LECTURE HANDOUTS

COMPILATION
PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION
(COM101)
TOPIC2 (WEEK2)COMMUNICATION PROCESSES, PRINCIPLES AND ETHICS;
 

TOPIC OBJECTIVES:
1. To be able to recall the elements of communication and identify them in different texts
2. To identify problems or barriers that emerge which need to be addressed to make effective
communication possible
3. To analyze and understand how miscommunication may happen in different situations.
4. To be aware of the ethical aspects of communication.
INTRODUCTION

•At this stage of your lives, you have definitely observed and experienced that having effective
communication skills in English is important for success. You have witnessed how the better
communicators in your group or class have stood out not only as persons but as students. How
have you become effective communicators?
• All of you can become better communicators like them if you just try harder. Among other
things, you can start by getting a better picture of what communication is and how it works—
absorbing principles, learning concepts, and applying them in practical situations inside the
classrooms and in real life as members of the community.
THE PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

•To achieve effective communication, you need to understand the communication process, which is quite
complex because it is difficult to pinpoint where or with whom a particular communication circumstance
begins or ends.

The process is not as simple as how it is presented in the model. At every step, problems or barriers
emerge that need to be addressed to make effective communication possible. Analyze each of the
following components of communication
SOURCE

•This is you, the sender of the message. To be a good sender, you have to know
exactly what information you want to communicate, why you have chosen that
particular information, and what result you expect from communicating it. For
instance, for a quick lunch before your next class, you order something that is
filling yet easy to eat in 30 minutes. You decide on a hamburger with French
fries and juice.
• 
MESSAGE

•This is the information you want to convey; without it, you have no reason for
communicating. The details of the information should be very clear to you
before you communicate it. Using the situation in the previous example, you
need to know precisely what you want to order: Mentally specify the kind of
hamburger and juice you want, as well as the sizes of the French fries and
juice.
ENCODING

•This is the process of converting your idea or thoughts of the information into
verbal and/ or nonverbal symbols that can be understood by the receiver of the
of the messages. Your symbols must be in the language that is not foreign to
the receiver. In our example, you need to use words (such as cheeseburger,
regular fries and medium pineapple juice), actions and gestures that the cashier
will understand.
CHANNEL

This is the manner in which your message or information is conveyed. It may

be done through face-to-face conversation, telephone call, video conference, or
written communication (text message, email, letter, memorandum, report). To
order your food, you use face-to-face communication.
DECODING

This is the receiver’s mental processing of your message into the meaning
suggested by the verbal/ or nonverbal symbol you use as sender. To be able to
do this, he needs to get an accurate picture of the message. In the example, the
cashier who takes your order has to be familiar with the menu in the fast-food
store to understand what you want.
RECEIVER

•This is the person or group of people who will get your message. In our
example, it is the cashier of the fast-food store.
FEEDBACK

This is the receiver’s response to your message. If you get your desired result,
the communication is successful; otherwise, the communication fails. When
this happens, you have to find out why it is unsuccessful, learn from your
mistakes, and strive to do better next time. In the example, if you are given the
hamburger, French fries, and juice exactly the way you want them, your
communication with the cashier is a success.
CONTEXT

•This refers to the situation in which the communication takes place. It includes the ( a)
environment- the location, time of the day, temperature; ( b ) the relationship between the
communicators- you as sender and the other person as receiver, such as teacher and student,
boss and subordinate, parent and child, siblings, or peers; ( c ) their respective cultural
backgrounds and past experiences; ( d ) the topic/ subject of their communication ( Hall,
1977, as cited in Chase & Shamo, 2013). The context in our example includes the fast-food
store before noon with the temperature getting warmer despite the cool air coming from the
nearby air conditioner, the communicators’ equal status or relationship as customer and
cashier, their having different cultures and past experiences, and the ordering of food.
•To have a better understanding of the process and to know how
miscommunication may happen ( and how to avoid it if it does ) go online to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?=gCfzeONu3Mo for Katherine
Hampsten’s video clip (TED-ED, 2016)
THE PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION

 
The principles are based on the real- life functioning of
interpersonal communication. (King 2000 )
INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION IS
INESCAPABLE.
•It is not possible for humans like you and me not to communicate. Even the very attempt of not wanting
to communicate communicates something. Your poker face as you listen to somebody also means a lot.
You communicate though both words and behavior, and as long as you are alive, you can still behave;
hence, you can communicate. You always communicate and receive communication from others not only
through words but also through voice tone, gesture, posture, bodily movement, facial expression, clothes
worn, and so on. Because of this fact, since people are not mind readers, you are often judged through
your behavior, not your intention or purpose.
INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION IS
IRREVERSIBLE.

•How often have you said words in anger and wished you could all take them
back? Once you have uttered something, you can never take it back, and its
effect remains. Anyone who says that apologies can heal the hurt caused by
offensive remarks is lying. Words are powerful; they can either heal or harm
others. This principle of communication is best expressed in a Russian proverb
which says, “Once a word goes out of your mouth, you can never swallow it
again. “
INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION IS
COMPLICATED.

•Whenever you communicate with anyone, you simultaneously interpret both

his verbal and nonverbal language, and that is often both confounding and
demanding. For one thing, words (verbal) alone complicate things: A word does
not have just one meaning, it is usually not used in the same way, and no two
people use the same words exactly alike. Added to this complexity, nonverbal
symbols are more vague than word since they are interpreted in many ways:
They are primarily relational besides being both culture- and gender-bound.
INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION IS
CONTEXTUAL

•In other words, communication is affected by several factors; it does not

happen in isolation. There are many things that need to be considered, such as
the ones given below ( King, 2000)
PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTEXT

…. this is concerned with who you are, and what you are as a sender or
receiver, and how you bring to interaction—your needs, desires, values,
beliefs, personality, and so on.
RELATIONAL CONTEXT

…are your reactions to the other person based on

relationships- as boss, colleague, friend, sibling, parent and
the like.
SITUATIONAL CONTEXT

… deals with the psycho- social, “ where” you are communicating.

An interaction that takes place in a classroom, which is quite
formal, will be very different from one that takes place in a bar,
which is very informal- where communicators do not need to be
guarded in their speech.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT

•which has to do with physical “where” you are communicating- objects in the
room and their arrangement, location, noise level, temperature, season, time of
day.
CULTURAL CONTEXT

… includes all the learned behaviors and rules that affect the interaction. For
instance, bodily movement, facial expression, gesture, distance, and eye
contact vary in different cultures. If you come from a culture (foreign or within
your own country) where it is considered rude to make long, direct eye contact,
you will out of politeness avoid eye contact. If the other person comes from a
culture where long, direct eye contact signals trustworthiness, then we have in
the cultural context a basis for misunderstanding.
 COMMUNICATION ETHICS
It is important to understand that whatever we communicate should be guided by
certain ethical principles. The US National Communication Association ( NCA, 1999 )
discusses this in their Credo for Ethical Communication stating that “ 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. We believe that unethical
communication threatens the quality of all communication and consequently the well-being of
individuals and the society in which we live.
ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION

•First, they ”advocate truthfulness, accuracy, honesty, and reason as essential

to the integrity of communication “ ( NCA, 1999 ). Nowadays, social media
and speeches in public have been so filled with black propaganda and
whitewashing that there is a call to reiterate the need for truth and honesty. It is
important to be accurate when we communicate, and to have facts and figures
to prove the assertions. It is important to be reasonable, rather than to be
emotional or threatening when we communicate.
 The NCA also endorses “ freedom of expression”, diversity of perspective, and tolerance
of dissent to achieve the informed and responsible decision- making fundamental to a civil
society” ( NCA, 1999 ). In certain political climates, people may feel threatened to the point
that they no longer feel that it is safe to express what they feel or think. This is not a good
environment to live in. We fully agree with the NCA that to have a vibrant democracy, we
must be able to hear different perspectives and have a high tolerance for views that are
different from ours. It is important to foster an environment where people feel safe enough to
express what they think and feel, and for these expressions to be met with reasonable
dialogue and debate, rather than outright censure or violence.
 The NCA states that they” condemn communication that degrades individuals and
humanity through distortion, intimidation, coercion, and violence, and through the
expression of intolerance and hatred” (1999). This condemnation is important because it
safeguards society from racism, sexism, and violence against oppressed people. History has
shown us that a tolerance for hate speech, as well as speeches that incite violence and the act
of killing, have often instituted such violence in society, whether this is in the context of
slavery, colonialism, or misogyny.
 The NCA states that communicators should accept responsibility for the
short- and long -term consequences of our own communication and expect the
same for others”. All often, there have been people who do not feel
accountable for their actions. Therefore, if one risks to communicate
maliciously, spread false news, or incite hatred or violence, he or she should be
ready to face the consequences of such actions.
DEIRDRE D. JOHNSON POINTED OUT TEN POINTS OF ETHICS IN COMMUNICATION
THAT YOU SHOULD BEAR IN MIND TO AVOID BEING LABELED “UNETHICAL” (AS CITED
IN CHASE & SHAMO, 2013 )

• Mutuality. Pay attention to the needs of others, as well as yours.

• Individual dignity. Do not cause another person embarrassment or a loss of dignity.
•Accuracy. Ensure that others have accurate information. Tell them everything they have a
right and need to know, not just what is true.
•Access to information. Never bolster the impact of your communication by preventing
people from communicating with one another or by hindering access to the supporting
information.
• Accountability. Be responsible and accountable for the consequences of your relationships
and communication.
Audience. As audience or receiver of the information, you also have ethical
responsibilities. A good rule of thumb is the “200% rule” where both the sender
and the receiver have full or 100% responsibility to ensure that the message is
understood, and that ethics is followed. This is a 100/100 rule, not a 50/50 rule.

Relative truth. As either sender or receiver of information, remember that your

own point of view may not be shared by others and that your conclusions are
relative to your perspective, so allow others to respectfully disagree or see it
differently
• Ends vs. means. Be sure that the end goal of your communication and the means of
getting to the end are both ethical although no rule can be applied without reservation
to any situation.
•Use of power. In situations where you have more power than others ( e.g. a teacher
with the student, a boss with a subordinate, a parent with a child ) you also have more
responsibility for the outcome.
•Rights vs. responsibilities. Balance your rights against your responsibilities even if you
live in a wonderful society where your rights are protected by law; not everything you
have a right to do is ethical.
•Every time we communicate, we should consider the consequences of our
actions. If people were more responsible in their use of communication, there
would be less conflict in the world. The principles of communication are
important, because they help us discern the difference between ethical and
unethical communicators.
ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY

1.What aspects of interpersonal communication are considered knotty?

2. Be prepared to answer questions in your own words.

Thank you