CHAPTER2:

ESSENTIALELEMENTSOFCOMMUNICATIONTHEORYFramework2.1verbalcommunication(VC)2.2nonverbalcommunication(NVC)2.3elementsofcommunication2.4summary2.1VERBALCOMMUNICATION(VC)Verbalcommunicationreferstothecommunicationthatiscarriedouteitherinoralorinwrittenformwiththeuseofwords(Xu,Xianguang,1997).CharacteristicsExpressingallkindsofideasKeepinganddisseminatinginformationMoreclarifiedandefficientthanotherways2.1.1EXPRESSINGALLKINDSOFIDEASTheuniquenessofverbalcommunicationisinthatitcanbestexpressallideaswewanttoexpress.Forexample,asamanagerofmarketdepartment,ifyouhaveanidea,youcantalkitoverwithyourassistant'stoseehowhe/theyfeel(s)aboutit.Besides,youcanalsoholdameetingtodiscuss;oryoucansendaquestionnairetothosepeopleconcernedtogetafeedback.2.1.2

KEEPING&DISSEMINATINGINFORMATIONSupposeyouwanttodoabetterjobfortheideayouhaveinmind.Beforeyougotoanyonetoshareyourideawith,you’dbetterstoreyourideaintothecomputer.Withthehelpofthecomputer,youcanmodifyanddeveloptheimmatureone.Inthisway,youwillfeelmoreconfidentwhentalkingwithotherpeopleabouttheidea.2.1.3MORECLARIFIED&EFFICIENTTHANOTHERWAYSSomepeoplemayarguethatbesidesverbalcommunication,humanbeingsmayhaveotherwaysforcommunication.Forexample,theycanusegesturesofsomeestablishedwayslikebeatingdrums(asinAfrica)orblowinghorns(asinAsia)tosendmessages.Itistruethatsuchwaysdoworkinagivenareaorgiventime,butnoneofthemcanbecomparedtotheverbalwaywhichisusedtheworldover.MINICASEpp56(AboutChinesestudentsinCanada)Inthecaseabove,themisunderstandingabouttheChinesewayofentertainingguestsandfornegotiationsisverytypicalincross-culturecontacts.However,misunderstandingsormisperceptionscannotbecorrectedunlessthepeopleconcernedtalkthemoverinaverbalway.Ofcourse,arealunderstandingofanation’scultureinvolvesotherfactors.Butverbalcommunicationcertainlyfunctionsastheprerequisiteforarealunderstandingbetweeneachother,especiallyforthosepeoplewithdifferentculturalbackgrounds.Inmostcases,verbalcommunicationworksfasterandmoreefficientlythanotherways,andthisisespeciallytruewhenpeoplearefarawayfromeachother.Believeitornot,communicationinaverbalwayhasmadeourcommunicationeasier,moreconvenient,andmoreeffective.2.2NONVERBALCOMMUNICATION(NC)Nonverbalcommunicationreferstothecommunicationwhichisnotcarriedoutinwords,butthroughone’svoicequalities,facialexpressions,gestures,bodymovements,orattitudestowardsspacesandtime,etc.Nonverbalcommunicationusedtobeneglectedbymanypeople,simplybecauseofitsnonverbalnature.Butthingsaredifferentnow,businesspeoplearepayingmoreandmoreattentiontononverbalwaysintheircommunications.2.2.1VOICEQUALITIESVolume

Volumereferstotheloudnessofone’svoice.Wedoneedaloudvoice,butweseldomuseit.Instead,weusethemediumorlowvoicewhenwecommunicatewitheachother.Volumecanaddcolortowhatyousay,anditcanalsotellotherpeoplewhatkindofpersonyouare.Rate

Ratereferstothespeedwespeak.Althoughbusinesspeopleshouldalwaysspeakinahurriedorveryfastway.Actually,unlessthereissomethingreallyurgent,weshouldtrytospeakatanormalspeed,whichisabout110-150wordsperminute.Thosewhocannotcontroltheirspeakingratewillonlyimpressothersasbeingimpatientorlackofpropermanner.Peopletendtohavetrustinthosewhospeakwithamoderaterateandamediumvolume.Pitch

Pitchreferstotheraiseandfallofone’stone.Peoplegenerallywillnotfeelcomfortablewhentheyhearahigh-pitchedvoice,nomatterhowimportantitmaybe.Ahigh-pitchedvoiceoftenmakespeoplenervous.Besides,itsoundsmorelikescoldingthantalking.However,pitchcanbecharmingandeffectivewhenusedproperly.

2.2.2FACIALEXPRESSIONSMovementofeyebrowsandeyesThemovementofeyebrowscarriesmessageslikegreeting,surprise,fear,etc.Generallyspeaking,Westernersusemoreeyebrowmovementstoconveymessagesthaneasternersdo.Eyecontactisanimportantchannelfornonverbalcommunication.Anumberofcountrieshavedescribedeyesas“thewindowofone’smind”.MINICASEpp61(Areturnforatoybear)Thecaseabovehasshownusthateyecontactdoeshaveits”magic”.However,thisdoesnotmeanthateyecontactistheprerequisiteforinterpersonalcommunication.Infact,differentnationshavedifferentculturesrelatingtoeyecontact.SmileSmileisaverycommonyeteffectivewayofnonverbalcommunication,andithasanempathicimpactonotherpeople.Notonlytheemployees,butmanagersthemselvesneedsmiletraining,too.Asmilefromamanagerwillgivemoreencouragementtotheemployeesthangoodwordswithnofacialexpressions.2.2.3GESTURESGesticulationisanotherindispensableelementfornonverbalcommunication.Differentgesturesexpressdifferentmessagesandsomegesturesseemtobeknownbyall.However,thesamegesturemaysenddifferentmessagestothosewhohavedifferentculturalbackgrounds.MINICASEpp63-64(Chineseengineerexpresseshisappreciation)Naturally,abusinesspersoncouldnothaveacompleteknowledgeofallothercultures,customsandsoon.Butabusinesspersonshouldlearn,asmuchaspossible,someoftheknowledgeofthisdiscipline.Andasaruleofthumb,youshouldnothesitatetoaskforexplanationorclarificationifyouspotanydubioussignsfromyourpartnersinyourcommunications.2.2.4POSTUREPosturereferstoourbodypositionsasawhole.Posturesenddifferentmessagestootherpeople.Inawaywemaysaythatourpostureactslikea“l(fā)iberalmessenger”,whoisreadytosendanymessageoutinspiteofitslikelyconsequences.2.2.5SPACESpaceherereferstothephysicaldistancebetweentwocommunicators.Differentarrangementinthespacecarriesdifferentmessagesofdistance.Spaceisgenerallydividedintofourkindswithreferencetospatialdifferences:Spacewithin50cmisconsideredan“intimatedistance”Spacerangingfrom50cmtoabout1.2misregardedas“personaldistance”Spacefrom1.2mo3.7misconsidered“socialdistance”Spacefrom3.7mtothelimitofoursightandhearingiscalled“publicdistance”.MINICASEpp67(AnAmericaninanArabcountry-steppedback)Physicaldistanceusuallystandsforthestatusdifferenceinanorganization,whichoftenhasapsychologicalimpactontheemployees.Thatisthereasonwhymanyemployeestrynottoapproachtheirmanagers.However,thingsaregraduallychangingforthebetter.Manyorganizationsareawareoftheimpactarisingfromthedistancefactorandaretryingtoshortenthatdistance.2.3ELEMENTSOFCOMMUNICATIONCommunicationisadynamicprocess.Intheprocessofcommunication,anumberofelementshavebeeninvolvedandeachofthemplaysanimportantroleforthepromotionofcommunication.Therefore,eachofthemisworthourattentionandstudy.Communicationcoversmainlythefollowingelements:message,sender,receiver,channel,perceptionandfeedback.2.3.1MESSAGEAmessagecarriesideasfromonepersontoanotheranditcanbedeliveredeitherinaverbalwayorinanonverbalway.MessageVerbalmessageNonverbalmessageOralmessageWrittenmessageGestureFacialexpressionBodilymoveVis-a-visPhoneSpeechLetterMemoE-mailHandBlinkEyebrowSmileForwardBlend2.3.2SENDER&RECERVERSenderreferstothepersonwhosendsthemessage,andreceiveristheonewhoissupposedtoreceivethemessage.SenderTwofactors:WhatmessageshouldbecomposedHowtosenditoutThesendershouldputhimselfinthereceiver’sshoeswhendesigningthemessage.

ReceiverThereceivershouldnotgivethefeedbackinacasualwayifhereallycaresaboutgettingtherightmessagefromthesender.Whennotclearornotcertainaboutthemessage,thereceivershouldnothesitatetoaskforclarification.MINICASEpp71(Plumber:usinghydrochloricacid)Actually,bothsenderandreceiverarehighlytime-bindingandbothareinterchangeableintheirdifferentroles.Agoodunderstandingoftheinterchangeablematurewillhelpusthinkfrombothsides—thesender’sandthereceiver’s.CHANNELChannelreferstothewaysofsendingandreceivingmessages.Differentmessagesnaturallyaskfordifferentchannelsfortransmission.Twochannels:theoralchannelthewrittenchannelChannelswithinanorganizationcanbefurtherdividedintoformalandinformalones.Formal

channelscomprisethreekindsofcommunication---downward,upward,andhorizontal.Informalchannelsreferstowhatiscalled“grapevine”,whichhasbeendiscussedunderinformalcommunicationinChapterOne.2.3.4FEEDBACKFeedbackreferstothereactionfromthemessagereceivertothemessagesender.Feedbackcanbepresentedinvariousforms---verbalornonverbal,formalorinformalpositiveornegative,etc.POSITIVEFEEDBACKvs.

NEGATIVEFEEDBAKPositivefeedback(PF)

Positivefeedbackreferstotheresponsewhichhasanencouraginginfluenceuponthesender,whichoftenhappenswhenthemessagewaseitherinthereceiver’sfavororcaughthisinterest.Positivefeedbackiscapableofmaximizingthequantityofcommunicationonbothsides.MINICASEpp74(Acasualconversation:Henry&Man)Actually,awisemessagesenderwon’tbeinterestedinthelengthofthequalityofcommunicationortherangeoftopicscovered.Whatheispursuingisthequalityofcommunication,i.e.whetherthecommunicationhasachievedhisintendedgoal.Intheprocessofcommunication,PFwouldbeaneffectivetoolinreachingone’sgoal.SofarastheformofPFisconcerned,itmaynotalwaystaketheverbalform;sometimesitisshowninanonverbalway,likeasmile,araisedeyebrow,orsomeinterestedeyecontact.Therefore,whenpeopleareexchangingmessageswitheachother,theyshouldnotonlyfocustheirattentionontheverbalmessages,butkeepaneyeonthenonverbalmessagesaswell.Negativefeedback(NF)Negativefeedbackreferstothecorrectivereactionfromthereceivertothesender.Suchareactionmaynotbeaconsciousonefromthereceiver,moreoftenitisanunconsciousone.Sometimes,NFisnotveryevident.Anexperiencedspeakerwillnotwaituntiltheendtoknowhisaudience’sresponsetohisspeech.Veryoftenhestartsprobingtheaudience’sresponsewhilespeaking.NFisanimportantclueforthemessagesendertomakesometimelyadjustmentinlength,style,organizationofthespeechoreveninthetopicitself.ComparisonPositivefeedbackMoreverbalmessagesMorecommunicationMoreencouragementDeeperimpressionNegativefeedbackLessverbalmessagesLesscommunicationMoreremindingLessimpressedINNERFEEDBACKvs.

OUTERFEEDBACKInnerfeedback(IF)

Innerfeedbackreferstothefeedbackinitiatedbythesenderhimself,whichaimsatreexaminingtheappropriatenessorcorrectnessofagivenmessage.MINICASEpp76-77(assume:thebankwithdrawingtheloan)IFisuniqueinthatitmakesitpossibleforthesendertodoabetterjobaboutthemessage.Thiswillmakeitpossibleforthesendertominimizethelikelymisunderstandingsordisinformationarisingfromthemessage.Besides,asIFalwaysfunctionscorrectivelytothesender,itsharesthesamefeaturesasNFdiscussedabove.Outerfeedback(OF)OuterfeedbackcomesafterIF,whichservesasadditionalinformationforthesendertoevaluatetheeffectofhismessageinthecourseofcommunication.WhenthesenderisunawareofhisIFabilities,OFwillcometohisaidinsupplyinghimwiththeinformationrequired.COMPARISONInnerfeedbackSelf-monitoredSelf-correctiveJustintime

(bothinoral&writtenforms)Subjective

(dependonlyononeself)OuterfeedbackReceiver’sresponseOutsideopinionsNotsofast

(esp.inwrittenform)Objective

(fromanotherperson)Thecouplingofinnerfeedback(IF)

andouterfeedback(OF)Recodingandresendingthemessage(Sender)Sendingmess.(Receiver)Receivingmess.InnerfeedbackOuterfeedback2.3.5PERCEPTIONPerceptionreferstoone’sassumptiononsomeoneorsomething.Perceptionischaracterizedinthreeways:a)experience-driven,b)attitude-driven,c)incompletemessage-driven.Experience-drivenExperienceplaysanimportantroleinone’slife,andthatisthereasonwhymanypeopledependsomuchontheirexperiencewhentheyareconfrontedwithproblems.Attitude-drivenAttitudeherereflectsone’sideaofvalues,likesordislikes,etc.,whichhassomethingtodowithone’sexperience.Whetherone’sattitudeisrightlypositionedornotliesnotonlyinone’sexperience,butinone’seducationaswell.Incompletemessage-drivenSometimes,thesender-forsomereason-didn’t(orcouldn’t)sendacompletemessagetothereceiver.Onthereceiver’spart,ashewasnotgiventhecompletemessage,hehadtoformhisperceptiononthebasisoftheincompletemessagehehadreceived,nomatterwhatitwasabout.MINICASESpp79-80&pp80-81(1.Ray.dept.manager,2AsellstoJ)Thecaseshaveshownthatperceptionisanimportantelementforcommunication.Perceptioncouldbebeneficialforourappraisalsofsomething/someoneifitisunbiased.However,perceptionmayaffectouranalysisifitisabiasedone.2.4SUMMARYCommunicationcanberoughlydividedintotwokinds:verbalcommunicationandnonverbalcommunication.Verbalcommunication

referstothecommunicationwhichiscarriedoutineitheroralorwrittenformwiththeuseofwords,whilenonverbalcommunicationreferstothecommunicationthroughone’svoicequalities,facialexpressions,gestures,bodilymovement,attitudestowardsspaceandtime,etc.One’svoicequalitiesincludethreeelements:volume,rateandpitch.Volumereferstotheloudnessofourvoice.Ratereferstothespeedofspeech.Pitchreferstoone’sraisedvoice.Facialexpressionreferstoone’sfacialmovementsofeyebrows,eyes,smiles,etc.Differentgesturescarrydifferentmessages,whilethesamegesturemayhavedifferentmeaningagainstdifferentculturalbackgrounds.Posturesrefertoourbodypositionsasawhole.Differentposturessenddifferentmessages.Spaceisgenerallydividedintofourkinds,i.e.“intimatedistance”,“personaldistance”,“socialdistance”,and“publicdistance”,eachofwhichhasdifferentimplicationsandfunctions.Physicaldistancereflectsthestatusdifferenceinagivenorganization.Communicationcoversthefollowingkeyelements:message,sender,receiver,channel,perceptionandfeedback.Amessage-verbalornonverbal-carriesideasfromonepersontoanother.Averbalmessageincludesoralmessageandwrittenmessage.Anonverbalmessagehasmoreuncertaintiesthantheverbalone.Asenderreferstothepersonwhosendsthemessage,whilethereceiveristheonewhoreceivesthemessage.Inordertoreducetheuncertaintyormisunderstandings,sendershouldthinkfromthereceiver’spartwhencomposingthemessage.Besides,theroleofsenderandreceiverisal