BatStateU Purposive Communication

Lesson 1: Communication Principles and Ethics

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to achieve the following:

1. Describe the nature, elements and functions of verbal and non-verbal communication in
various and multicultural contexts.
2. Explain how cultural and global issues affect communication, and why ethical
communication is essential.
3. Appreciate the impact of communication on society and the world.

Processes and Principles of Effective Communication

Effective communication is a key interpersonal skill and by learning how you can improve
your communication has many benefits. It sounds so simple: say what you mean. But all too often,
what you try to communicate gets lost in translation despite your best intentions. You say one
thing, the other person hears something else, and misunderstandings, frustration, and conflicts
ensue. This is very true especially in the absence of physical, face-to-face communication.

Communication is beyond simply putting words into thoughts and emotions. It is done
effectively only when information is transmitted without changing both the content and the context
of the message. Simply put, communication is the art of creating and sharing ideas for a specific
purpose. It comes in many forms:
 verbal communication, which includes the use of language, sounds, and tone of voice
 non-verbal communication, which includes body language and facial expressions
 written communication, such as through journals, emails, blogs, and text messages
 visual communication, which involves signs, symbols, pictures, graphics, and emojis

Effective communication is dependent on how rich those ideas are, and how much of those
ideas are retained in the process. In order to be an effective communicator, a number of skills have
to be utilized. Which skill one chooses greatly varies and is dictated by the situation, the content or
the actual information a person needs or wants to convey, and the intended recipient of that
information.

DID YOU KNOW? Almost 91% of professionals from the world’s top 300 multinational
companies said that communicating in English is important for work success, but only
7% of them indicate that their current level of English is sufficient for their jobs. This is
based on “The Globalization of English” research study conducted by the McKinsey
Global Institute.

Audience Analysis

A key element in effective communication is audience analysis. “Audience” here does not only
refer to the people listening to you in a public speech. Rather, it refers to anyone who is expected to
receive the message you are sending. Knowing the audience, understanding their level and how they
need to receive the information – also known as skills on audience analysis – are extremely
important in “packaging” the message and sending it across. Audience analysis is therefore one skill
an effective communicator must have. It is imperative that you find out who the audience is – who
will actually receive your ‘message’ – and what they need to know. Only in doing so can you properly
adjust all the other elements of communication, such as your words or registers, your tone, and your
expressions.

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Another aspect that needs consideration in analyzing the audience is identifying and trying
to overcome possible communication barriers. These are not confined to physical noise (cars passing
by, someone pounding on the table) and physiological issues (an upset stomach), but could also
include cultural difference, varying levels of expectations and experiences, and difference in
perspectives and communication styles.

Anyone might experience

one or all of these barriers at
any given circumstance, and
that such barriers exist has to
be recognized so that anyone
who is trying to communicate
can adjust and apply the proper
tools and strategies to remove
those barriers that prevent the
message from getting across.

Principles of Effective Communication

Effective communication requires a certain level of connection between and among people,
allowing a series of exchanges of thoughts and emotions, eventually leading to mutual
understanding. In order for that to happen, the following principles must be observed.

Clarity. This pertains to both the message and the purpose why the message has to be sent. The
message should be clear by using appropriate language and communication channels, but
equally important is that the reason for sending and receiving the message must be
understood by both sender and receiver.

Conciseness. The message should be as brief as may be required depending on one’s purpose,
especially in most modern contexts in the business and academic fields where time is of the
essence. It should be devoid of trivial details that would hinder communication.

Completeness. Despite its conciseness, the message should still be complete and accurate. Whenever
necessary, background information should be given to provide better context; facts and
observations may also be helpful.

Organization. Effective communication is usually planned in order to ensure the systematic flow of
ideas and transition from one point to another. There are instances, however, when
communication is impromptu, but this should not be an excuse for an organized
presentation of ideas.

Empathy. The sender of the message should be sensitive to the needs and interests of the receiver.
In case of face-to-face communication, the speaker must always be conscious of the reaction
of the listener and adjust his/her communication strategy accordingly.

Flexibility. Different people have different communication styles, and consequently, different
expectations. Effective communicators know how to adapt to the varying needs and
expectations of their audience, and modify the message or the way the message is sent to
avoid misunderstanding or misinterpretation.

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COMMUNICATION AND GLOBALIZATION

Motive Question: The world has shrunk into a global village, but have we become more of ‘neighbors’
or more of strangers to each other?

The notion of the world being a global village has been a hot topic ever since the idea was
brought up, especially in light of the rapid advances in technology and digitization. Globalization
has been regarded as the key to the worldwide integration of humanity, where there is an increased
economic, political and cultural integration and interdependence of diverse cultures. In Southeast
Asia, for example, the ASEAN Integration has been a buzzword among social communities, opening
a wide array of discussion for future collaborations.

For our part, we Filipinos have increased our awareness and acceptance of the notion that we
belong to a diverse, global community. This is not confined to communication with people from other
countries, but is inclusive of communication within our own societies, even with the minorities and
the indigenous peoples. It is therefore imperative that WE learn to communicate effectively with
people regardless of age, gender, race, ability, religion, sexual orientation, income, marital status, or
ethnicity.

Communication in the modern world

must be anchored on the concept of diversity,
since effective communication and the ability
to understand cultural differences are skills
that have become requisites not only for a
meaningful social life but also for a successful
professional career.

Even professionals from the countries

that are traditionally known for sticking to
their native tongue (e.g. Japan, Korea,
Vietnam) have started to learn English, as the
internationally-recognized lingua franca, with
the concept that learning English does not make
theconversation.com/socialdiversity
them less Japanese, Koreans, or Viets.

In addition, digital technology has erased territorial boundaries among countries and among
people with varying cultures. The notion of being a ‘stranger’ has been revolutionized as the people
whom we used to treat as strangers are now our co-workers, classmates or friends – albeit some only
in social media.

Hence, there is a need to develop graduates and professionals who are multiculturalists –
those who are engaged with and respectful of people with different cultures. These are not
necessarily people from other countries all the time, since a country may have varying sub-cultures
among its general society. In the Philippines, for example, there is no argument that people from
Southern Tagalog have a different culture from the Bicolanos, and those from Zamboanga have
different norms and beliefs from the Ilocanos.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Are you ready to communicate in a global and multicultural environment? Assess your
readiness to communicate effectively with people having different cultures. Simply write True or
False after each statement.

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1. I enjoy communicating with persons who are like me in terms of interests and with
the same socio-economic status, as much as I enjoy communicating those who are not
‘like’ me. __________

2. I am equally sensitive to the concerns of all groups of society, and I genuinely care to
the plight and issues surrounding them. __________
3. I can tell when persons with different cultures do not understand me or are confused
by my actions. __________
4. I am not afraid of interacting with members of minority groups nor with members of a
dominant culture. __________
5. Persons from other cultures who do not actively participate in a conversation, debate
or any form of discussion act that way probably because of their culture’s rules.
__________
6. Persons from other cultures have the right to be angry at members of my own culture.
__________
7. How I handle conflict or disagreements with persons from other cultures depends on
the situation and on the culture they are from. __________
8. My culture is not superior to other cultures. __________
9. I am knowledgeable of how to behave when communicating or interacting with people
having different cultures. __________
10. I respect the communication rules of cultures other than my own. __________

Discuss your answers with your professor or your classmates.

The greater the number of statements that are honestly true to you, the more prepared you
are to welcome the opportunity of communicating and interacting with people from different
cultures. This is a very important aspect in one’s personal life or professional careers, since avoiding
intercultural communication is virtually inevitable in any organization.

This is especially true in business organizations, when products can go global and the
manner by which any product is communicated to the global market can make or break the brand.
Here are a few examples of business miscommunication in a global setting:

 In the past, Gerber dealt with issues in some cultures where women
have low literacy rates such as Africa and the Middle East. The
women in these cultures generally use pictures to tell them what food
they are buying. When Gerber started selling their product in these
countries, the women saw the picture of the baby and believed that
there was a baby or part of one baby in the jar.

Irish Mist is a brown whiskey produced in Dublin, Ireland. In Germany,

however, “Mist” literally translates to “crap”.

 Joni (read as “Yoni”) is a brand of skin product. However, Yoni

means ‘uterus’ or ‘vagina’ in Sanskrit, and is an Indian
representation of female genitalia, especially pertaining to the
Hindu goddess Shakti.

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Undoubtedly, globalization has affected the way people and companies communicate with
each other. In some cases, cultural differences have accentuated cultural insensitivity, which is
most felt in the business world. Since everyone is a consumer of particular business products, it is
important to know the issues, etiquette, protocol, communication styles and negotiation approaches
of people from different cultures using the business experience as example. Here are some instances
when lack of cultural or linguistic sensitivity in global communication severely affected companies
or products.

 McDonald’s spent thousands on a new TV ad to target the Chinese

consumers. This featured a Chinese man kneeling before a
McDonald’s vendor and begging him to accept his expired discount
coupon. The ad caused uproar over the fact that begging is
considered a shameful act in Chinese culture.

 Similarly, McDonald’s also unintentionally offended thousands of Muslims when it

printed an excerpt from the Koran on its throwaway (take-out) hamburger bags.
Muslims saw this as sacrilegious.

 Some staff at the African port of Stevadores saw the supposedly

internationally-recognized symbol for “fragile” (i.e. broken wine glass). Since
in their culture, they treat the pictures printed on packages to be
representation of what’s inside, they thought it was a box of broken glasses
and threw all the boxes into the sea.

 The film “Hollywood Buddha” caused outrage and protest on the streets of Sri Lanka,
Malaysia and Myanmar (Burma) when the designer of the film’s poster decided to
show the lead actor sitting on the Buddha’s head, which is an act of clear degradation
against something holy.

 Coors (beer) once had its slogan “Turn it loose.” translated to Spanish, but it became
to mean “Suffer from diarrhea.”

All of these examples are predominantly business-related, where companies failed to regard
cultural differences in packaging and communicating their product to the global market. However,
the cost of cultural insensitivity in global communication can be felt in everyday communication, as
cultural misunderstandings often lead to misinterpretation and unnecessary tension between
people. Here are some examples demonstrating this in a global setting:

 Showing the sole of a shoe (by crossing one’s legs and pointing one’s shoes to the
speaker, for example) means nothing to observers in most Western and Asian
countries. In Muslim cultures (such as Saudi Arabia), however, the gesture is
perceived as insulting. Similarly, crossing one’s legs while seated is customary for
Westerners, but this is a social faux pas in Korea.

 Blinking rapidly while another person is talking is normal for most people, especially
during tense situations. For Taiwanese, this is considered impolite.

 The Japanese view the business card as an extension of their body, while Americans
view it simply as a business formality. Hence, when Japanese hand over their
business cards with two hands and with great care, they get insulted when the person
receiving just put it away with haste.

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These are just some of the instances when miscommunication and misunderstanding can
happen as a result of cultural ignorance and insensitivity in the global environment. In order to
develop more meaningful relationships and establish productive interaction with people having
different cultures, everyone should recognize and respond to such differences and nuances. In
addition, people have to be mindful that not everyone from the same culture exhibits the same
characteristics and habits in communication, so sensitivity is key to any successful communicative
situation.

In communicating in a highly global environment, the challenge that faces everyone is to

learn to understand, accept, and address cultural – and communication – differences.

ETHICS IN COMMUNICATION

Effective communication is ethical communication. Communication is ethical only when it is

genuine, open, cooperative and sensitive to one’s cultural and social beliefs and practices. If there is
an intent to conceal the truth, or bring damage to any organization, group or individual person,
communication is considered unethical. Even in situations when there is no intent to harm, but
damage to a certain group is inevitable because of the message or the channel used to relay the
message, it is still considered unethical.

SIMPLE ACTIVITY: Reflective Analysis

Analyze the following print advertisements and determine if these are ethical or not.
Consider the following guide questions in your analysis.

1. What is the message of the ad?

2. How is the message underscored? What semiotics are used (text? images? others?)
3. Is there any individual or group that may be offended by the ad?
4. Is there another way of presenting or delivering the message?
5. Do you think the ad is ethical?

Reflective Analysis. Briefly explain

your assessment of the ad, with focus
on the five questions.
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thesocietypages.org

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Did you notice the placement of the “before” and “after” texts? Did you notice that the
“before” text was right under the colored woman, while the brown-skinned model is at the middle,
and the fair-skinned woman is at the far right, below the text “’after”? How does this relate to the
product tagline, “Visibly more beautiful skin…”?

Can you relate this with the popular yet stereotypical Filipino belief that “white is beautiful”
hence the proliferation of whitening products, such as soap and lotion?

Try to reflect on this next advertisement, which was found to be sexist by most observers:

Reflective Analysis. Briefly explain

your assessment of the ad, with focus
on the five questions in the previous
page.
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ibtimes.co.uk/bodyshamingadverts __________________________________

PERFORMANCE TASK

Do you know other print or television advertisements that are non-ethical because they are
discriminatory, stereotypical, and/or sexist?

Spot these ads in magazines, newspapers, social media networks, Youtube, or any other
platform. Share these in class and discuss:

a. why you think the ad is unethical;

b. how it could possibly be received by certain groups; and
b. what could be a better way of presenting the ad.

Take note of the following rubric in assessing your response:

Content (4 pts.): Your material is spot-on and obviously well-researched.

Reasoning (4 pts.): Your line of reasoning is logical and justified.
Organization of Ideas (2 pts.): Your ideas are well-presented and highly organized.
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How Past Experience and Prejudice Affect Communication

Most people bring their past experiences into a communication situation. Sometimes, they
pitch in existing information because they learned in the past that adding information makes the
communication more successful. There are times when they do not contribute anything because of a
possible past experience when their inputs were not considered or valued. In any case, people enter
into a communicative situation with certain expectations, and they behave or react accordingly.

Past experiences inevitably affect people’s communication styles in the future. When their
audience responded positively to their message, chances of them repeating the same style are
relatively high. However, when they were turned down or given negative feedback, this will
definitely influence how they deliver the message next time.

Past Experience Effect to Communication

Your parents reacted negatively when you
opened up about your interest for a certain
craft.
Your colleague has forgotten some very
important information many times in the past.
A subordinate in a group that you lead
disagreed twice in your suggestions.
Your professor ignored your inputs last session.
Your teammates reacted positively to your
strategy.
You hesitate to discuss the topic with them
despite your rich potential to that craft.
You give him/her reminders every now and then
to avoid messing up again.
You don’t ask for your subordinate’s opinion
anymore, even if he might agree with you this
time.
You don’t provide inputs in class anymore.
You use the same strategy in a similar
situation.

Prejudice, on the other hand, when people take their past experiences and make certain
assumptions that the same experience will happen with the same people, given the same context.
Prejudices may be attributed to culture or personal preferences. Not all prejudices have a negative
characteristic, as a person might consider all members of a group to be smart even without meeting
them individually. It must be noted, however, that effective communicators should avoid prejudice
because it influences the communication process even before it begins.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
To have an idea how this happens, complete the phrases below, and discuss it in class. If you
don’t have sufficient personal experience to complete a phrase, think of a possible stereotype you
might have heard from someone:

 Old teachers in school are…

 Male professors who speak good English are…
 The athletes and performers in school usually…
 Most supervisors in multinational companies are…
 The lowest form of job in the workplace is…
 Working with homosexuals usually…
 Muslims, Buddhists, or people with other beliefs are…
 Disabled people in the workplace should…

Prejudices happen when people isolate an experience with one “type” of person or one group
of people, then behave as if all encounters with people of the same “type”, or at least with the same
characteristics, will lead to the same experience. This eliminates a people’s personal identity and
individuality. There can be prejudice as regards to age, gender orientation, religious belief, race,
social-economic status, and physical conditions. Effective communicators view people as separate
from any preconceived notions others may have about them. They see the value of the individual as
a person of worth, and thus will respect that individuality.
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Showing commitment and genuine interest

A key component of ethical communication is showing commitment in the communicative

situation. Being committed means giving sufficient time and resources to any discussion or
conversation, and being open about any issue that may arise. Commitment also involves
volunteering important information, even if it puts a person’s own short-term interests at risk, as
long as it is for the benefit of the majority especially in the long run. Encouraging a communicative
environment of trust can go a long way in promoting ethical communication in any academic or
business setting.

“Naval Language” or The Belly Button Psyche

It is clear that the two major elements affecting ethical communication are the use of words
or language, and one’s behavior or body language. The second element – body language – may be
enhanced through the ‘Belly Button Psyche’, or the belly button rule, which is believed to
communicate true interest while engaging in face-to-face communication.

The origin of this “rule” dates back to the 1930s and since then, numerous scientists and
body language experts have honed the theory. Most notably, Dr. Albert Mehrabian, professor of
Psychology at UCLA said that the belly button rule is the most important indicator of reading a
person’s intention. Simply put, the belly button rule means the direction of a person’s navel reflects
his/her true interest. Here is a basic explanation of the rule:

luscumaperi.wordpress.com/behavioral science/newbodylanguage

When people are interested in you and what you have to say, they will point their belly
button squarely at you as you talk. That shows they are engaged and they are focused on what you
have to say. Although we do this without thinking, the fact is that we can consider this rule when
we are having conversations with people who are special to us.
If you are uncomfortable with a conversation and you may have to discuss something that is
not easy to discuss, start with sitting the listener in a way where your belly button is pointing
directly toward theirs. This shows you are focused on talking to them, and even though they may
not be aware, the listener will at least begin by being focused on you, as their body language and
attention is directed toward you. When we work to put our focus on listening and valuing what the
other person has to say, then secondly getting our message across, we can take big steps in a short
amount of time at building better communication.

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PERFORMANCE TASK: NAVAL LANGUAGE

Who among the people in the picture show more commitment and interest in the
conversation or discussion? Briefly discuss your answer using the belly button rule.

http://www.theprojectbox.us/2010/07/body-language-you-say-more-than-you-think/

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Your answer will be assessed using the following rubric:

Content (4 pts.): Your answer demonstrates accurate and deep understanding of the concept.
Reasoning (4 pts.): Your line of reasoning is logical and justified.
Organization of Ideas (2 pts.): Your ideas are well-presented and highly organized.

Respecting socio-cultural beliefs and practices of others

The concept of globalization is not new, but people somehow fail to realize that this is not
confined to technology or bridging the world and making it a virtual community. Globalization also
entails changing the way people communicate to others, especially those with different norms,
cultures and belief systems. This involves all types of communication, whether face-to-face, chatting
via email, or using various forms of mass media, such as the two ads shown on pages 16 and 17.

It is hoped that in the previous activity with the advertisements, you were able to identify
how both ads put women in a bad light, in a state where they are objectified – that they are
beautiful only when they have fair skin or an ‘hourglass’ body. Ethical communication requires
people to respect socio-cultural beliefs and practices of others, while at the same time avoiding all
kinds of stereotypes.

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