Chapter 1: An Overview of communication Lecture by: chris ross

Relational Communication All communication has an underlying relationship assumed What you say carries different meaning in part to the relationship between the parties.

What is Communication anyway? Communication => is the transactional use of symbols influenced, guided, and understood in the context of relationships. Message => is made up of words or symbols which are used to allow on idea or representation to stand for something else.

Communication involves symbols Symbol => is an arbitrary representation of something else. Can be a/an: object, idea, place, person or relationship for example. Signs => are consequences or indicates or something specific, which human beings cannot change by their arbitrary actions or labels

Communication involves symbols Being that signs are arbitrary and made up, they can all mean different things to any culture. Outsiders often need help learning the signs

Communication requires meaning Meaning => what a symbol represents is said to be its meanings. Meanings are not tied to only one symbol. They can be conveyed in many different ways with various symbols. Social construction => the way in which symbols take on meaning in a social context or society as they are used over time.

Meaning & Context A single symbol can have multiple meanings when used in various context Physical context – the actual location where the symbol is used. Relational context – the relationship shared by the people interacting Situational context – the situation taking place during the communication process

Meaning and the Medium Medium => the means through which a message is conveyed. This too will also impact the meanings of a message.

Communication is cultural Every culture is different than another. The way people talk, act, treat each other, etc. will always be different in each culture.

Communication is relational Review pages 13-14 for some great examples on how our relationships change the way we communicate with various people.

Communication Involves Frames Frames => are basic forms of knowledge that provide a definition of a scenario, either because both people agree on the nature of the situation or because the cultural assumptions built into the interaction and the previous relational context of talk give them the clue. Frames help to understand one’s role and expectations.

Communication is both presentational & representational Representation => normally describes facts or conveys information Presentation => also presents your particular version of facts or events Communication is never neutral. It always carries a view or perspective of those who send messages

Communication as action Meaning that sending a message to a receiver is an act of communication Action => occurs when someone leaves a message on your voice mail, post a message on your desk, or other ways.

Communication as interaction Counts something as communication only if there is an exchange of information between two or more persons.

Communication as Transaction Communication as Transaction => or the construction of shared meanings or understandings between two or more persons. Constitutive Approach to Communication => maintains that communication creates or brings into existence something that has not been there before.

Chapter Assignments Discussions (as a class we will discuss) What is communication and how does it work in your everyday life? How does communication create worlds of meaning?

Chapter Assignments Buddy/Group Work What is ‘good communication’ and what is ‘bad communication’? What do your friends think are the main characteristics of each and where do they believe such ideas come from in the first place? Ask you friends to talk about an occasion when they used strategic communication/presentation. How do they think the story might have been told differently by one of the other people involved in the interaction?

Chapter Assignments Written work In what ways do song lyrics, for example, not merely entertain us but present particular ways of living, attitudes and styles? Do media ads encourage us to be satisfied with what we already have, or do they present a need to acquire more? What assumptions appear to be built into other people’s speech concerning race, sex, age, power and justice? What assumptions about these things can you now discover in your own talk?