Purposive Communication

I. Nature of Communication

A. Definition

 Purposive Communication is about writing, speaking and presenting to different audiences and
for various purposes.
 Communication Process involves steps as how to convey messages. It involves two parties that
may be an individual or a group of people that each has a purpose of sending and receiving the
messages.
 Communication comes from Latin word “communis” which means common or shared.

To be common means to come together or to commune – to share something in common.

o It is the process of making connection with people through verbal or non-verbal approach.
o It is the dual or two-way process of transmitting message from one person to another.
o It is the symbolic interaction between two or more people that influences each other’s behavior.
o It transmits a message in an understandable manner.

B. Why Study?

o To understand ourselves as social beings.

o To understand ourselves as a person
o To gain professional competence
o To preserve cultural values.

II. Elements of Communication Process

 Communication (sender and receiver) is the one who transfers message or information to the
receiver who accepts.
 Message is made up of ideas, feeling that a sender receives, wants to share with others.
 Channels – are means through which we transmit the message in other vocal or non-vocal
messages (verbal or spoken)
 Feedback decoders or receivers are expected to respond on how they have understood the
information sent either through verbal or non-verbal communication.
 Noise interference that bars the messages from being understood or interpreted.
o External noise comes from physical environment
o Internal noise it happens when something is bothering you
 Context situation or setting in which communication takes place.
o Physical refers to the setting itself which includes location, time, weathers,
o Temporal what people expect from a given situation based on experiences.
III. Models of Communication

 Communication Models explain the framework on how communication takes places.

o Laswell’s Model
Who was Harold Laswell? Harold Dwight Lasswell (1902 – 1978). American Political Scientist and a
Communication Theorist. And developed linear Model of Communication (1948)

5 Components of Laswell’s Model of Communication

 Who (communicator)
Component: communicator (the sender)
Analysis: control analysis

 What (message)
What was said?
Message – this is the content of the message or the message that the sender spreads.
In this communication component “what” refers to “Content Analysis”
Example:
What – Radioactive material flowing into sea.

 Which Channel (Medium)

Component: the channel describes the medium or media that is/are used to convey and spread
the message. The medium can consist of several communication tools, mass media and social
media.
Examples: Television, Radio, Newspaper & etc. – as a “medium”

 To Whom (Audience)
Component: This describes the receiver(s), such as target group or an individual. With mass
communication, there’s an audience.

 Which Effect (Effects)

Component: Effects
It is the understanding of the receiver to the message of the sender
Analysis: Effects Analysis

Advantages

 Easy to use
 Designed for mass communication

Disadvantages

 Does not account for feedback

 Does not account for noise
 o Osgood and Schramm
1) Communication is not linear, but circular;
2) Communication is reciprocal and equal;
3) Messages are based on interpretation;
4) Communication involves encoding, decoding and interpreting.

Components of Osgood-Schramm Model of Communication

1. Sender – this is the person who encodes (converts) and sends the message.
2. Messages – this is the content being share between the parties.
3. Receiver – this is the person who decodes (interprets) the message
4. Semantic Barrier – the background, belief, experiences, and values that influence how the
sender conveys a message and how the receiver interprets it.

o Barlaund’s Transaction Model

Barnlund’s Transactional Model

 Proposed by Dean Barnlund In 1970

 Layers of Feedback consists of both verbal and non-verbal cues.
 Present a multi-layered feedback system for al parties involve, and states that anyone can be
sender and receiver at the same time.
 Most systematic of the functional models.

Components of the Barlund’s Transactional Model

 Private Cues (CPR) are also known as private objects of orientation which includes senses of a
person.
 Behavioral Cues can be verbal as well as non-verbal
o Speech act refers to particular instances of communication in the model
 Filters are the realities of people engaged in communication
 Noise is the problem that arises in communication flow and disturbs the message flow.

Advantage

 The model shows shared field experience of the sender and receiver
 Transactional model talks about simultaneous message sending; noise and feedback.
 Barnlund’s model is taken by critics as the most systematic model of communication

Disadvantages

 This model cannot deal with multiple levels of communication and complex communication
processes.
 There can only be two sources communicating, many sources complicate the process and the
model cannot be implemented.
 Message sent and received might be interpreted differently that intended.
 o Aristotle Linear Model

Ethos is the characteristic which makes you credible in front of the audience. If there is no credibility,
the audience will not believe in you and will not be persuaded by you. Expertise and positions also give
credibility to a person.

Pathos if what you say matters to them and they can connect with it, then they will be more interested
and they will think you are more credible. Emotional bonds will make the audience captivated and they
feel the speaker is one of their own people.

Logos is logic. People believe in you only if they understand what you are trying to say. People find logic
in everything. If there is no logic behind the speaker’s work or time, they do not want to get involved.
Everybody has a sense of reason. You must prefers facts to the audience for them to believe in you.

Criticisms

 There is no concept of feedback, it is one way from speaker to audience.

 There is no concept of communication failure like noise and barriers.
 This model can only be used I public speaking.

o Frank Dance’s Model

Frank E. X. Dance (born November 9, 1929, Brooklyn) is an French communication professor. In 1994-
1995, he was John Evans Professor at University of Denver. He graduated from Fordham University and
Northwestern University.

The Helical Model of Communication, or Dance’s Helix Model is a communication model in which
communication is explained by means of a helix. It shows that communication is increasingly complex
and accumulative. It also shows that all complex communication comes from simple origins.
 o Gatekeeper’s Model
What is GATEKEEPER’S MODEL?

Gatekeeping is a process by which information is filtered to the public by the media. According
to Pamela Shoemaker and Tim Vos, gatekeeping is the "process of culling and crafting countless bits of
information into the limited number of messages that reach people every day, and it is the center of the
media's role in modern public life. This process determines not only which information is selected, but
also what the content and nature of the messages, such as news, will be.“

And what is GATEKEEPER’S THEORY?

The gatekeeping theory of mass communication is a method which allows us to keep our sanity.
By consuming content that is most relevant to us each day, we can ignore the billions of additional data
points that are calling for our attention.

Gatekeeping theory is the nexus between two inarguable facts: events occur everywhere all of
the time and the news media cannot cover all of them. And so, when an event occurs, someone has to
decide whether and how to pass the information to another person, such as a friend, an official, or even
a journalist.

History

Gatekeeping as a news process was identified in the literature as early as 1922, though not yet
given a formal theoretical name. In his book 'The Immigrant Press', Park explains the process, "out of all
of the events that happen and are recorded every day by correspondents, reporters, and the news
agencies, the editor chooses certain items for publication which he regards as more important or more
interesting than others. The remainder he condemns to oblivion and the wastebasket. There is an huge
amount of news 'killed' every day

Interesting facts

Kurt Zadek Lewin (1890-1947), was born in German. He was a great Psychologist and pioneer in
Social Psychology. He developed the concept in the field of psychology called psychological “field” and
“life space” in order to understand the human behavior and its important consideration of total life
space. His studies are more based on to understand a person’s own world, physical, mental and social
through frequent conversation between his pre-memories, desire and his goals. And also his works help
to understand the relationship between attitudes and behavior in the group or individuals.

Kurt Lewin coins the word called “Gate keeping”. It’s nothing but to block unwanted or useless
things by using a gate. Here the person who make a decision is called “Gatekeeper”. At first it is widely
used in the field of psychology and later it occupies the field of communication. Now it’s one of the
essential theories in communication studies.
Concept

 The gatekeeper decides what information should move past them through the information gate
to the group or individuals beyond, and what information should not.
 The gatekeepers are the decision makers who control information flow to an entire social
system. Based on personal preference, professional experience, social influences or bias they
allow certain information to pass through the their audience.

o Shannon-Weaver’s Model

Introduction

In 1948 Shannon and Weaver joined together to write an article “A Mathematical Theory of
Communication” also called as “Shannon-Weaver model of communication”. this model is specially
designed to develop the effective communications between sender and receiver. It is best known for its
ability to explain how messages can be mixed up and misinterpreted in the process between sending
and receiving the message.

As Shannon explained is his article:

“the fundamental problem of communication is that of reproducing a message sent from one
point, either exactly or approximately, to another point”

The model deals with various concepts like sender, encoder, channel, decoder, receiver and noise.

Sender or information source – they are the person (or objects, or thing that any information source)
who has the information to begin with.

Encoder – the encoder is the machine (or person) that converts the idea into signals that can be sent
from the sender to receiver.
Channel is the infrastructure that gets information from the sender and transmitter through the decoder
and receiver.

Noise interrupts a message while it’s on the way from the sender to the receiver. It’s named after the
idea that noise could interrupt our understanding of a message.

Decoder is the exact opposite of encoding, Shannon and Weaver made this model in reference to
communication that happens through devices like telephones.

Receiver is the endpoint of the original Shannon-Weaver’s model of the technical communication
process.

Feedback occurs when the receiver of the message responds to the sender in order to close the
communication loop.

IV. Levels of Communication

 Intrapersonal refers to the manners of communicating with oneself.

 Interpersonal is a dyadic form where communication takes place between two persons.
 Small Group size ranges from three to twenty people
 Public Communication is a way to share a program, ideas or propaganda to the public
 Mass Communication covers a large number of people through the use of mass media such as
radio, television, newspaper, magazine, billboards and social media.

V. Principles of Communication

 The message directed is not certainly the message received

 Non-communication is impossible
 Message have content and feeling
 Non-verbal cues are realistic than verbal cues

VI. Communication Ethics

Ethics – is from Greek word “ethos” which means character.

Through ethical communication, people can appreciate the importance and dignity of human beings by
establishing truth, sense of being responsible, fair, and having integrity.

Ethical Communication Principles

The National Communication Association has presented the following principles of ethical
communication:

 Truthfulness, accuracy, and reason as essential to the integrity of communication must be

advocated.
 Freedom of expression
 Respect and strive to understand other communicators before evaluating and responding to
their messages.
 Access to communication resources and opportunities.
  As well as the promotion for communication climates and caring and mutual understanding that
respect the unique needs and character of individual communications.
 Communication that degrades individual and humanity through distortion, intimidation,
coercion, and violence and through the expression of intolerance and hatred be condemned.
 People need to be committed to the courageous expression of personal convictions in pursuit of
fairness and justice.
 Advocacy is sharing information, opinions, and feelings when facing significant choice while also
respecting privacy and confidentiality should be implemented.
 And we should accept responsibility for the short and long term consequences for our own
communication and expect the same of others because this can lead to a healthy and lasting
relationship.

VERBAL, Non-Verbal and Written Communication

Refers to spoken word or the ability to deliver messages orally. It is from the Latin word
“verbum” which refers to a word. This is a face interaction or can be a mediated form of communication
as in the case of video conferencing or teleconferencing.

 Formal verbal communication – an approved way to share information following a set of rules,
procedures, or standards.
 Informal verbal communication – it is usually in a form of casual talk and is established for face
to face discussion such as family gatherings, friendly talks and bonding.

Type of Verbal Communication

 Face to face
 Telephone Conversation
 Video Chat
 Lecture Type
 Announcements
 Voice Mail

Non-verbal Communication

Cue such as the use of gestures, facial expressions, body language, tone of the voice, and eye
contact.

Importance of Non-verbal Communication

 Reinforces the word that you say through your gestures

 Reveals you true feeling through your facial expressions
 Through eye contact, it shows one’s sincerity
 Through tone of the voice, one’s emotion is revealed
 Symbols and signs, you understand direction to take and give meanings on what to do or
understand.

Type of non-verbal communication

 Facial Expression
  Eye Contact
 Posture and body movements
 Non-linguistic elements
o Haptics – touch
o Proxemics – space
o Chronemics – time
o Kinesics – body
o Olfactic – smell
o Artefactual – objects
o Physical appearance
o Paralanguage – tone of the voice
o Artifacts – forms of accessories

Written Communication

It is any form of engagement that uses words in written form which includes memos, proposal
emails, training manuals, etc.

Advantages:

 Policies and rules of any organization are written

 Records are kept written for immediate or future reference
 Written communication is clear and exact
 It can improve and promote company’s image
 Companies require written communication in selecting applicants for their vacant position
 Researches are written to gain knowledge
 Books are ready references of students
 Written communication serves as proofs in an important transaction
 Valid records can serve as legal basis in court proceedings
 Written communication can be duplicated and easily disseminated

Disadvantages

 Takes time to get response

 Longer to compose
 More expensive
 Lot of people can have access
 Improper use of words in written form can lead to conflict or misunderstanding.

Informative

Communication serves with different purposes such as to inform, to express feelings, to imagine
to influence, and to meet social expectations. Each of these purposes is reflected in a form of
communication such as informative, purposive, and argumentative.
Informative Communication – generally focuses on talking about people, events, processes, places, or
things.

Main Objective – is to deliver information about a definite topic that the listener doesn’t know.

Type of Informative Communication:

 Descriptive Speech – informing an audience through description requires creating verbal

pictures for your listeners. If descriptions are vivid and well written they can actually invoke a
sensory response from your audiences.
 Demonstrative Speech – explanation on how to do something may be done through
demonstration. It may also use visual materials and examples to show the audience step by step
procedure of an activity.
 Explanatory Speech – explain, describe, and inform the audience about a given topic, it focuses
on the “how and why” rather than just a summary.
 Definition Speech – to educate the audience to be able to understand the main points of a topic
is the main goal. It can be done by explaining the meaning, concept, idea and point of view of a
specific subject.

Subjects of Informative Speeches.

 Objects – it delivers information about any non-human material things. Mechanical objects,
animals, plants, and fictional objects are all suitable topics of a study.
 People – it focuses on real or fictional characters who are living or dead. These speeches require
in depth biographical research that will help introduce a new person to the audience or share a
little-know/surprising information about a person we already know.
 Concepts – these are less concrete than speeches about objects or people, as it focuses on ideas
or concepts that may be abstract or complicated.
 Events- past occasions or ongoing occurrences are the emphasis of this topic. A particular day in
history, an annual observation or a once in a while occurring event can serve as motivating
topics.
 Procedures/Process – a step-by-step account of a procedure or natural occurrence is the main
subject of this topic. Speakers may demonstrate a series of activities that happens to complete a
procedure.
 Issues – speeches about issues provide objective and balanced information about a disputed
subject or a matter concerning the society.

Purposive Communication – is an interactive way of collaboration to people through writing, speaking,

and presenting.

Main Goal – is to build communicative competence, cultural and intercultural awareness and develop
improvement through multimodal tasks that deliver opportunities for effective communication to a
multicultural audience in a local or global context.

Main Learning Styles of Purposive Communication

 There are three main learning styles that help determine how people most effectively receive
and process information.

 Visual – visual learners respond well to the information shown through visual aids, repackage
information using texts, graphics, charts and other media because they concentrate best by
receiving new or difficult information in written or pictorial form.
 Auditory – auditory learners process information well when they hear it public speaking.
Auditory learners benefit from oral instruction, either from the teacher or themselves.
 Kinesthetic – learners are tactile they like to learn through movement or doing. They acquire
information fastest when participating in a science lab, drama presentation, skit, field trip,
dance, or other activity.

Argumentative Communication is considered a constructive communication trait in which two people

with different ideas, personalities, and beliefs have produced a disagreement due to a certain topic of
different opinions.

Type of Argumentative Communication

 Assertive Communication- the speaker is dominant and forceful. Typically, he/she uses
aggressiveness to accomplish personal objectives but creates positive feelings at the same time.
 Hostility Communication in which people uses verbal and non-verbal messages to show
irritability pessimism, anger and doubt is a form of hostility.
 Verbal Aggressiveness – a tendency to attack the ideas of others rather than their place in the
issues. Attacks on other individual’s positions are considered argumentative, while attacks on
another person’s self-concept are considered verbally aggressive.

Several types of attacks are verbally aggressive in communication

 Competence Attacks – in this type of attacks one area can lead that person to lower his/her skill
in that area which can in still upset, discomfort, and humiliation and deteriorate that person’s
longing to complete that task.
 Character Attack – a results in embarrassment, hurt, and psychological pain.
 Teasing and Ridicule Attacks – it is a more playful form of verbal aggression. It may be a result
of a person mocking the other or making fun of his/her weakness that may cause psychological
destruction that may be remembered even years later.
 Maledictions- wishing for a person’s ill being and providing next category of aggressive and
harmful behaviors.
 Threat – it suggests an intention to inflict physical or psychological pain, injury, or some other
harm or another.

Public Speaking is also called oratory is an act oration which is an act of carrying out a speech to a live
audience. This form of speech is purposely structured with three general purposes: to inform, to
persuade, and to entertain.

Impromptu Speech is pre-arranged with little or no preparation, yet more or less always with some
advance familiarity on the topic. When asked to speak on the “spur of the moment, is commonly
because the speaker is quite informed about the subject.
For example, if called on to speak in class; a learner might give a short impromptu speck about a subject
that was in the assigned readings.

Facts about delivering Impromptu Speech

Remember that the speakers are generally in control of the content they are presenting that is
why inclusion of topics that they want to talk about and personal examples from experience to support
the discussion can be added. Speak with conviction like you really meant it. Deliver the speech naturally
and be more conversational and spontaneous.

Ethics of the Speaker

1. Interactivity – rather than talking “at” the audience, it is better to be speaking directly “with” the
audience.
2. Eye contact – this s an important aspect of successful conveyance for audiences. They expect
you to look them in the eye, by this way the audience can see through if the speaker is sincere
and knowledgeable with the topic being delivered.
3. Voice – speaking naturally but loud enough to be heard by the listeners should be your initial
concern because if you are not clearly heard by the audience, you might lose their attention in
listening.
4. Gestures – this includes movement of the hands, face, or other part of the body.

Extemporaneous Speech is one of the most natural methods for delivering a prepared speech. You can
extemporaneous speech notes to achieve a more natural tone, flow, style with the audience.

Preparing Speech Notes

 Sentence Outline
 Topic Outline
 Phrase Outline
 Alphanumeric Outline
 Decimal Outline

Manuscript Speech – in this kind of speech you need to use the document provided to you without
adding your own thoughts or comments. You need to deliver it exactly as written. You are delivering
words which were prepared by someone else; they are the original author’s ideas and not your own that
you are presenting to the audience.

Advantages of Manuscript Speech

Speakers usually have time to prepare which will allow you to fully understand the meaning that
needs to convey to the audience. Once the speaker understands the meaning, then it is possible to
practice reading to create a conversational delivery by emphasizing important words, create vocal
phrases with the right words together, and vary the pace and emphasis to convey the meaning of the
original.
Disadvantages of Manuscript Speech

The obvious disadvantage is that the speakers are speaking for someone else; speakers are
delivering his or her thoughts and ideas and not your own. You do not have ownership of the ideas but
you may be judged since you are delivering the manuscript.