What is Communication?

- Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages through verbal or nonverbal
means, including speech, or oral communication; writing and graphical representations (such as
infographics, maps, and charts); and signs, signals, and behaviour. More simply, communication
is said to be "the creation and exchange of meaning.”
- a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of
symbols, signs, or behaviour. (Merriam Webster)
- The imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium.
The successful conveying or sharing of ideas and feelings. (Oxford English Dictionary)

The Process of Communication

1. Sender
- The sender or the communicator is the person who initiates the conversation and has
conceptualized the idea that he intends to convey it to others.
2. Encoding
- The sender begins with the encoding process wherein he uses certain words or
non-verbal methods such as symbols, signs, body gestures, etc. to translate the
information into a message. The sender’s knowledge, skills, perception, background,
competencies, etc. has a great impact on the success of the message.
 3. Message
- Once the encoding is finished, the sender gets the message that he intends to convey.
The message can be written, oral, symbolic or non-verbal such as body gestures, silence,
sighs, sounds, etc. or any other signal that triggers the response of a receiver.
4. Channel
- The sender chooses the medium through which he wants to convey his message to the
recipient. It must be selected carefully in order to make the message effective and
correctly interpreted by the recipient. The choice of medium depends on the
interpersonal relationships between the sender and the receiver and also on the urgency
of the message being sent. Oral, virtual, written, sound, gesture, etc. are some of the
commonly used communication mediums.
5. Receiver
- The receiver is the person for whom the message is intended or targeted. He tries to
comprehend it in the best possible manner such that the communication objective is
attained. The degree to which the receiver decodes the message depends on his
knowledge of the subject matter, experience, trust and relationship with the sender.
6. Decoding
- Here, the receiver interprets the sender’s message and tries to understand it in the best
possible manner. An effective communication occurs only if the receiver understands the
message in exactly the same way as it was intended by the sender.
7. Feedback
- The Feedback is the final step of the process that ensures the receiver has received the
message and interpreted it correctly as it was intended by the sender. It increases the
effectiveness of the communication as it permits the sender to know the efficacy of his
message. The response of the receiver can be verbal or non-verbal.

NOISE

1. Physical Noise
- Physical noise is interference that is external to both speaker and listener; it hampers the
physical transmission of the signal or message.
- Examples:
● loud party at the neighbors while you’re trying to record
● loud kids who don’t want to take their nap
● irritating hum of your computer, air conditioner, or heater.
2. Physiological Noise
- Physiological noise is created by barriers within the sender or receiver.
- Examples
● articulation problems
● mumbling
● talking too fast
● talking too slow
● forgetting to pause
● forgetting to breathe
 ●An example of physiological noise on the listener’s side: hearing problems.
Maybe the listener can’t hear high tones as clearly as they used to. For some,
low tones are the problem. Their difficulty in literally hearing words and
sounds becomes physiological noise.
3. Psychological Noise
- Psychological noise is mental interference in the speaker or listener.
- Examples:
● wandering thoughts
● preconceived ideas
● sarcasm.
4. Semantic Noise
- Semantic noise is interference created when the speaker and listener have different
meaning systems.
- Maybe when I use a word, you have a slightly different meaning in mind. This can cause
confusion.
- Jargon can be semantic noise.
- Jargon is a fantastic linguistic shortcut. If everyone listening agrees and understands the
terminology, then jargon makes communication quicker and clearer.
- However, if listeners have different definitions of the terminology, then jargon becomes
noise. This is especially noisy to people outside your particular job or field.

Categories of Communication

● Verbal Communication
- Verbal communication is the exchange of information that happens through words. The
term VERBAL refers to WORDS .
- Therefore, verbal communication can be divided into:
▪ oral communication

▪ written communication
● Non-Verbal Communication
- Nonverbal communication is the exchange of information through wordless cues.
- Nonverbal communication uses:
▪ gestures

▪ postures

▪ facial expressions

▪ eye contact

▪ physical proximity

▪ touching, etc.
The 7 C’s of Communication

1. Clear
- The message should be clear and easily understandable to the recipient. The purpose of
the communication should be clear to sender then only the receiver will be sure about
it. The message should emphasize on a single goal at a time and shall not cover several
ideas in a single sentence.
2. Correct
- The message should be correct, i.e. a correct language should be used, and the sender
must ensure that there is no grammatical and spelling mistakes. Also, the message
should be exact and well timed. The correct messages have a greater impact on the
receiver and at the same time, the morale of the sender increases with the accurate
message.
3. Complete
- The message should be complete, i.e. it must include all the relevant information as
required by the intended audience. The complete information gives answers to all the
questions of the receivers and helps in better decision-making by the recipient.
4. Concrete
- The communication should be concrete, which means the message should be clear and
particularly such that no room for misinterpretation is left. All the facts and figures
should be clearly mentioned in a message so as to substantiate to whatever the sender
is saying.
5. Concise
- The message should be precise and to the point. The sender should avoid the lengthy
sentences and try to convey the subject matter in the least possible words. The short
and brief message is more comprehensive and helps in retaining the receiver’s attention.
6. Considerate
- The sender must take into consideration the receiver’s opinions, knowledge, mindset,
background, etc. in order to have an effective communication. In order to communicate,
the sender must relate to the target recipient and be involved.
7. Courteous
- It implies that the sender must take into consideration both the feelings and viewpoints
of the receiver such that the message is positive and focused at the audience. The
message should not be biased and must include the terms that show respect for the
recipient.
Local and Global Communication in Multicultural Setting

Globalization

- Globalization is the word used to describe the growing interdependence of the world’s
economies, cultures, and populations, brought about by cross-border trade in goods and
services, technology, and flows of investment, people, and information. (piie.com)
- Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and
governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and
aided by information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on
political systems, on economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in
societies around the world. (globalization101.org)

*Additional information:

- Goodman and Berdan (2014) argue that every student should study abroad for the reason that
“learning how to interact with people from other countries and cultures equips future leaders
in all sectors to address urgent issues shared across borders” (par.4)
- BUT going abroad is not as simple as you think. Crucial that you are prepared to interact with
different cultures.

On Non-verbal Communication

- When greeting, most Armenians expect some body contact. Women kiss once on each cheek
and hug; men shake hands.
- When greeting, Orthodox Jews, avoid body contact with the opposite sex.
- When greeting, some groups of people from India hold their hands together in front of their
chins in a prayer-like position.
- When greeting, most Latinos expect body contact. Hugging and kissing on the cheek are
acceptable for both the same sex and the opposite sex.
- When greeting, most Middle Easterners, especially Muslims, avoid body contact with the
opposite sex, but men may embrace and kiss one another.

On Verbal Communication

- Avoid wishing “Happy Birthday” or “Merry Christmas to Jehova’s Witnesses.

- After receiving praise, many Asians feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. They may even
consider praise as a form or subtle criticism.
- Some Asian cultures consider it rude to say no and will go to extreme to avoid doing so.
- Open criticism should be avoided when dealing with Asian employees, as this may lead to loss
of face.
- Do not assume a married woman has her husband’s last name.
On Classroom Behavior

- To avoid emotional upset for Korean children and parents, do no write students’ names in red-
this has death connotations.
- If an Asian student bows to you, nod your head in response.
- Those from educational systems outside the United States often consider informal, noisy
classrooms as places of play, not learning.
- Students from outside the United States are often shocked by some teachers’ behavior-sitting
on desks, wearing casual clothing, encouraging students to call them by their first names,
engaging in humorous banter.
- In Jamaica and other parts of the Carribean, teachers are respected and revered and rarely
challenged.
- Certain professions have their own distinct way of communicating. Legal, medical, IT, military
and other disciplines have their own unique way of dealing with one another. This is to ensure
uniformity and facilitate accuracy on the encoding and decoding of messages.
- A particular word or phrase in a particular discipline may have a different meaning in another. It
is important to determine the context and environment.
- To have a better understanding, let us have a glimpse of how communication takes place in two
professions, particularly, the maritime industry and the healthcare profession in which you
belong…

On Maritime Industry

- The Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP) is a set of key phrases in the English
language (which is the internationally recognized language of the sea), supported by the
international community for use at sea and developed by the International Maritime
Organization (IMO).
- They aim to explain:
- external communication phrases – ship to ship & ship to shore communication;
- onboard communication phrases – communication within the ship.

Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP)

- The SMCP were adopted by the 22nd Assembly of the IMO in November 2001 in a resolution
which also promoted the wide circulation of the SMCP to all prospective users and all maritime
education authorities.
- The SMCP includes phrases which have been developed to cover the most important
safety-related fields of verbal shore-to-ship (and vice versa), ship-to-ship and on-board
communications. The aim is to reduce the problem of language barriers at sea and avoid
misunderstandings which can cause accidents.
 - Examples:
- To describe an unmanned and abandoned ship floating adrift, the SMCP gives the
correct phrase as: “unlit derelict vessel adrift in vicinity (date, time and position if
known)”
- Being stuck in ice and requesting assistance: “I am fast in ice. I require assistance”.
- Damage to vessel by ice: “I have developed stability problems, heavy icing. Request
ice breaker assistance”.
- Ship is sinking: “I am sinking. Please proceed to my assistance. What is your ETA at our
distress position?”

On Healthcare Profession

- Hospitals often use code names to alert their staff to an emergency or other event. These codes
can be communicated through an intercom in the hospital or directly to staff using
communication devices like pagers.
- Codes allow trained hospital personnel to respond quickly and appropriately to various events.
The use of codes can also help prevent concern or panic by visitors and people being treated at
the hospital.
- The most common hospital codes are code blue, code red, and code black, though use of these
codes isn’t standardized in the United States. Code blue indicates a medical emergency such as
cardiac or respiratory arrest. Code red indicates fire or smoke in the hospital. Code black typically
means there is a bomb threat to the facility.
- Hospitals are the most common institutions that use color codes to designate emergencies. Law
enforcement agencies, schools, and other types of healthcare facilities (such as skilled nursing
homes) may also use variations on these emergency codes.

Code Blue

- Code blue is the most universally recognized emergency code. Code blue means there is a
medical emergency occurring within the hospital. Healthcare providers can choose to activate a
code blue, typically by pushing an emergency alert button or dialing a specific phone number, if
they feel the life of the person they are treating is in immediate danger. Many hospitals have a
code blue team who will respond to the code blue within minutes.
- The team is comprised of:
- doctors
- nurses
- a respiratory therapist
- a pharmacist
- Common reasons for activating a code blue include:
- cardiac arrest like a heart attack or dangerous arrhythmia
- respiratory arrest (when someone stops breathing)
- when someone becomes severely confused, not alert, or shows signs of stroke
- sudden and severe drop in blood pressure
Code Red

- Code red typically means there is a fire or smoke within the hospital. A code red may be
activated if someone smells or sees smoke or flames.

Code Black

- Code black most often indicates a bomb threat. Code black may be activated if there has been a
threat made to the facility from an internal or external source, or if staff or law enforcement
officials have identified a possible bomb in or near the facility.

SBAR Tool

- The SBAR (Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation) technique provides a

framework for communication between members of the health care team about a patient's
condition.
- S = Situation (a concise statement of the problem)
- B = Background (pertinent and brief information related to the situation)
- A = Assessment (analysis and considerations of options — what you found/think)
- R = Recommendation (action requested/recommended — what you want)
- SBAR is an easy-to-remember, concrete mechanism useful for framing any conversation,
especially critical ones, requiring a clinician’s immediate attention and action. It allows for an
easy and focused way to set expectations for what will be communicated and how between
members of the team, which is essential for developing teamwork and fostering a culture of
patient safety.

Some Examples of Useful Abbreviations in the Field of Nursing

- Stat- needing to be done now

- Example: transfuse 2 units stat
- NPO- fasting
- Example: NPO from midnight for surgery at 8 am tomorrow
- NPO means nil per os, Latin for nothing by mouth
- Usually in the Philippines and US, they use NPO. In UK, NBM (Nil by mouth)
- When changing shift, in the Philippines and US, more common term is endorsement. While in
UK, handover.

Phonetic Alphabet

- Another valuable tool that is oftentimes used in various professions is the phonetic alphabet.
This helps the sender and receiver to understand correct spelling of names, places or any other
relevant words. This tool breaks the barrier of confusion brought by challenges in channels,
cultures and other relevant factors...
- It is a requirement in this subject to memorize the phonetic alphabet.
Spelling of Letter
Examples of Varieties of English
Aspect American English (US)
Punctuation Smith (2001, p.35) also reports
that witnesses “suffered
headaches,” as well as
experiencing “feelings of
nausea.”
Date August 26, 2020
Spelling center, color, organize,
program
Words elevator, pants, diaper
Expression/Local idiom ruffled feathers (agitated)
Grammar Do you have that book?
Pronunciation Vase- like VEYZ
British English (UK)
Smith (2001, p.35) also reports
that witnesses ‘suffered
headaches’, as well as
experiencing ‘feelings of
nausea’.
26 August 2020
centre, colour, organise,
programme
lift, trouser, nappy
Knickers in a twist (agitated)
Have you got that book?
Vase- like VAHZ
Things to Consider For a Culturally Sensitive and Bias-Free Language

1. Race & Ethnicity

- Race is an emotionally charged topic, so it is best to tread carefully with the language
used and to refer to race, as Patricia Arinto (2009) asserts in English for Professions,
“only if it is relevant to what you have to say.”
- Example: Naturally, the Asian students won the math contest.
- Although the assessment is positive in the sentence, the word “naturally” reinforces the
stereotype or generalization that Asians have superior aptitude in math.
- According to Kitty Locker and Donna Kienzler (2013), one should “refer to a group by the
term it prefers.”
- Example: “Native American” has been considered the politically correct term for the
indigenous peoples of the Americas over the label “Red Indians”.
- But today, most native American people prefer to be referred to by their specific nation
or tribe.
2. Gender and Sexual Orientation
- Sexism refers to the prejudice and discrimination based on sex or gender. To be inclusive
of all people in general references, one should favor gender-neutral worlds and phrases
over gender-biased words.
- Man-made= synthetic or artificial
- Layman’s terms= ordinary terms
- Chairman= chairperson
- Stewardess= flight attendant
- Pronouns may also be gender-biased, for example, when masculine “he” pronoun is
used as a generic one for both genders. This can be avoided by:
- Dropping pronouns that signify gender and restating the sentence;
- Changing to plural construction;
- Replacing masculine or feminine pronouns with “one” or “you””
3. Social Class
- Class discrimination or classism is a form of prejudice against a person or people
because of their social class.
- Example 1: “white trash”
- It is not only a racial slur but a classist one that refers to white people, usually
from the rural Southern United States, coming from a lower social class inside
the white population.
- Example 2: “preppie”, “yuppie”
- In the US, there may also be a kind of classism against those who are
economically privileged. The rich are sometimes referred to as examples 2, both
of which connote not just wealth but arrogance.
- There are examples from Philippine culture as well, in the informal terms “conyo” and
“jologs”, both derogatory terms referring to class.
- The first, used to describe young people from the upper class who speak an idiosyncratic
mix of English and Tagalog, connote vanity and consciousness about social status.
 - The second, now perhaps replaced by the term “jejemon”, as used in reference to an
idiosyncratic spelling or writing style, is used to describe persons who look poor and out
of style.
4. Age
- Ageism is a form of discrimination against other people because of their age, or
assuming that older people are less physically, intellectually, or emotionally able than
other age groups. The capabilities of younger people should also not be underestimated
on the basis of their age.
- It is important to refer to a person’s age only when that information is pertinent to what
is being discussed.
- When referring to a generic group, one should also ask their subjects what wordings
they prefer. Do they wish to be called “older persons” or “senior citizens”? Do they
prefer the label “youths”, “teenagers”, or “young people”.
- Lastly, according to the American Psychological Association, writers should be specific
when referring to males and females in terms of their age: female 18 years or older are
women, not girls. “Girls” refers to those in high school or younger (under 18). The same
is true for “boys” and “man”.
5. Disabilities
- Discrimination in this area often arises because of lack of understanding and awareness.
Therefore, first, it is important to distinguish some terms that are mistakenly understood
to be synonymous.
- One example is “ A Guide to Bias-Free Communications” published by the University of
Wisconsin-Madison. It defines the terms “impairment”, “disability”, and “handicap” as:
- Impairment- a physiological condition
- Disability- the consequence of an impairment which may be or may not be
handicapping.
- Handicap- the social implication of a disability; a condition or barrier imposed
by society, the environment or oneself.
- Thus, according to definitions, a “limp” is an impairment in which a leg or foot is
damaged or stiff. A disability that may result from arthritis is difficulty in walking, or
walking unevenly and haltingly. People who limp may be handicapped by having to climb
stairs in buildings with no elevators. Other guides from other cultural contexts may
provide different definitions and examples. It is essential when writing to do research on
these definitions.
- Arinto (2009) suggests considering the negative implications of usages such as “confined
to a wheelchair” and “AIDS victim”. For the former, one should instead write or say “uses
a wheelchair” because wheelchairs enable people to escape confinement, while for the
latter, one should use “person with AIDS” as someone who can acquire a disease
without being victimized by it.
- She further suggests that the word “abnormal” may be replaced with “atypical” because
people who have disabilities are atypical but not necessarily abnormal. (Arinto 2009)
- These general guiding principles are helpful, but not always apt. For example, there are
heated debates now among parents of children with autism about whether to use
“person with autism” or “autistic person”. Yet again, it must be emphasized that research
 is necessary to become aware of trends and debates in this and other areas. One may
also simply ask the concerned people what their preferred terms are.
- The final takeaway is that to be an effective writer, one must not stereotype, demean, or
exclude any member of his or her audience. Such stereotypes and biases are barriers to
communication.