L E S S O N 12 :

The Discipline of
Communication
The Discipline of Communication
deals how humans use verbal and
non-verbal messages to create
meaning in various contexts.
12.1 Definition of
Communication
• process that bond humans together

• one opens up to another and receives confirmation of

some kind
• involves acting on information, responding to
stimulus, a creative act, making sense of the world,
assigning meaning to experience and feelings
• can be intentional as well as unintentional
Albert, Nakayama, and Martin (2007)
“Transactional process in which people generate
meaning through the exchange of verbal message in
specific contexts, influenced by individual and societal
forces and embedded in culture.”
“Culture affects all or almost all communication
interaction.”

Culture – provider of patterns of perceptions, values, and behavior that the group
transmits and makes a shared heritage.
Communication Process

1. Technical Level
2. Semantic Level
3. Pragmatic Level
 Te chn i ca l L eve l
We can understand the message by
ascertaining the extent to which
information or message is clearly or
not clearly transmitted.
 S eman ti c Lev el
We can understand the unity of
communication by clarifying the extent to
which the intended meaning of the
information or message being transmitted is
understood or misunderstood by the
receiver due to all forms of noise.
 Pr a gma t i c Le vel
We can understand a unit of
communication by gauging the kind and
extent of the actual impact, effect, or
outcome or result of the communication
process including the relationship field of
experience and the sender- receiver
dynamics.
 When 2 or more persons interact,
communication structure is created
and a system of relationships is
formed within a cultural context.
12.2 Context and the Basic
Concepts of Communication
 C ont ext
• most essential aspects in human
communication
• gives meaning to the communication process
• can be email, television, with a friend, with
family, a political campaign or a protest rally, a
celebration, or a religious or social event
 Many communication scholars and
experts affirm that it is the context of
what is done or said that determines
how that message is interpreted.
 Frame of references
A lens through which reality is perceived and
filtered to create meaning or standpoint formed
through a complex set of criteria o assumed
values against which measurements,
understanding, or judgements are made.
6 Commonly identified frames of
reference
• Psychological frame of reference
• Cultural frame of reference
• Social frame of reference
• Spatial frame of reference
• Temporal frame of reference
• Historical frame of reference
Psychological frame of reference

a set of parameters that define one’s mental

schema
Cultural frame of reference

a set of parameters that define one’s

cultural bias
Social frame of reference

a set of parameters that define one’s

social bias
Spatial frame of reference

a set of egocentric experience,

environmental, and geographical
parameters that define one’s
interpretation of reality.
Temporal frame of reference

a set of transient parameters, such as space

and a range of experience types that
underlie immediate representations, which
define one’s interpretational of reality.
Historical frame of reference

a set of parameters that define one’s

historical bias
12.3 Goals of Communication
Communication conveys a message to
parties involved through the different
mediums such as through speech,
email, letters, and so on.
 Communication also allows people
with opposing views to communicate
with one another in order to better
understand each other and connect.
 Ultimately, the goal of all
communication is to change behavior
and that is why people read new books
or seek help to understand things or
reality.
Create social and political change, say, by
exposing the absurdities and injustices of
the courts, schools, prisons, and
workhouses of the context.
To make group life possible through
socialization, enculturation,
intergenerational solidarity, nation
building and social change
 In more specific terms…
• Expressing one’s needs and wants
• Transferring or conveying information
• Establishing social closeness or
sustaining relationships with others
• Facilitating social etiquette
12.4 Basic Elements of the
Communication Process
4 Basic elements of communication

• Message
• Medium
• Sender
• Receiver
6 Basic elements of communication

• Setting
• Participants
• Message creation
• Channels
• Noise
• Feedback

Alberts et al. (2007)

 Setting
essentially the context where
communication occurs
Participants
people who shares ideas
 Message creation
made up of the ideas and feelings that the
senders/receivers want to share

Symbols:
• Verbal symbols- all the words in a language, which stands for
a particular thing or idea
• Non-verbal symbols- anything we communicate without using
words
 Channels
routes travelled by a message as it goes
between the senders/ receivers
 Noise
keeps a message from being
understood or accurately interpreted
 Feedback
a response of the receiver to the
receiver to sender and vice versa
Summed up as…
• Who
• What
• How
• Why
• Where
 12.4 Levels of
Communication: From
Intrapersonal to Mass
Communication
 Intrapersonal
Communication
• communication occurs within us

• the self is the only sender and

receiver
 Interpersonal
Communication
communication occurs on one-to-one
basis usually in an informal,
unstructured setting
 Intercultural
Communication
communication occurs between or
among members of different cultures
or people who are enculturated
differently
 Interviewing
makes use of a series of questions and
answers usually involving two people
or groups
 Small Group
Communication
communication occurs when a small
group of people meets to solve a
problem
 Mass Communication

The sender-receiver (speaker) sends a

message (speech) to an audience in a
highly structured manner. Additional
visuals may be used.
The End