Chapter 1: Building Responsibility Section 1: What is Communication?

Which leaders have had a major impact on the world primarily through the use of communication skills? We need to better get in touch with each other and master the art of talk and meaningful communication. There is a difference between random, meaningless talk and responsible talk.

Chapter 1: Building Responsibility—ethics in communication Ethics- a person’s sense of right and wrong. Ethics + Responsibility=a good speaker

An ethical communicator Puts a high premium on using his or her words constructively and promoting what is right. Responsibility goes hand in hand with ethics, but what does it mean to be a responsible speaker? Examples?Non-examples?

The Communication Model the process of sending and receiving messages

Sender Is the one who transmits the message, that which is sent or said

Receiver Person who intercepts the message and then decodes or intercepts Person who intercepts the message and then decodes or intercepts

Feedback Includes the reactions that the receiver gives to the message offered by the sender

Communication Barrier (also called noise) any obstacle that gets in the way of effective communication Attitudinal (“I don’t like what we’re talking about.”) Social (“This person is not one of my friends.”) Educational (“I’m far too smart to listen to this stuff.”) Cultural (“This person’s heritage isn’t like mine at all.”) Environmental (“I’m too hot in this room to even think!” Or “There is too much noise to concentrate!”)

To become a better communicator, Try to find a common field of experience. In other words, try to relate in some way to the speaker.

Advice for Sender: THINK before you speak (“What is the real message I want to send?”) ARTICULATE your words (“Am I enunciating each syllable, or am I slurring my words together?”) WATCH the receiver of your words to make sure that you are getting the correct nonverbal signals. (“She isn’t responding correctly. I had better say this a different way.”)

Advice to the Receiver ASK questions: make polite requests. (“Could the heat be a little lower, please? It is hampering my ability to concentrate.”) LEARN more about issues and people. They can both make you smarter. (Say to yourself, “I need to listen here. It’s good to hear an opinion or voice other than my own.”)

continued RELATE to the background and experiences of those speaking. They’re saying what they’re saying for a reason. It’s worth your time to listen and then to try to understand their world. (“I should try to understand what they’ve gone through and what message they’re trying to convey to me.”)