Speech Communication is the study of how people generate shared meaning

through the use of verbal and nonverbal symbols. Speech Communication majors
work to develop confidence and effectiveness in their public speaking,
interpersonal, and small group communication skills. The focus is not on preparing
students for a specific job, but rather helping students to develop interpersonal,
organizational, intercultural, and public presentational skills which will enhance
the quality of their lives across a variety of contexts (e.g., within the workplace,
family, civic and social situations).
Ways of Sending Message
Smoke Signals
Smoke signals are a form of visual communication that can travel over long
distances and are one of the oldest forms of long distance communication. Smoke
signals were used to warn others of enemy attacks in Ancient China, as they were
able to be seen from tower to tower along the Great Wall. Native Americans used
this form of communication as well and each tribe had their own system. Usually
the placement of the signal on a hill would indicate different meanings. Today,
smoke signals are still used in Rome to signify when a new Pope has been selected.
Carrier Pigeon
Carrier or homing pigeons are birds that have been bred to find their way home
over long distances. Historically, when an army was engaged in a battle, a short
message could be written on a small piece of paper which was then inserted into a
small metal canister and attached to the leg of a pigeon. The pigeon would be
labeled for a certain location and once released with the message, would then
return home. The infrastructure that supported this message system required
regular deliveries of birds between cities, regular release of the birds so they did
not imprint on a new location, and supply of pigeons to armies or other people with
time-critical messages.
Message in a Bottle
In the 16th century it was common practice in the military to send information by
dropping bottles into the sea. The English Navy for example used bottle messages
to send ashore information about enemy positions. Some say that Queen Elizabeth
I even created an official position of "Uncorked of Ocean Bottles", and if anyone
else were to stumble upon a bottle and open it without permission, they would face
the death penalty.
Telegrams
In 1837, two sets of inventors simultaneously developed an electrical telegraph:
Wheatstone and Cooke in England, and Samuel Morse in the United States. With
the help of an assistant, Morse developed a new signaling alphabet using dots and
dashes that became the standard for telegram communication. By 1861, this Morse
telegraph system connected the West Coast to the East and put the Pony Express
out of business. As technology improved, the telegraph became an audio
transponder, where messages were translated based on the interval between two
clicks instead of the previously used register and tape.
Pony Express
The Pony Express was a mail delivery service that served communities throughout
the Great Plains and across the Rockies in the early 1860’s. Using a series of relay
stations, the Pony Express reduced time for messages to travel from coast to coast
to just 10 days. It was a vital system for sending notes east to west prior to the birth
of the telegraph.
Balloon Mail
Balloon mail refers to the transport of mail by an unmanned helium or hydrogen-
filled balloon. Though the sender is typically unknown, it is an effective way for
those within a closed off society to send information or propaganda materials to
those on the outside. This method of balloon mail was used by private activists to
distribute leaflets to Warsaw Pact countries from West Germany in the mid-1950s
and by South Koreans to North Korea discussing the health of Kim Jong-il.
Telephones
Alexander Graham Bell is commonly credited as the inventor of the telephone,
though many individuals contributed to the devices we use today. The concept of
the telephone dates back to the non-electric string telephone that has been known
for centuries, comprising two diaphragms connected by a wire. Many
experimented with this concept, but it was Bell who filed the patent in 1876 for an
"apparatus for transmitting vocal or other sounds telegraphically"
Fax Machines
Early prototypes of the fax machine have been around since the 1880’s, but they
didn’t reach widespread commercial success until 1966, when Xerox introduced
the Magnafax Tele copier. The device weighed 46 lbs. and sent digital versions of
documents through phone lines via a series of dial tones. The fax machine allowed
people to send documents across the world in a matter of minutes, replacing
courier mail services and telegrams.
Pagers
Sometimes referred to as a “beeper,” pagers are electronic devices that signal a
person with beeps or vibrations when contacted. They tend to be triggered by a
phone call and are most often worn at the hip. The wearer will respond to a signal
by looking at a small screen on the device for an important message, which is
usually in numeric code. These devices were created in 1949, but their first
practical uses didn’t come until a paging service was launched for physicians in
New York the following year.
Cell Phones
In 1973, Motorola produced the first cellphone (which weighed 4.4 lbs.) Today,
we’ve come a long way from those clunky, oversized devices and people are able
to communicate with phones that weigh less than 4 oz and easily slip into their
pocket.
Instant Messaging
With the advent of the Internet came “Instant Messaging”, also known as
“IM’ing”. ICQ was the first stand-alone instant messenger. The idea of a
centralized service with individual user profiles paved the way for later instant
messaging services. While many people today use programs like Jabber, Slack, and
Gchat to communicate via IM, AOL was a pioneer in its field when it launched
popular IM tool “AIM” in 1997.

Texting
For the past decade, we’ve been using cell phones for much more than just talking.
In fact, Americans spend approximately 6 minutes per day talking on the phone,
but more than 26 minutes texting. Originally, we had to type out each and every
letter according to the numerical keypad on our mobile devices. Then, with the
advent of T9, texting speeds increased. Finally, Blackberry and Palm Pilot added
 the full QWERTY keyboard. Android and iOS devices today offer touch screen
keyboards with predictive text and autocorrect capabilities that make it easier than
ever to communicate.
TYPES OF SPEECH  CONTEXT
1. Intrapersonal- It refers to the communication with one’s self.

Example: You spent the night thinking and analyzing why a student from the other
class talked to you on the way home and you decided it probably meant nothing. 

2. Interpersonal- This refers to communication between and among people and

establishes personal relationship between and among them.

Example:
You offered feedback on the speech performance of your classmate.
You provided comfort to a friend who was feeling down.

3. Public- This type refers to communication that requires you to deliver or send
the message before or in front of a group.

Example:
You deliver a graduation speech to your batch.
You participate in a declaration, oratorical, or debate contest watched by a number
of people.

4. Mass communication- This refers to communication that takes place through

television, radio, newspapers, magazines, books, internet, and other types of
media.

Example:
You are a student journalist articulating you stand on current issues through the
school’s newspaper.
 5. Verbal Communication refers to the use of symbols in the form of spoken
words to transmit messages. Verbal communication is complicated by the
fact that language is arbitrary, meaning that words change over time;
ambiguous, meaning that many words lack clear-cut meanings; and abstract,
meaning that words are not the phenomena to which they refer. Thus,
miscommunication occurs when the meaning we attach to a word changes
with time, when a word lacks a clear-cut, precise meaning or when words
are used that are too general.

Example:
The word "love" is a very imprecise term; one person's definition of love may
differ substantially from another person's.

6. Nonverbal Communication refers to the use of symbols other than words

to transmit messages. It includes gestures, body language, how we utter
words, aspects of our environment that influence meaning and objects such
as jewelry, furniture and clothing that send people messages about ourselves.

Example:
Direct eye contact is appropriate in U.S. society but considered disrespectful in
many Asian countries.