COMMUNICATION

SKILLS
(GEN 101)
BY: ABRAHAM L.
VANDERPUYE
 INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION
What is communication?
Sekyi-Baidoo (2003) “Communication is the process
of receiving and giving of information for the purpose
of enhancing one’s life and the life around him (her).”
 It is the deliberate process of transferring information
(message).
 It is the process of transmitting and receiving
information
Human existence depends a lot on communication
because when we communicate, it is either an attempt
to solve a problem or for the purposes of survival.
It is therefore indispensable and hence the reason to put
so much into it to communicate well.
Even animals are involved in communication in very
complex ways. E.g bees, ants, goats, sheeps, cows etc
 Cont’d
As a process, communication is a combination
of different activities, change in roles of the
speaker/listener, change in emotions of
communicators, as well as different effects
on the communicators (based on their
different experiences).
However, we must take notice that
communication is not only a process of
transferring and receiving information but
that it is also a system as well because, it
could involve a number of people, resources
and activities meant to harness the transfer
and reception of information in the most
possible and effective way instead of just
speaking and listening.
 FACTORS OF THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
These are factors which could have positive or
negative effects on communication.
Nature of participants in the communication
process E. g. educational background/subject area
etc
Place of communication
Goals of the interaction
Nature of the subject matter in focus
MEANS/MODES
Language/linguistic
Non-linguistic human sounds e.g claps,
exclamations, tears, laughter, stomach growls,
whistling etc
Bodily movements, touch, eye-movement, facial
expressions
Colours, physical symbols, signs (symbols) etc
 Components/Elements
Message/information
Source/ sender/encoder
Receiver/destination/target/decoder
Channel: nature of information transfer- i.e language,
medium (speech/writing), extra/non-linguistic
resources (diagrams, relia etc), manner of organisation,
means of transmission
The channel determines how the message is packed and
transmitted, how it would be received, how the
feedback would be packed and transmitted etc
These components must therefore be considered
seriously if we want to achieve effective
communication
It must be noted that communication goes beyond the
four (4) components of communication to include;
The process of obtaining information to be
communicated.
Reception/reaction/feedback/response
 Cont’d
KINDS OF COMMUNICATION
Intentional communication: intended
receiver and an intended message.
Human linguistic/verbal communication N.
B. Course focus
Unintentional communication:
interception of message, weather,
monologues, asides, soliloquies- no
intended receiver
END OF LECTURE ONE

THANK YOU
 ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
1. Source/Sender: this refers to the person(s) who
has/have information and intends to transfer or
relay to a target. The sender could therefore be a;
• Questioner in an interrogative situation
• An Answerer who communicates his/her
knowledge, thoughts, feelings, ideas etc
• A complainant/defendant in a legal/court situation
• Teacher, newscaster/broadcaster, public speaker
(e.g. pastor), performer (actor, poet or musician),
patient, a friend, an institution/organisation etc
Knowing who one is communicating with is important
to the sender bcos it helps in selection of the
message, channel and determines the type and
form of feedback to expect.
 Cont’d
2. Receiver: the hearer/listener/reader/writer etc.
Based on their backgrounds and status, they
determine the type of;
• Message
• Channel
• Formality/informality
• Politeness
• Intimacy/familiarity
• Feedback etc of the communication process
3. Information/message: it is what the sender
communicates to the receiver. It is the
objective of the speaker for initiating the
communication process. It includes the form in
which the subject is presented: selection,
arrangement, synthesis, coherence, illustration
and analysis.
 Cont’d
It includes the subject matter and how it is organised for
transmission. This organisation or arrangement gives
the subject form.
It is for this reason some people are called good
teachers, lecturers or speakers. They know how to
properly organise and transmit information for easy
understanding.
4. Getting information: this refers to how the information
is obtained before transmission. It is the first process
of communication. Other elements of communication
depend on it. It indicates the initiation of a
communication process.
• interpersonal activities: listening and reading
• intrapersonal activities: observation, concentration /
absorption, analysis, understanding, retention /
remembrance
 Cont’d
5. Channel: it refers to all that is involved in the
packaging and transmission of information for
reception. It has the ff. effects on the
communication process;
• it determines whether the information would be
understood or otherwise
• How the information would be received and
understood
• It affects the response and manner/type of
response by the receiver
How important is the channel?
It says/speaks a lot about the sender (us), his/her
intentions, seriousness, knowledge, expectations
and the regard or disregard of the receiver by the
sender.
E.g. Imagine sending a handwritten document to a
higher authority like the president, VC etc.
 Channel Elements
• Choice/type of language: (in)formal English,
pidgin etc
• Language rules and conventions: vocabulary
choice, grammar etc
• Mode: whether written or spoken
• Formality: the distance between the sender/
receiver determines it
• Genre rules/conventions of the communication
mode: e.g. Formal letters have rules etc
6. Feedback/Response: refers to all the forms of
behaviour the receiver makes as a result of the
message received. This response could be;
• Intended: i.e. the expected response by the source.
Cognitive/non-cognitive, observable/unobservable
(delayed and non-explicit realisation)
• Unintended: least expected response by receiver
 Cont’d
Effective communication is therefore geared towards
achieving intended feedback. I.e. the receiver should
understand the message as intended by the sender
and in turn, perform the expected response.
Communication cannot be said to be effective when
we fail to convey intended meaning because of
language usage, organisation of the information etc.
Feedback is therefore a means to evaluating the
communication process.
What is effective communication?
When we achieve the desired goals or purpose for
initiating communication (intended feedback). When
we communicate, we communicate ourselves in
terms of our knowledge, discipline, experience
expectations, our attitude towards the subject and
the receiver.
To achieve effective communication
• Show adequate knowledge of the subject
matter
• Observe interpersonal expectations e.g.
Formality, politeness etc
• conform to rules of language (grammar
and phonology) since language is the
primary channel in linguistic
communication
• conform to rules of the particular kind of
communication adopted e.g. Public
speech, formal letter writing etc
 TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
1. Intrapersonal: this happens within oneself and
doesn’t involve the transmission of information but
rather, the processing of information within oneself.
It takes place between getting information (listening/
reading) and reaction to feedback.
It is the mental activity responsible for external
communication
It includes the ff.
• Receiving data: reading, listening, concentration
and absorption
• Giving meaning or placing value on data received
• Internal reaction/organisation to external stimuli
before reaction e.g. Anger, happiness, taking
decision etc
 Cont’d
2. Interpersonal: the concrete act of transferring or
processing information between two or more people.
It includes the ff forms;
• Monolineal (one-way out): e.g. Giving information
(lectures, preaching), giving commands/directives,
writing letters etc
• Bilineal (give-and-take): e.g. Conversation (dialogues)
, question-and-answer, interviews/discussions, letter
and reply, prosecution and defence
• Multilineal (multi-directional): e.g. Meetings,
interviews, conversations, discussions etc
3. Public: it involves by far a greater number of people
as compared to interpersonal communication. It
tends to be more business oriented and very formal.
It usually involves th use of the mass media. E.g. Tv,
radio etc
END OF LECTURE TWO

THANK YOU