CHAPTER 6 THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

 ‘Communicate’ Comes Form Communicare (Latin) – To Share, To Make Common.  Based Upon This Root, Communication Should Be A Two- way Process, A Sharing Of Ideas.

SOURCE OF INFORMATION – ULTIMATELY THE HUMAN BRAIN THE MESSAGE ENCODER – INCLUDED FACTORS ARE  BODY LANGUAGE AND OTHER NONVERBAL SIGNS  UNDERSTANDING THE VERBIAGE  UNDERSTANDING OF MEANINGS BY SENDER  COMMON FEELINGS OF SENDER AND RECEIVER REGARDING WORD USAGE  EASE OF MESSAGE DECODING  NATURE OF CLUES IN THE MESSAGE  HOW THE ENCODER EXPRESSES THE MESSAGE  PARALLEL MESSAGES – THE CORRELATION OF WORDS AND NONVERBAL MEANINGS

 The Channel  The Message Decoder Distinguish between dictionary meaning and connotative meaning Do not make the decoding process too Difficult  The Message Receiver – Usually The Decoder

LIONBERGER’S PERSUASIVE STAGES (SEE CHART, PAGE 74)  AWARENESS -- THE INTRODUCTION OF A NEW IDEA  INTEREST – PERIOD WHERE THE INDIVIDUAL BECOMES INTERESTED ENOUGH TO SEEK ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  EVALUATION – DETERMINATION IF THE PRODUCT IS GOOD FOR HIM  TRIAL  ADOPTION – CONTINUED USE OF THE PRODUCT OR IDEA

SOME FACTORS IN EFFECTIVE OF PERSUASION ARE:  Confidence In The Source  People in leadership roles are effective  Seeing the sender as similar  Related expertise known to the receiver helps  Sleeper Effect -- Idea Becomes Effective After Source Is Forgotten

 Relationship Of Message To Personal Views  People tend toward communication with which they agree  When doubt is cast on their position people often disregard or distort views they do not agree with to make them fit their views.  People often hear or read what they expect to hear or read, as though the message reflected their own point of view  People remember that with which they agree and forget that which with they disagree  Information is received based on interest and previous conviction—the uninterested pay little or no attention  At the level of controversy, people tend to ignore information unless it agrees with their position  In an area where few opinions are held, communication can succeed, however where opinions are formed communication has only limited effect

 Benefit To Receiver – Messages Need To Appeal To The Receivers Self Interest – For A Message To Cause A Change, There Must Have Been A Predisposition To Change.  Group Influences – Even Messages Received Individually Are Subject To Group Influences And Values – If Received Within The Group, The Group Influence Is Even Greater  Presentation Of Issues – Must Decide Whether To Present One Side Or Two Sides (See The List Of Considerations Page 78)

 Fear-arousal Messages – Low To Moderate Levels Of Messages Designed To Arouse Fear Can Be Effective – Very Loud Fear Arousal Messages Tend To Bring Our Resistance In The Receiver  Repeating The Message Use A variety of media Use careful timing Repetition must have variation to be positive Repetition of a negative message causes an opposite effect

 Personality And Gender Variables People with low self-esteem are more easily swayed by weaker arguments People with high self-esteem are persuaded by complex well substantiated arguments Like other stereotypes, the though that women are more persuadable fails under scientific examination – (page 79 for more findings)

THE MASS MEDIA “It Would Be Impossible To Overstate The Effects Of The Media In Today’s World”  Large Groups Can Be Affected Without Contact Among The People  These Messages And The Response To Them Are Still Effected By The Group Associations Of The Receivers

 Some Outcomes Of Communication With Mass Media  It is possible to deliver messages to large groups in a relatively short period of time  It can effectively create awareness  It can reinforce, but is not very effective in changing feeling  Most people get ideas from more than one channel  Repeating a message only helps to gain acceptance if there is variation in the presentation  Limitations Of Mass Media Messages  There is a lack of feedback  Because of the volume of media exposure we receive, only those which are attractive in appearance and skillful in design are effective

 Words o Successful communication is tied to the use of words and other symbols o Never lose sight of the variations in the use of words – the context is as important as the word chosen o Knowing the predisposition of the receiver is a great help in communications o Use of a certain word can be either positive or negative to the receiver o The use of mass communication media requires the use of numeral wording unless it is directed at a particular audience, through a particular media “This Absurd Hypersensitivity Toward Areas Such As Gender Specificity Gets On My Nerves”

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS  It Is An Unfortunate Fact That Many School Boards And Schools Only Communicate In Times Of Crisis. It Is Usually Too Late By The Time A Crisis Occurs. On Going Communications Is Important, And Can Aid In Preventing Many Crises.