Republic of the Philippines

Province of Cotabato
Municipality of Makilala
MAKILALA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

INFORMATION SYSTEM DEPARTMENT

Bachelor of Science in Information System

Course Number : Engl 1 Instructor : Marlene Oasay

Course Title : Purposive Mobile Number : 09204011624

Communication
Credit Units : 3 Units Email Address : [email protected]
Module No. : 5
Duration : 1 week Messenger : Mist Marlene Oasay

I. Learning Objectives
a. Identify the various communication modes and how they help in expressing one’s communicative intent.
b. Distinguish the advantage among the communication modes.
II. Topic/Subject Matter
Communication Modes

Activity

View a video conference from YouTube titled “A video conference call in real life” by Tripp
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMOOG7rWTPg). Then answer the following questions:

1. How was the flow of the video conference?

2. Were there some technical glitches encountered? Were they able to resolve it immediately?
3. After viewing the sample video conference what do you think are the constraints of this communication mode?

Communication mode refers to the channel through which one expresses his communicative intent. It is the medium
through which one conveys his thoughts. Views or feelings can be communicated through face-to-face interaction, video, or
audio. The mode may also be text-based.

Face-to-face Interaction

The most common of all these modes is the face-to-face interaction. It is an informal or casual conversation
between two or more people. People engage in social conversations to establish relationships or maintain them. It is one
way of gaining new acquaintances or friends. How to speak, what to speak, when to speak, and to whom one is speaking
are all important considerations in building relationships.

How then do you initiate conversations? Faced with a group of new people who do you not know in a social
gathering, you should be able to begin a conversation. You will be able to test the saying: “First impression last.” In this
case, depending on the kind of impression you leave to your audience, you create either a positive or a negative image of
yourself. One advantage of face-to-face interaction is that aside from directly hearing the message being conveyed, you are
able to note visual cues through facial expressions, gestures, movements or even objects or realia from the person/s you
are communicating with.

Dau Voire suggest: “Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters.” This simply means that even if the people
surrounding you in a social event are strangers to you, you need to be confident enough to meet new faces and initiate an
interesting conversation. But what kind of topics matter to strangers you are meeting for the first time?
In a social gathering like a wedding, for instance, you do not dwell on topics that are never-ending in nature. You do not
discuss politics and religion as these are sensitive issues that may impinge on one’s side beliefs and practices. Instead,
start a conversation focusing on what you experience at the moment – ambience or atmosphere of the wedding reception,
music, food, relationship to bride or groom. These are topics sufficient until the reception ends. Note that one topic may lead
1|Page
 to another. You should be able to hold a conversation at a social event without offending the other party. In other words,
topic initiation should be followed by topic maintenance, topic change or shift, and, finally, topic closure.

Margaret J. Wheatly states: “All social change begins with a conversation.” Indeed, this is so especially if that
on single and simple conversation blossoms into a deeper contact. Eventually, you and your newfound friend may find
yourselves enjoying each other’s company, sharing the same interests, and deciding to work on some significant projects.
Later on, all of these will result in changes that yield profound social consequences.

Virtual Interaction

Another mode of communication is video. Web cameras are used so that two or more people who cannot
interact face-to-face can communicate. If there are no technical glitches encountered, this could be a very effective mode of
communication especially for people separated by distance. For example, you may engage in a conversation via Skype with
your loved ones especially during significant, meaningful or memorable occasions. You are able to hear clearly the voice
and see up close the face of your beloved. Other electronic applications that allow video calls are Viber, WhatApp, Apple
FaceTime, and Facebook Messenger, among others. In more formal settings, people can also engage in video-
conferencing such Zoom.

While this is convenient communication mode for people who want to reach out to each despite distance, a
disadvantage is the time zone difference between countries. In this case, one of them should make the necessary
adjustment to pave the way for successful communication. Problems on internet connection is also one factor which may
hinder the communication process

Auditory Interaction
The third mode of communication is audio. Audio means transmitted sound. Thus, in this mode of
communication, only the voice of the speaker is heard. Ordinarily, someone’s voice is heard through the telephone or an
answering machine when the other party is not able to answer a call. In Skype, when a person cannot be contacted or is not
online, a voice message or voice mail can be sent. An obvious downside of this mode is not being able to see the body
language or cues of the person you are talking to. The audio communication mode is quite difficult especially if you are
listening to people with different accent. For instance, in relation to the World Englishes paradigm, other speakers of English
apart from those who speak it as a native may find it peculiar, listening to the accent of Filipinos. Some Filipinos are not able
to distinguish the sound of /I/ and /i/ in English words as in the examples sin and seen. Some are not able to produce the
sound of hard and soft /th/ and simply substitute /d/ as in the examples those and dos and thing and ting. Some also
interchange /v/ with /b/ and /f/ with /p/.

Text-based Interaction
The last mode of communication is text-based communication such as email, facsimile, text messaging, and
instant messaging. Social networking sites such as Facebook, twitter, and Instagram likewise offer text-based
communication. While this mode does not originally provide video and audio benefits, it has a wider reach and can
disseminate information to a bigger audience quickly.
The last three modes are all virtual nature. Those engaged in communication are able to hear and/or see
each other in real time simulating the actual physical setting.

III. Evaluation
1. Identify the type of communication mode that best suits the following situations. (2pts each)

Scenario Communication Mode Justification

a) Disseminating information
about the change in
examination schedule
b) Providing information
about the latest school
policy on conducting
interviews of university
officials
c) Explaining why student
failed the test
d) Expressing apology for a
grave shortcoming
e) Inviting someone to attend
2|Page
 your lecture forum
f) Explaining why you failed
to attend the class activity
g) Inviting classmates to join
the community service
program for the Aetas in
Tarlac
h) Informing schoolmates
about the cancellation of
classes due to a typhoon
i) Announcing the award
granted by an international
organization to a teacher
j) Reprimanding a male
student for keeping a
pornographic magazine

2. How do you think communication mode changed or improved over time? What are the advantages and
disadvantages of each mode? (Rubric: Content – 3pts; Organization of Ideas – 1pt; Grammar – 1pt)

________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________

REFERENCES
o Madrunio, M. R., & Martin, I. P. (2018). Purposive Communication: Using English in Multilingual Contexts. Quezon
City: C&E Publishing, Inc.
o Uychonco, M. & Santos, M. (2018). Communication for Society: Purposive Communication 1 st Ed. Rex Bookstore,
Inc.

***END OF MODULE***

3|Page