238 / UNDERSTANDING COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Defining communication
Understanding each other
Humans aren’t the only beings who
communicate—virtually all forms of life
are capable of sending and receiving
messages. People, however, are the only
living organisms known to communicate
Think of communication as a process, involving senders and receivers
who encode and decode messages that are transmitted by various media
and that may be impeded by noise. The aim of this process is to elicit
feedback in order to generate a desired effect or outcome.
Defining levels of communication
INTRAPERSONAL
Communication within ourselves, sending messages to
various parts of our bodies, thinking things over, or working
silently on a problem.
INTERPERSONAL
Communication between or among people, sending messages
from one person to another—verbally and nonverbally—with the
hope of transferring meaning from one person to another.
ORGANIZATIONAL
Communication in the context of an organization, sending
and receiving messages through various layers of authority and
using various channels to discuss topics of interest to the group
we belong to or the company we work for.
MASS OR PUBLIC
Sending messages from one person or source to many people
simultaneously, through television, the internet, or print media.
not just with signals and signs, but
through the use of symbols with
agreed-upon meanings. If we think
about communication as the transfer
of meaning, then for each of us,
successful communication means
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DEFINING COMMUNICATION / 239
REDUCE NOISE
The ultimate success of the
communication process
depends to a large degree
on overcoming noise, so
make an effort to keep your
messages clear, concise,
and to the point.
Tip
Understanding the principles
Communication involves a number of
principles, which apply across time
and cultures. The process is always:
•
Dynamic It is constantly undergoing
change.
•
Continuous Even when you hang up
the telephone, you’re communicating
a message that you have nothing
more to say.
If communication is the
transfer of meaning, then
for successful communication
to occur, you should understand
something just as I do
•
Circular Communication is rarely
entirely one-way. We each take
in information from the outside
world, determine what it means,
and respond.
•
Unrepeatable Even if we say
something again in precisely
the same way, our listeners have
heard it before, and so respond
to it differently.
•
Irreversible We cannot “unsay”
words: their effect remains even
if we’re asked to disregard them.
•
Complex We all assign slightly
different meanings to words.
This variation is a product of
our backgrounds, education,
and experience, and means
that there is always the potential
for misunderstanding.
that you will understand something
just as I do: we are in agreement about
what the sender intended and what the
receiver ultimately understood.
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