CRITICAL THINKING

COURSE CODE OCC INNOVATIVE

THINKING
EMPATHY
COURSE TITLE Oral Communication in Context RESILIENCE
TEAMWORK
COMMUNICATION

SEMESTER 1st SCHOOL YEAR 2020-21

PERIOD WEEK 5: Sept. 21- Sept 25, 2020 MODULE NO. 5

INTRODUCTION 2
Hi! We are finally done with Unit 1. If you remember, our last topic was all about Intercultural Communication.
I will be assigning you a case analysis. ☺ I will place the case analysis towards the end of the module. The
previous topic in communication and the topic that we will be tackling this week will be used in analyzing the
case. ☺
In this module, you will be learning the several functions of communication, communication barriers and the
features of an effective communication. In this trying times, these topics are so relevant especially for us who
belongs to the academe. Our mode of instruction is quite different from what we are used to – the face-to-
face setting .
Our communication with each other has been and will be challenged by the current setting that we are in to
in education. Our communication skills, too, are challenged. With the existing situation, especially among you
who are not allowed to go out from your homes, you are somehow deprived to converse or literally talk to
somebody outside the comforts of your home. It really feels so different when you speak to your classmates,
right?, than just talk to them through chat. With all of these, let us learn how to compromise with this situation
through learning what is best for us to do to be able to adjust.

Intended Learning Outcomes (Learning Competencies)

Intended Learning Outcomes 1. Discuss functions of communication.
Intended Learning Outcomes 2. Explain why there is a communication breakdown
Intended Learning Outcomes 3. Develop appreciation for different cultural perspectives.
Intended Learning Outcomes 4. Communicate sensitively, taking into consideration a listener’s gender,
religion, beliefs, and traditions.
 TOPIC 1: Functions of Communication

1. Regulation/Control- functions to control one’s behavior

Doctors’ Prescription
“Take your medicine 3 times a day.”
Parents’ Instruction to their child
“Wash the dishes now, or else I won’t allow you to go to the party later.”
Friends giving advice on what to do
“Move on. He doesn’t love you anymore”
2. Social Interaction- used to produce social relationships; used to develop bonds, intimacy,
relations,; used to express preferences, desires, needs, wants, decisions, goals, and strengths; used
for giving and getting information or encouragement or invitation.
“You can do it.”
“Will you marry me?”
“Would you like some coffee, tea, or me?”
3. Motivation- functions to motivate or to encourage people to live better.
4. Information Dissemination- functions to convey information. Giving information…
“Did you know that there’s a secret apartment at the top of the Eiffel tower?”
5. Emotional Expression- facilitates people’s expression of their feelings and emotions.
Appreciation
“I’m so glad that you came into my life.”
“I like you so much!
“Are you false teeth? It’s because I can’t smile without you.”
Expressing one’s ambition
“I want to finish up my studies with good grades to be accepted in a good university.”
Expressing a need
“I need you in my life.”
Expressing prayers
“We pray for those who suffered a broken heart from their crush.”
 TOPIC 2: Features of Effective Communication
In their pioneer book Effective Public Relations, Professors Broom, Cutlip, and Center (2012)
list the 7 Cs of Effective Communication. This list is widely used today, especially in public relations
and advertising.
1. Completeness
Complete communication is essential to the quality of the communication process in
general. Hence, communication should include everything that the receiver needs to hear for him/
her to respond, react, or evaluate properly.
2. Conciseness
Conciseness does not mean keeping the message short, but making it direct or straight to
the point. Insignificant or redundant information should be eliminated from the communication
that will be sent to the recipient.
3. Consideration
To be effective, the speaker should always consider relevant information about his/her
receiver such as mood, background, race, preference, education, status, and needs, among others.
By doing so, he/she can easily build rapport with the audience.
4. Concreteness
Effective communication happens when the message is concrete and supported by facts,
figures, and real-life examples and situations. In this case, the receiver is more connected to the
message conveyed.
5. Courtesy
The speaker shows courtesy in communication by respecting the culture, values, and
beliefs of his/her receivers. Being courteous at all times creates a positive impact on the audience.
6. Clearness
Clearness in communication implies the use of simple and specific words to express ideas.
It is also achieved when the speaker focuses only on a single objective in his/her speech so as not
to confuse the audience.
7. Correctness
Correctness in grammar eliminates negative impact on the audience and increases the
credibility and effectiveness of the message.
 TOPIC 3: Barriers to Communication
The process of communication has multiple barriers. The intended communique will often be disturbed and
distorted leading to a condition of misunderstanding and failure of communication. The Barriers to effective
communication could be of many types like linguistic, psychological, emotional, physical, and cultural etc. We will
see all of these types in detail below.

1. Linguistic Barriers

The language barrier is one of the main barriers that limit effective communication. Language is the most
commonly employed tool of communication. The fact that each major region has its own language is one of
the Barriers to effective communication. Sometimes even a thick dialect may render the communication
ineffective. As per some estimates, the dialects of every two regions changes within a few kilometers. Even in the
same workplace, different employees will have different linguistic skills. As a result, the communication
channels that span across the organization would be affected by this. Thus keeping this barrier in mind, different
considerations have to be made for different employees. Some of them are very proficient in a certain language
and others will be ok with these languages.

2. Psychological Barriers

There are various mental and psychological issues that may be barriers to effective communication. Some people
have stage fear, speech disorders, phobia, depression etc. All of these conditions are very difficult to manage
sometimes and will most certainly limit the ease of communication.

3. Emotional Barriers

The emotional IQ of a person determines the ease and comfort with which they can communicate. A person who
is emotionally mature will be able to communicate effectively. On the other hand, people who let their emotions
take over will face certain difficulties. A perfect mixture of emotions and facts is necessary for effective
communication. Emotions like anger, frustration, humour, can blur the decision-making capacities of a person and
thus limit the effectiveness of their communication.

4. Physical Barriers to Communication

They are the most obvious barriers to effective communication. These barriers are mostly easily removable in
principle at least. They include barriers like noise, closed doors, faulty equipment used for communication, closed
cabins, etc. Sometimes, in a large office, the physical separation between various employees combined with faulty
equipment may result in severe barriers to effective communication.

5. Cultural Barriers of Communication

As the world is getting more and more globalized, any large office may have people from several parts of the
world. Different cultures have a different meaning for several basic values of society. Dressing, Religions or lack of
them, food, drinks, pets, and the general behaviour will change drastically from one culture to another. Hence it
is a must that we must take these different cultures into account while communication. This is what we call being
culturally appropriate. In many multinational companies, special courses are offered at the orientation stages that
let people know about other cultures and how to be courteous and tolerant of others.

6. Organizational Structure Barriers

As we saw there are many methods of communication at an organizational level. Each of these methods has its
own problems and constraints that may become barriers to effective communication. Most of these barriers arise
because of misinformation or lack of appropriate transparency available to the employees.

7. Attitude Barriers

Certain people like to be left alone. They are the introverts or just people who are not very social. Others like to
be social or sometimes extra clingy! Both these cases could become a barrier to communication. Some people
have attitude issues, like huge ego and inconsiderate behaviours.
 Activity 2: CASE ANALYSIS

Work with your groupmates. Please refer to our previous groupings in the previous activity where you are
grouped posted in our Facebook page. Take time to read the article on the Starbucks logo. Afterwards put
yourselves in the shoes of the company and discuss your answer to this question: What should you do if the
host culture’s (i.e., the dominant culture in a certain area) values clash with your company’s values? Key
terms from all our covered topics must be evident in the case analysis.
PDF | 1000-1500 words | Arial | Size 10 | 1.5 Spacing | Justify | Indicate names of the members
Submit thru FB Page not later than Sept. 25, 2020 (Friday)

Starbucks logo change aids Asian expansion: China, India, Taiwan, Singapore.
Jenny Lee | Jan 07, 2011

Starbucks new logo may be a smart marketing move as the company expands into Asian markets, says
a researcher who has studied consumers, logos and brand commitment. Starbucks has dropped its
name and the word “coffee” from its logo as it prepares to triple its locations in China from about 400
to 1,500.

When angular logos are changed to rounded logos, they become more acceptable in interdependent
and collectivist cultures such as India and China than in Western countries which tend to have a more
independent or individualistic culture, Rice University marketing professor Vikas Mittal said. Mittal
said that removing the band of lettering makes the Starbucks logo look more rounded.

Starbucks might have alienated some of its U.S. customers — some are even planning protests, for
goodness sakes — but the new logo will likely generate more loyalty from new customers in countries
such as China, India, Taiwan and Singapore.

“Research in aesthetics shows that interdependent cultures prefer rounded shapes as they represent
harmony, which is consistent with an interdependent view of the world,” Mittal said in a news release.
“Those countries tend to have a higher percentage of rounded logos compared with individualistic
countries, and logos and product shapes that are rounded are more acceptable and embraced in those
cultures.”

“The logo of a brand is much more than a pictorial representation of the brand,” Mittal said in an
EurekAlert news release. “For consumers who are highly committed to the brand, the logo represents
a visual conduit that enables a customer to identify with the brand. Our studies have shown that highly
committed consumers also have very high levels of brand attachment. As such, any changes to the
brand conduit — the logo — are seen as a violation of the psychological contract between the brand
and the consumer.”

In one of his studies, Mittal found that companies that changed their logo design were most likely to
alienate committed customers. Mittal and his co-authors on both studies, Michael Walsh of West
Virginia University and Karen Winterich of Penn State University, found that the higher a consumer’s
brand commitment, the more upset the consumer became with logo changes. A logo change brought
triple the negative thoughts from strongly committed consumers than less committed consumers.

“It is important for companies to refresh their logos, but the process of doing so must be carefully
managed,” Mittal said in the Rice University news release. “Our research shows that companies need
to carefully consult customers — whether through Internet sites or chat rooms — to ensure that
customers feel they have been heard in the redesign and repositioning process. That will ensure that
highly committed customers — who are also often the heaviest consumers of the brand — feel
connected to the brand.”

The first study, “Do Logo Redesigns Help or Hurt Your Brand? The Role of Brand Commitment,” was
published last year in the Journal of Product & Brand Management. “How Redesigning Angular
Logos to be Rounded Shapes Brands Attitudes: Consumer Brand Commitment and Self-construal,”
will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Consumer Marketing.
 REFERENCES
Ref. 1 Sipacio, Philippe John Fresnillo and Balgos, Anne Richie Garcia (2016). Oral Communication
in Context For Senior High School. C&E Publishing, Inc.
Ref. 2 https://oralcom.wordpress.com/2016/10/14/functions-of-communication/
Ref. 3 https://www.toppr.com/guides/business-correspondence-and-
reporting/communication/barriers-in-communication/
Ref. 4 https://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blogs/starbucks-logo-change-aids-asian-expansion-
china-india-taiwan-singapore