Unit 7: Communication Skills

Elements of the Communication Cycle

In order to understand the many intangible facets of communication and make our communication more effective, we are going to look at the process through a model. The model enables us to isolate the components of the process and examine each of them

.There are five main components of the communication cycle:

1. Sender

2. Message

3. Receiver

4. Feedback

5. Personalizing

The communication cycle starts when one person (the sender) formulates and sends a message. The message is taken in by the receiver, who listens to it and interprets it from his or her own perspective (in other words, personalizing the message). The receiver then becomes a sender, responding to the original message with feedback about it. Finally, the original sender receives the feedback, personalizes it in accord with his or her own perspective, and reacts to it. Usually, the original sender formulates another message and the cycle is repeated.

PERSONALIZING

Personalizing is the way we shape our messages and interpret the messages we receive Personalizing continually operates and influences the communication process for both the sender and receiver. Cultural background, previous experience, and personality all greatly affect both the kind of messages we send and the way we respond to those we receive.

For example, remaining silent is a form of a message that is always personalized and often misinterpreted by the receiver. Suppose you suggest to your supervisor what you believe to be an improved procedure. The supervisor says she will consider its merit but never gets back to you with any comments. What do you interpret the silence to mean? What might happen if you misinterpreted the supervisor’s silence? How could this error cause a problem in your relationship?

Personalizing, therefore, affects both the ways in which senders shape their messages and receivers interpret those messages.

Denotative and Connotative Meaning

Words can be interpreted on two levels: objective (denotative) and subjective (connotative).

• Denotation is the objective meaning of words and is usually synonymous with the meanings found in a dictionary. Certain words are more denotative in that they refer to specific objects, such as chair, desk, or jar.

• Connotation is the subjective meaning of words. Subjective meanings are based on an individual’s experiences with and attitudes toward a word and what it represents. They are also related to individual associations evoked by the use of the word. Consider, for example, the differences between the words “chubby,” “overweight,” and” obese.” These words reflect interpretation and imply a judgment. Words that are largely connotative often trigger strong emotional reactions in people.

The meaning of a word, therefore, is more than the literal definition provided by a dictionary. The dictionary gives vou only the most common meanings or usages of a word. People give words other meanings as they use or hear them. The meaning each of us assigns to a word depends on our experiences and perceptions. These personal meanings are rarely the same for different individuals. Even for the same individual, perceptions of certain words and meanings will alter with new experiences. As a result, many communication problems arise from the misuse and misunderstanding of words.

Thus, as senders, it is important that we monitor our choice of words and the manner of saying them. As listeners, it is important to recognize what we ourselves bring to a message.

Facts Versus Inferences, Judgments, Generalizations, and Stereotypes

A common communication problem is using inferences, judgments, generalizations, and stereotypes as if they were facts. Let’s define some terms:

• Facts are statements about the world that are, by consensus, true and accurate. Generally, they can be verified by direct observation. For example:

- The prisoner is handcuffed.

- My supervisor didn’t speak to me at all yesterday.

• Inferences are personal interpretations that are based on the known or observable. Inference mayor may not be correct depending on the number and validity of the facts upon which it is based.

Examples of inference that correspond to the examples of fact given above are:

- The prisoner is harmless.

- My supervisor is upset with me.

• Judgments are evaluative statements based upon inference and personal experience. For example:

- A prisoner is usually guilty.

- My supervisor dislikes me.

• Generalizations are statements that attribute characteristics of one observed event or thing to some other event or thing based on their similarity. For example:

- All prisoners are guilty.

- None of the supervisors likes me.

• Stereotypes are statements that categorize individual people and objects according to generalized characteristics. For example:

- Your prisoner must be guilty.

- No supervisor could possibly like me.

Inference, judgment, generalization, and stereotyping result from the need to simplify and make sense out of the world. In other words, they are adaptive mechanisms, designed to allow you to apply your past

experience to current circumstances. The problem is that people tend to categorize and make quick judgments on the basis of very few cues. This kind of labeling often results in an inability to recognize individual differences. Stereotyping, in particular, encourages people to prejudge a situation based upon their previous experiences. In its extreme, it leads to prejudice and negative or destructive behaviors. Therefore, one must be aware of the potential dangers and limiting effects of stereotyping.