on a galvanized roof may inhibit the reading of a storybook to second graders (external noise).
The communication process is dynamic, continuous, irreversible, and contextual. It is not possible to participate in any element of the process without acknowledging the existence and functioning of the other elements.

Note Taking Basics

1. Prepare for Class

“Studies on memory have shown that, without review, 47% of what a person has just learned is forgotten in the first twenty minutes and 62% is forgotten after the first day. Therefore, having good  notes to review can determine how well you are able to perform on exams.

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• You need to have all the materials necessary for taking notes, i.e pens, pencils, highlighters, notebook, publishing software on a pc etc. Instructor's often make comments like, "This is an important concept." Or, "Make sure you understand this." These are direct clues that this will more than likely be on an exam. Highlighting these notes will help remind you later that this is definitely something you need to know.
• You may want to consider using a three-ring binder instead of a spiral or bound book. Pages can be easily removed for reviewing. Handouts can be inserted into your notes for cross-referencing. You can insert your own out-of-class notes in the correct order.
• You must read assigned material and previous class notes before class. Make notations about material or concepts you don't understand. Look up vocabulary words that are unfamiliar to you. You will have a better understanding about what the instructor is lecturing about and that will allow you to better decipher the more important points of the lecture.

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2.  Sharpen your listening skills.

"Learn how to listen and you will prosper even from those who talk badly." 
--- Plutarch (A.D. 46 - 120). Greek biographer and philosopher
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• Start by entering the classroom with a positive attitude. Going to class thinking, "This is the last place I want to be today" only sets the stage for internal noise. Approaching lectures with a positive attitude allows one to be open-minded and enables you to get the most out of the information presented.
• Make a conscious effort to pay attention. Concentrate on concentrating. "Without concentration there is no focus, and without focus there is no learning”.
• Adapt to whatever direction a lesson/lecture takes. When a lesson/lecture takes an unexpected detour, say a student asks a question you aren't particularly interested in, students have a tendency to "zone out." However the lesson/lecture may get back on track five minutes later and you would have missed crucial information that should have been noted.

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3. Develop a note taking strategy  that works for you.

"Learn, compare, collect the facts." 
--- Ivan Petrovic Pavlov (1849 - 1936), Russian physiologist.

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In order to increase your note taking speed and comprehension, fine-tune the structure and organization of your notes later.

• Start each new lesson/lecture on a new page, and date and number each page. The sequence of material is important.
• Write on one side of the paper only. You can set them out side-by-side for easier reviewing when studying for an exam.
• Leave blank spaces. This allows you to add comments or note questions later.
• Make your notes as brief as possible. "Never use a sentence when you can use a phrase, or a phrase when you can use a word" (Berkeley). For example, The food of the tainos, the caribs, the Axtecs, the Incas and the Mayas, we may say the food of the Amerindians.
• Develop a system of abbreviations and symbols you can use wherever possible. And=&, the=t ,
• Note all unfamiliar vocabulary or concepts you don't understand. This reminds you to look them up later.
• For examples of popular notetaking formats, see Notetaking Systems at http://www.sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/notetaking.systems.html

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4. Play close attention to content.

"There is a great difference between knowing a thing and understanding it." 
--- Charles Kettering (1876 - 1958), American electrical engineer and inventor

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Knowing what and how much to write down is sometimes difficult. Rely on some of the following tips for what to include in your notes.

• Details, facts, or explanations that expand or explain the main points that are mentioned. Don't forget examples.
• Definitions, word for word.
• Enumerations or lists of things that are discussed. 
• Material written on the chalkboard or on a transparency, including drawings or charts. 
• Information that is repeated or spelled out. (University of Texas at Austin)

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5. Review and edit your notes.

"Ideas won't keep; something must be done about them." 
--- Alfred North Whitehead (1861 - 1947), English mathematician and philosopher.
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Academic skills centres and other authorities on effective study skills consider reviewing and editing class notes to be the most important part of note taking and essential to increasing learning capacity.

• It is extremely important to review your notes within 24 hours. 
• Edit for words and phrases that are illegible or don't make sense. Write out abbreviated words that might be unclear later.
• Edit with a different colored pen to distinguish between what you wrote in class and what you filled in later. 
• Fill in key words and questions in the left-hand column. 
• Note anything you don't understand by underlining or highlighting to remind you to ask the instructor.
• Compare your notes with the textbook reading and fill in important details in the blank spaces you left.
• Consider rewriting or typing up your notes. 

Published elsewhere: http://cape-commstudies.blogspot.ca/2010_10_01_archive.html

START HERE==>Welcome

Welcome to the rewarding world of Communication Studies. Some of you may be interested in pursuing a career in Communications while some of you may be considering Culinary Arts, Graphic Design, Software Engineering, Business, Education etc. Whatever the case may be, you all have one thing in common and that is - mastering Communication Studies for career success and advancement! 

This blog is one channel that we will be using to achieve this goal. The content will explore some of the essentials of business communications. So be sure to ask a lot of questions, practice writing and most importantly challenge yourself to read daily!