Key Terms: 

• Self-Concept – your sense of self and awareness of who you are.
• Communication – defined as the process of understanding and sharing meaning.
• Understanding –  to understand is to perceive, to interpret, and to relate our perception and interpretation to what we already know.
• Sharing – Sharing means doing something together with one or more people.
• Meaning – what we share through communication.
• Source – The source imagines, creates, and sends the message.
• Message – the stimulus or meaning produced by the source for the receiver or audience.
• Channel – the way in which a message or messages travel between source and receiver.
• Receiver – The receiver receives the message from the source, analyzing and interpreting the message in ways both intended and unintended by the source.
• Feedback –  Feedback is composed of messages the receiver sends back to the source.
• Environment – the atmosphere, physical and psychological, where you send and receive messages.
• Context – The context of the communication interaction involves the setting, scene, and expectations of the individuals involved.
• Interference – Interference is anything that blocks or changes the source’s intended meaning of the message.
• Transactional Model – communication actions often happening at the same time.
• Constructivist Model – focus on the negotiated meaning, or common ground, when trying to describe communication.

Study Questions:

SQ1 – Why is it important to communicate well?

Communication influences your thinking about yourself and others while also influencing how you learn. Holding a fundamental drive to communicate, you as an effective communicator will be able to express your thoughts, confusion, or ideas to others around you. Communication represents you, as well as others such as your employer. It is a desired skill for business and industry jobs that prove to be an asset to every organization. Communication forms a part of your self-concept, and it helps you understand yourself and others, solve problems and learn new things, and build your career.

SQ2 – How is communication defined?

The communication process involves understanding, sharing, and meaning, and it consists of eight essential elements: source, message, channel, receiver, feedback, environment, context, and interference. Among the models of communication are the transactional process, in which actions happen simultaneously, and the constructivist model, which focuses on shared meaning.

SQ3 – What are the different types of communication in contexts?

Communication contexts include intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, public, and mass communication. Each context has its advantages and disadvantages, and its appropriate and inappropriate uses.

SQ4 – What are your responsibilities as a communicator?

As a communicator, you are responsible for being prepared and being ethical. Being prepared includes being organized, clear, concise, and punctual. Being ethical includes being egalitarian, respectful, and trustworthy and overall, practicing the “golden rule.”