The Communication Process

The Nature of Communication

Communication is derived from the Latin word “common,” which means, “belonging to
many” and “communico”-to confer with others. It is the mutual exchange of information,
ideas and understanding by any effective means. In other words, communication is a
process by which people send messages or exchange ideas or thoughts with one
another in a verbal or non-verbal manner. Communication is important to everyone - on
how we can give and receive information and convey our ideas and opinions with those
around us.
Communication is the interaction of words from a society and thus gives pleasure and
an increased understanding of life. We belong to the era where opportunities for
communication is rampant. We can reach people from different places through cellular
phones, videos, computers and fax machines. Apparently, communication is extremely
important so we have to use it effectively.
Elements of Communication
1. SENDER/ENCODER
The sender, also known as the encoder, decides on the message to be sent and
the best/most effective way that it can be sent. All of these are done bearing the
receiver in mind. In a word, it is the sender’s job to conceptualize
2. MEDIUM
The medium is the immediate form which a message takes
3. CHANNEL
The channel is responsible for the delivery of the chosen message form
4. RECEIVER
The receiver or the decoder is responsible for extracting/decoding meaning from
the message. The receiver is also responsible for providing feedback to the
sender. In a word, it is his/her job to INTERPRET.
5. FEEDBACK
Feedback is important as it determines whether or not the decoder grasped the
intended meaning and whether communication was successful.
6. CONTEXT
Communication does not take place in a vacuum. The context of any
communication act is the environment surrounding it. This includes, among other
things, place, time, event, and attitudes of sender and receiver.
7. NOISE (also called interference)
Noise is any factor that inhibits the transmission of a message. It is anything that
gets in the way of the message being accurately received, interpreted and
responded to. Noise may be internal or external. The communication process is
dynamic, continuous, irreversible, and contextual. It is not possible to participate
 in any element of the process without acknowledging the existence and
functioning of the other elements.
Principles and Characteristics of Communication
1. Communication is a Schemata-driven
Communication begins within yourself, you begin with what you have already
stocked in your brain or with what you have already known or understood about
the subject matter of the communicative act. Transmitted messages become
understandable or meaningful because of your innate or old knowledge about the
messages

2. Communication is an interpretative act.

The only person who knows the exact or full meaning of the message
transmitted is the sender or speaker. Being the creator or source of the ideas,
he/she has the absolute knowledge about his message. It is called interpretative
act because the role of the receiver or listener is just to interpret, infer, or guess
the meaning of things appealing to his sense of hearing.
3. Communication does not guarantee a direct or automatic link between two
minds.
These forms of knowledge become meaningful only to others when you initiate
communication with them.
4. Communication is active, powerful, or forceful
Communication is generally taken as an active message, because it has varied
effects on all participants in any communicative event. It engages speakers and
listeners in action of giving and receiving information. Communication is powerful
and forceful for it elicits different meanings or reactions; these messages are
prone to changes. Subjected to the changeable and continued existence of the
world, communication is dynamic (A process or system characterized by
constant change) as life that goes on and on like a river. Nothing remains
permanent or fixed in the world of communication.
5. Communication is symbolic
Symbols, signs, or marks like letters, words, sentences, graphs, pictures and
other concrete objects represent or stand for ideas that you intend to convey
verbally. For non-verbal communication, you resort to bodily actions (gestures,
eye movements, posture, facial expressions) voice quality, space and time
elements to stand for the ideas you want to express.
6. Communication always results in something.
It refers to two or more persons participate in any communicative act. The first,
expresses or sends a message; the second, responds or reacts to the message.
7. Communication is irreversible. You are free to talk about anything under the
sun. But once you utter something, the things you have said remains as it is
susceptible to different interpretations or meanings
8. Communication is contextual.
 An exchange of views, ideas, or feelings doesn’t only involve the sender and the
receiver, but also other aspects of the communication setting like time, place,
topic, occasion, purpose, and manner of communication.
9. Communication is developmental or progressive.
To communicate ideas is to go through the different stages of language learning
that begins from birth to elementary, highschool, and college levels. It is not a
one-time learning towards communicative competence
10. Communication is a process
Several stages of communication take place when people exchange or share
ideas with one another. Each stage involves elements with different functions.
11. Communication is ethical.
Any communication event is expected to apply rules, moral values, and beliefs
agreed upon by societal members. Guided by these standards determined by the
cultural group you belong to, your communication becomes ethical, good or
desirable.
12. Communication is influenced by media and technology.
Now, you are in the era of knowledge explosion or modern technology. This
period is characterized by an instant global exchange of knoeledge, services and
technology. Using modern electronic communication devices, an exchange of
ideas occurs just in seconds or minutes regardless of the distance between or
among the participants. With the speedy turn out of varied modern media and
devices of communication like the e-mail, cellphone, web cam, internet and other
computer-run gadgets, you now find interaction with anyone in any corner of the
world easily and quickly.

Verbal Language
Verbal language consists of symbols like letters, words, and other marks that you
need to subject to language or grammar rules for a coherent or organized means
of understanding or expressing ideas. This verbal or spoken language becomes
a written language once you put on paper or any surface the marks or prints
symbolizing or representing the ideas you intend to convey or have spoken to
others.Verbal symbols refer to the use of speaker language (Antonio, et.al., p.
30).Non-verbal LanguageNonverbal communication like other forms of
communication is influenced by context and varies among individuals within a
particular cultural group as well.The idea you want to convey through this non-
verbal communication are symbolized or represented, not by words, but by the
following Non-verbal language symbols

1. Body Movements
Big and small movements of your body like gestures, facial expressions,
posture and eye behavior express meanings. Kinesics, derived from the
Greek term, kinesis, meaning “motion” which refers to the study of body
movements.
 2. Paralanguage
These are extra sounds that go with your spoken words and a study of these
special sounds accompanying your words is called Paralinguistic.
Examples of Paralanguage are the following:

a) Speaking voice produced by your voice’s· highness and lowness (Pitch) ·

loudness or softness (Volume)· speediness and slowness (Duration)·
rising and falling (Intonation)· shrillness, huskiness, breathiness,
mellowness, etc. (Quality)

b) Vocalization or voice’s special usage like crying, giggling, moaning,

growling, yawning, sighing and groaning.c) Vocal pauses or boosters like
ahh!...uhg…umm…oh…shh.oops…many others.

3. Time (Chronemics)
willingness, hesitance, or hatred to wait for a long time speaks of your trait of
patience or impatience. Likewise, this reflects your manner of valuing your
relationship with the object of your waiting. Your trait of optimism is also
proven by your fondness of talking about your goals, dreams, or plans for the
future. Chronemics is the term that refers to your act of studying the impact or
effect of time on your behavior.
4. Proxemics
A space or distance symbolizes or represents your thoughts or feelings about
your world. For instance, surrounding your property with steel fence or leaving
it unfenced gives people clues about your preferences or priorities or deciding
to arrange your pieces of furniture too closely or so far from one another
indicates the kind of interaction you would like to have with people. Likewise,
your body contacts, physical closeness with people, acts of touching or
patting them, or maintaining a wide or narrow gap between you and the other
party, expresses meanings on the extent of intimacy or personal relationship
you can establish with others. And, haptics is the term used to refer to your
acts of studying the effects of your touch on people.
5. Physical Appearance and Object Language Meanings in this kind of non-
verbal language, are symbolized or represented by dressing styles, body
types, body appearance like size or shape, architectural designs or
structures, art objects graphic materials, lightning effects, aromatic or smelly
objects, and other environmental factors that influence or affect any
communicative event
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Accommodation – It is the means by which co-culture members maintain their cultural
identity while striving to establish relationships with members of the dominant culture.
Assimilation – It is the means by which co-culture members attempt to fit in with
members of the dominant culture.
Co-cultures – It refers to group of people who differ in some ethnic or sociological way
from the parent culture.
Collectivistic Cultures – It refers to cultures in which group goals are stressed.
Cultural Imperialism – It is the expansion of dominion of one culture over another
culture
Cultural Pluralism – It is the adherence to the principle of cultural relativism.
Cultural Relativism – It refers to the acceptance of other cultural groups as equal in
value to one's own.
Culturally Confused – It refers to the lacking an understanding of cultural difference.
Culture – It is a system of knowledge, beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts
that are acquired, shared, and used by members during daily living.
Diversity – It refers to the recognition and valuing of difference such factors as age,
gender, race, ethnicity, ability, religion, education, marital status, sexual orientation and
income.
Ethnocentrism – It is the tendency to see one's own culture as superior to all others.
Globalization – It refers to the increasing economic, political, and cultural integration
and interdependence of diverse cultures
High context Communication – It is a tradition-bound communication system which
depends on indirectness.
High-power-distance Cultures – It pertains to the cultures based on power differences
in which subordinates defer to superiors.
Individualistic Cultures - It pertains to the cultures in which individual goals are
stressed
Intercultural Communication – It is the way of interpreting and sharing meanings with
individuals from different cultures.
Interethnic Communication – It refers to the interaction with individuals of different
ethnic origins.
International Communication- It refers to the communication between persons
representing different nations.
Intracultural Communication- It refers to the interaction with members of the same
racial or ethnic group or co-culture as yours.
Interracial Communication - It is the way of interpreting and sharing of meanings with
individuals from different races.
Low-context Communication – It is a system that encourages directness in
communication.
Low-power-distance Cultures – It pertains to the cultures that believe that power
should be used only when legitimate.
Masculine Cultures - It pertains to the cultures that value aggressiveness, strength,
and material symbols of success.
Melting pot Philosophy – It is the view that different cultures should be assimilated
into the dominant culture.
Multiculturalism – It refers to the engagement with and respect toward people from
distinctly different cultures.
Prejudice – It is a positive or negative prejudgment.
Separation – It is the means co culture members use to resist interacting with
members of the dominant culture. A reaction paper is an analysis and an evaluation of
the material presented.
Writing a Reaction or Response Essay
Reaction or response papers are usually requested by teachers so that you willl
consider carefully what you think or feel about something you have read. The following
guidelines are intended to be used for reacting to a reading although they could easily
be used for reactions to films too. Read whatever you've been asked to respond to, and
while reading, think about the following questions.· How do you feel about what you are
reading?· What do you agree or disagree with?· Can you identify with the situation?·
What would be the best way to evaluate the story?Keeping your responses to these
questions in mind, follow the following prewriting steps
Prewriting for Your Reaction Paper
The following statements could be used in a reaction/response paper. Complete as
many statements as possible, from the list below, about what you just read.
Organizing Your Reaction Paper
A reaction/response paper has an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
· The introduction should contain all the basic information in one or two paragraphs
· The introduction should include a concise, one sentence, focused thesis. This is the
focused statement of your reaction/response
· The body should contain paragraphs that provide support for your thesis. Each
paragraph should contain one idea. Topic sentences should support the thesis, and the
final sentence of each paragraph should lead into the next paragraph.
· You can structure your paragraphs in two ways: [author, you][author in contrast to you]
· The conclusion can be a restatement of what you said in your paper. It also be a
comment which focuses your overall reaction. Finally, it can be a prediction of the
effects of what you are reacting to. Note: your conclusion should include no new
information.
Strategies for Writing a Conclusion
Conclusions are often the most difficult part of an essay to write, and many writers feel
that they have nothing left to say after having written the paper. A writer needs to keep
in mind that the conclusion is often what a reader remembers best. Your conclusion
should be the best part of your paper.
Strategies
· Echoing the introduction: Echoing your introduction can be a good strategy if it is
meant to bring the reader full-circle. If you begin by describing a scenario, you can end
with the same scenario as proof that your essay was helpful in creating a new
understanding.
Summary
In summary, this handout has covered prewriting and organizing strategies for
reaction/response papers.
Culture and Cultural Globalization
Culture originates from a French term, which in turn derives from the Latin "colere,"
which means to tend to the earth and grow, or cultivation and nurture (Zimmermann,
2017). In other words; culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear
it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the
table, how we greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones, and a million other things
(De Rossi, 2017).The Center for Advance Research on Language Acquisition goes a
step further, defining culture as shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive
constructs and understanding that are learned by socialization. Thus, it can be seen as
the growth of a group.
Furthermore, as stated by Cristina De Rossi, Live Science Coordinator; culture appears
to become a key in our interconnected world which is made up of so many ethnically
diverse societies but also riddled by conflicts associated with religion, ethnicity, ethical
beliefs, and the elements which make up culture. If cultures provide diverse ways of
interpreting the environment and the world, as well as the relationship to other people; it
is important to acknowledge that effective communicators have the ability to select and
perform communication appropriate to various settings (Fred, 2013).

Cultural Globalization
Culture is the lifeblood of a vibrant society, expressed in many ways we tell our stories,
celebrate, remember the past, entertain ourselves, and imagine the future. Our creative
expression helps define who we are, and helps us see the world through the eyes of
others. In this way, cultures can be part of culture globalization which involves the
formation of shared norms and knowledge with which people associate their individual
and collective cultural identities. Henceforth, globalization brings increasing
interconnectedness among different populations and cultures. This has been successful
through the use of Internet, popular culture media, and international travel. The
following are the importance of having one’s culture:
1. Intrinsic benefits
Cultural experiences are opportunities for leisure, entertainment, learning, and
sharing experiences with others. From museums to theatres to dance studios to
public libraries, culture brings people together
2. Improved learning and valuable skills for the future
Cultural heritage broadens opportunities for education and lifelong learning,
including a better understanding of history. Many jurisdictions make strong
linkages between culture and literacy and enhanced learning outcomes, in both
public education and in the development of valuable workforce skills.
3. Better health and well-being
Participation in culture contributes to healthy populations in several ways.
Creativity and cultural engagement have been shown to improve both mental and
physical health. Participation in the arts can relieve isolation and promote identity
formation and intercultural understanding
4. Vibrant communities
The benefits of culture for individuals can spill over to society as a whole. Culture
helps build social capital, the glue that holds communities together. By bringing
people together, cultural activities such as festivals, fairs, or classes create social
solidarity and cohesion, fostering social inclusion, community empowerment, and
capacity-building, and enhancing confidence, civic pride, and tolerance.

B. Economic benefits of culture

1. Contribution to job creation
 Economic opportunities created by culture have taken on greater importance as
economies transition from the industrial model, and work based on physical
labour, to a new model in which knowledge and creativity drive productivity and
growth.
2. Contribution to tourism
Culture makes a significant contribution to the tourism industry, further supporting
job creation and encouraging infrastructure development. The many festivals and
events hosted each year coupled with the province’s museums, art galleries, and
historic sites, are magnets for cultural tourists.
3. Cultural planning Increasingly, municipalities are recognizing the contribution of
culture to sense of place, quality of life, and community and economic prosperity
through a process called “cultural planning.” Cultural planning is led by local
governments and involves broad community engagement to identify and
leverage a community's cultural resources, strengthen the management of those
resources, and integrate them in all facets of local planning and decision-making.
4. Cultural Differences
Culture influences many parts of people’s lives including the food, dress,
opinions, identity, music, buildings, manners, social interaction and language. We
need to understand others cultural background to make sense of different
viewpoints and opinions. Cultural awareness is important in creating
cross cultural understanding and acceptance. Cultural awareness can give us a
better understanding of our own culture and how it is perceived by outsiders.
Similarly, culture is the customary beliefs, social forms and materials traits of a
racial, religious or social group. Moreover, culture makes up a large part of ou
day to day life. Thus, cultural differences include differences in food, clothes,
religion and language

In order to avoid possible problems, here are some ways on how to be culturally aware:
1. Engage with other’s cultures by aksing questions.
2. Be Open! Don’t get into the habit of thinking your way is the only way of doing
something.
3. Think about what you can learn from them no matter how unusual it is.
4. Invite someone to share his/her culture with you.5. Overcome stereotypes
Cultural Sensitivity
Cultural sensitivity begins with a recognition that there are differences between cultures.
These differences are reflected in the ways that different groups communicate and
relate to one another. Cultural sensitivity is more than an awareness that there are
differences in culture in order to interact effectively either through verbal or non-verbal
communication. People who don’t recognize differences between cultures fall on
stereotyping and discriminating minority group.Cultural sensitivity is an attitude and way
of behaving in which you are aware of and acknowledge cultural differences; it’s crucial
for such global goals as world peace and economic growth as well as for effective
interpersonal communication (Franklin & Mizell, 1995). Without cultural sensitivity there
can be no effective interpersonal communication between people who are different in
gender or race or nationality or affectional orientation.Sensitivity to Gender is being
aware that there are differences between male and female, but those differences are
not universal.
Aspects of Gender
1. Assignment. This is the gender from birth, either being male or
female, it is also the gender prescribed by the society.
2. Role. This is the set of behaviours, mannerisms and other traits
that society use to express as part of the assigned gender
3. Identity. This is what we think the gender should be at any given
time.
4. Attribution. This is the gender assigned to people when we first
meet them and is based on a set of cues that differentiate from
culture to culture.
INCREASING CULTURAL SENSITIVITY
· Prepare yourself. Read about and listen carefully for culturally influenced behaviors.
· Recognize your fears. Recognize and face your own fears of acting inappropriately
toward members of different cultures.
· Recognize differences. Be mindful of the differences between yourself and those from
other cultures.
· Recognize differences within the group. At the same time that you recognize
differences between yourself and others, recognize that there are often enormous
differences within any given cultural group.
· Recognize differences in meaning. Be aware that words don’t always mean the same
thing to members of different cultures.
· Be rule conscious. Think mindfully about the cultural rules and customs of others.
Cultural Appreciation vs Cultural Appropriation
Appropriation is the action of taking something for one's own use, typically without the
owner's permission. Appreciation on the other hand is the recognition and enjoyment of
the good qualities of someone or something. The two are strikingly different but can
easily be confused as the same thing due to the fact that a lot of people don’t know
when they are culturally appropriating.
Cultural appreciation is when elements of a culture are used while honoring the
source they came from. It is important to note that appreciation involves respect and
value.
Cultural appropriation is taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural
expressions, or artifacts from someone else's culture without permission. This can
include unauthorized use of another culture's dance, dress, music, language, folklore,
cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc.

When adopting from a foreign culture it is crucial to follow some basic steps that will
help you avoid being accused of cultural appropriation and instead help create cultural
awareness.
1. Research the Culture
2. Avoid the Sacred
3. Don’t Stereotype
4. Promote Diversity
5. Engage, Promote & Share Benefits