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CHAPTER 1
Understanding Human Communication, Ninth Edition
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Three important characteristics of communication:
It occurs between humans
It is a process
It is symbolic
Understanding Human Communication, Ninth Edition
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Types of communication:
Intrapersonal
Dyadic/interpersonal
Small group
Public
Mass
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Communication helps satisfy needs in our lives:
Physical needs
Identity news
Social needs
Practical needs
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Physical needs (lack strong relationships, 2-3 x the risk of early death)
Identity needs (who we are)
Social needs (communicate pleasure, help others, inclusion, escape, relaxation, control)
Practical needs (what we want done)
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Communication skills: #1 characteristic employers want
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Models of communication help us understand what is involved in this process:
The linear model is familiar, but overly simplistic (next)
The transactional model better describes how people communicate (relational)
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Transactional model:
Simultaneous sending and receiving
Fluid, not static
Relational, not individual
Both people are responsible
for the relationship
No one ideal way to
communicate!
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9. 1. Again, why add the fig. here, when this info
1. Again, why add the fig. here, when this info. is not given for other chaps. Should this be made consistent throughout?
Figure 1-2 Transactional Communication Model

10. 1. Why include a table here
1. Why include a table here? Other chapters have tables but these are not included on the Web site. Can this be made consistent throughout?

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Communication competence is a measure of a person’s effectiveness.
Understanding Human Communication, Ninth Edition
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Competence is situational. (I could have handled this better because…)
Competence is relational.
Competence skills can be
learned.
Choose the most appropriate behavior.
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WIDE RANGE OF BEHAVIORS
Say nothing.
Ask a 3rd party to express your feelings
Hint at your feelings
Joke about the issue
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WIDE RANGE OF BEHAVIORS
Express your discomfort in a straightforward way
Demand action
How would you handle someone you know who repeatedly tells jokes you find offensive?
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Empathy: Understanding the other person’s point of view
Cognitive Complexity: Ability to construct frameworks for viewing an issue.
Self-Monitoring: Pay close attention to your behavior
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Communication doesn’t always require complete understanding:
How’s it going? Musicians in a jam session
Communication isn’t always a
good thing
Value comes from how it is
used
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No single person or event causes another’s reaction
Nothing happens in a vacuum (even outbursts)
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Communication won’t solve all problems
It takes much more
Meanings rest in people, not words
“He’s loaded”
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Communication isn’t as simple as it often seems
We get better by learning and using the tools
More communication isn’t always better
Talk a problem to death, go beyond the sale
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What traits do good communicators have?
A wide range of behaviors, not just a few
The ability to choose the most appropriate behavior
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Skill at performing behaviors
Empathy/perspective taking
Cognitive complexity
Self-monitoring ability
Commitment to the relationship
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Write down five to ten ways you would like to communicate more effectively?
Boss
Parties
Loved one
Most effective communication channel to ask for help from an instructor?
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ID a situation in which you are dissatisfied with your present communication skill.
ID 3 potentially successful approaches you might use that are different than what you have tried in the past.
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Typical Exam
Questions and answers
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Which of the following is an example of intrapersonal communication?
a. any communication which is not face-to-face
b. a dyad sharing high levels of self-disclosure
c. your conscience
d. watching a videotaped speech
c. your conscience
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One characteristic of human communication is that it is symbolic. In this symbolic communication meanings are located in:
a. people
b. words
c. objects
d. events
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Evidence indicates marriage, friendship, and religious and community ties all increase longevity. Researchers think this is true because:
a. People in these settings experience no stress.
b. People in these settings have better developed senses of humor.
c. These relationships help prevent social isolation.
d. People in these settings have higher IQs.
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Evidence indicates marriage, friendship, and religious and community ties all increase longevity. Researchers think this is true because:
c. These relationships help prevent social isolation.
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The encoding process is best described by which of the following descriptions?
a. organizing thoughts into ideas
b. receiver acknowledgment that a message has been received
c. formulating ideas or feelings into symbols
d. identifying feelings and emotions
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As we interact with others, we satisfy our identity needs. As we do this, we:
a. are influenced by the reactions of others to us
b. seek out the company of others who confirm the identity we already hold
c. create messages to get others to see us the way we want to be seen
d. all the above
d. all the above
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When your teacher pauses during a lecture because he or she notices several frowning faces, the teacher is illustrating that:
a. Communication is irreversible.
b. Communicators are simultaneously senders and receivers.
c. Communication is a process.
d. Communication is not always a good thing.
b. Communicators are simultaneously senders and receivers.
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When we are searching for words to express an idea, we are involved in the process of:
a. transmitting
b. encoding
c. assigning meaning
d. decoding
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Feedback is defined by your text as:
a. a discernible response
b. a mental response
c. any response
d. a verbal response
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John is trying to listen to a speech but his headache interferes. He's experiencing:
a. external noise
b. a distraction not classified as noise
c. psychological noise
d. physiological noise
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The type of communication most often characterized by an unequal distribution of speaking time is:
a. public
b. dyadic
c. intrapersonal
d. small group
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According to your text, in most cases successful communication occurs when:
a. everyone is satisfied
b. the speaker is satisfied
c. the listener is satisfied
d. one person has more sophisticated communication skills
a. everyone is satisfied
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Perspective taking is associated with:
a. channels
b. physiological noise
c. empathy
d. psychological noise
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Interpersonal communication, dyadic communication, small group communication, and public communication all occur in different contexts.
a. True
b. False
True---The number of participants frames a different context for each.
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A receiver's act of assigning meaning to a symbol is called encoding.
a. True
b. False
False---This refers to decoding.
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Communication helps satisfy most of our human needs.
a. True
b. False
True
The text says this directly and describes the needs as physical, social, ego, and practical.
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Noise can be internal and/or external.
a. True
b. False
True
External noise is physical noise. Internal noise is what the text calls psychological noise.
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Your text claims that skillful communication can solve most of the world's problems.
a. True
b. False
False
Clear and accurate communication can help solve some problems but it can also identify irresolvable differences.
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Skilled communicators can quickly pick out which party is to blame when communication fails.
a. True
b. False
False
Skilled communicators see assigning blame is fruitless and counterproductive.
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Meanings rest in people, not in words.
a. True
b. False
True
Communication is symbolic and the words we use to communicate are arbitrary and personal.
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Symbols can be either verbal or nonverbal.
a. True
b. False
True
Both can be given symbolic meaning.
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