CHAPTER

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
1
lesson 2

Introduction

People use words and languages every day to interact whether at home or
workplace. The question is have they communicated their messages effectively? In order
to be effective in communication, there are three parts to be considered: listening,
responding and understanding. Listening entails accepting of words and ideas. This is
also taking nonverbal cues such as facial expression and body language. On the other
hand, Responding is evaluating the worth of message. It requires a psychological
processing which leads to Understanding -giving meaning to the words or expressions
uttered.

Besides knowing the fundamental truths of effective communication,

communication also requires ethics not only to be practiced by individuals but also in
businesses, and professional entities. It talks about moral good present in any form of
human communication. In this lesson, Principles of Effective of Communication and
Communication Ethics will be discussed thoroughly.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

a. explain the principles of effective communication;

b. define the guidelines in ethical communication; and

c. formulate judgment on what is good, right or virtuous in communication.

Learning Contents

1. BASIC PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Many definitions describe communication as a transfer of information, thoughts or

ideas to create shared understanding between a sender and a receiver. The information
may be written or spoken, professional or social, personal or impersonal to name a few
possibilities. Basically, the communication process involves a sender, receiver, message,
channel and feedback. However, this simplistic description significantly under-represents
what can actually be a very complex process.

Michael Osborn (2009) claims that communication must meet certain standards for
effective communication to take place.

a. Clarity: Clarity makes speeches understandable. Fuzzy language is absolutely

forbidden, as are jargons, cliché expressions, euphemisms, and double speak language.
 b. Concreteness: Concreteness reduces misunderstandings. Messages must be
supported by facts such as research data, statistics or figures. To achieve concreteness
abstract words must be avoided

c. Courtesy: Courtesy builds goodwill. It involves being polite in terms of approach and
manner of addressing an individual.

d. Correctness: Glaring mistakes in grammar obscures the meaning of the sentence.

Also, the misuse of language can damage your credibility

e. Consideration: Messages must be geared towards the audience. The sender of the
message must consider the recipient’s profession, level of education, race, ethnicity,
hobbies, interests, passions, advocacies, and age when drafting or delivering a message.

f. Creativity: Creativity in communication means having the ability to craft interesting

messages in terms of sentence structure and word choice.

g. Conciseness: Simplicity and directness help you to be concise. Avoid using lengthy
expressions and words that may confuse the recipient.

h. Cultural Sensitivity: Today, with the increasing emphasis on empowering diverse

cultures, lifestyles, and races and the pursuit for gender equality, cultural sensitivity
becomes an important standard for effective communication.

i. Captivating: You must strive to make messages interesting to command more attention
and better responses.

2. COMMUNICATION ETHICS

Ethics is the discussion of the judgments we make about the appropriateness,

the right or wrong, of our actions and policies be those actions communicative, political,
social, personal, or a mixture of areas (Johnessen, 1990). There are largely unrehearsed
conversations however when an individual or organization communicates. There are
factors to be considered such as audience, context and purpose. How we communicate
depends on who we are talking, what we are discussing and where & when the talk is
taking place? Here, Ethics plays a crucial role in communication. In real world, mindful or
ethical use language must be practiced.

 Here are the guidelines for ethical communication which should shape communication
practice:

a. Ethical Communicators are Respectful of Their Audiences

b. Ethical Communicators Consider the Consequences of Their Communication.

c. Ethical Communicators Respect Truth.

d. Ethical Communicators Use Information Properly.

e. Ethical Communicators Do Not Falsify Information.

f. Ethical Communicators Respect the Rights of Others to Information.

3. ETHICS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Ethical communication is fundamental to responsible thinking, decision making,

and the development of relationships and communities within and across contexts,
cultures, channels, and media. Moreover, ethical communication enhances human worth
and dignity by fostering truthfulness, fairness, responsibility, personal integrity, and
respect for self and others.

POINTS TO PONDER

Ethics is the discipline that examines one’s moral standards of a society.

Communication is the process of exchanging ideas, opinions, and information
between two or more interlocutors.

The members of the National Communication Association in America, endorsed

and are committed to practicing the following principles of ethical communication that are
especially relevant for students today:

They advocate truthfulness, accuracy, honesty, and reason as essential to the integrity of
communication.

They endorse freedom of expression, diversity of perspective, and tolerance of

dissent to achieve the informed and responsible decision making fundamental to a civil
society.

They strive to understand and respect other communicators before evaluating and
responding to their messages.

They promote access to communication resources and opportunities as necessary

to fulfil human potential and contribute to the well-being of families, communities, and
society.

They promote communication climates of caring and mutual understanding that

respect the unique needs and characteristics of individual communicators.

They condemn communication that degrades individuals and humanity through

distortion, intimidation, coercion, and violence, and through the expression of intolerance
and hatred.

They are committed to the courageous expression of personal convictions in

pursuit of fairness and justice.
 They advocate sharing information, opinions, and feelings when facing significant
choices while also respecting privacy and confidentiality.

They accept responsibility for the short- and long-term consequences for our own
communication and expect the same of others.

Source: https://www.lanecc.edu/llc/speech/ethical-communication

POINTS TO PONDER
Practicing ethics in communication is anticipating and weighing the effects of one’s message
on an audience.
Ethical use of language is also a must when preparing for such deliberate form of
communication.