OMSC Murtha Campus | College of Agriculture

LESSON PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

1 COMMUNICATION PROCESSES, PRINCIPLES, AND ETHICS

TOPICS
1. Communication Process
2. Communication Principles
3. Communication Ethics

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
1. Explain how communication works,
2. Define all the elements of communication and how they affect communication;
3. Interpret the principles of communication;
4. Demonstrate the communication ethics; and
5. Describe the functions of verbal and non-verbal communication in various and
multicultural contexts

TOPIC 1: COMMUNICATION PROCESS

A. COMMUNICATION
As defined by Cambridge Dictionary, to need to, and therefore does not partake
communication is the process by which society, is either a beast or a god.” Hence,
messages or information are sent from one communication is a customary routine we do
person or place to another. every single day.
Additionally, communication is the When asked about what communication
exchange of information and the expression is, people first think about verbal
of feeling that can result in understanding communication where the sender speaks
(Cambridge Dictionary). From its two and the receiver listens, vice versa.
definitions, the first one tells communication However, communication is more than
is about transmitting a message, and the speaking and listening but it also comes in
second one emphasizes ‘comprehension’ as many forms: verbal, aural, on-verbal, written
the purpose of communication. and visual. Any of the said forms may be
useful in achieving effective communication
Communication is regarded as the by ensuring that the content of the message
backbone of society. Basically, there is no is not changed.
society without communication. Man, as a
member of the society, partake in  Verbal communication is the most
communication as a normal part of daily usual and most used form wherein
living. we use our language through sounds
and tone of voice to deliver
As said by Aristotle, “Man by nature is a messages.
social animal; an individual who is unsocial
 Aural communication consists of
naturally and not accidentally is either
listening and hearing.
beneath our notice or more than human.
 Non-verbal communication consists
Society is something that preceded the
of what is not heard but seen such as
individual. Anyone who either cannot lead
facial expression, gestures, behavior
the common life or is so self-sufficient as not
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Second Semester | Academic Year 2021-2022
Instructor: Mark Anthony S. Bartolome
 towards the sender/receiver and the the forms of email, text messages,
like. instant messages, blogs, and others.
 Written communication is common in  Visual communication entails signs,
businesses and workplace where symbols, pictures, graphics, and
communicators are geographically emojis.
away from each other. It may be in

B. COMMUNICATION PROCESS
To say that communication is a one way and linear process is a myth. It is actually a complex
process which contains many elements.

First, there should be a source who is called communication is needed.

as the sender. The sender shall know why
communication is needed and what form of Third, encoding. Encoding is the process of
communication is necessary to achieve the creating the message in the format that could
purpose. be understood by the receiver of the
message. In this process, the sender must
(Some references consider ‘stimuli’ as the consider some information about the receiver
initial source of the message which refer to such as the context and the age to determine
anything which the source/sender has seen, the use of a number of factors to be used
heard, touched, smelled, tasted, or such as language, the level of the language,
perceived that sparks him to create and send and the method and form of communication.
a message.) Also, in this process, the sender must ensure
that the message contains all the necessary
Second, the message. It is the information, information needed.
idea, opinion, feeling, that the source has
created for the consumption of the receiver. Fourth, channel – the method of
The message is the reason why communication. The method can be face-to-

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Second Semester | Academic Year 2021-2022
Instructor: Mark Anthony S. Bartolome
face which uses the oral and aural form; text Seventh, feedback – the response of the
message which uses the written and visual; receiver to the sender. The feedback helps
and can be non-verbal (facial expression, the sender measure the success of
gesture, etc.). communication process; and lets him adjust
the message the next time around for proper
Fifth, receiver. The receiver is target consumption of the receiver.
recipient of the message. He is responsible
in taking in the accurate meaning of the Eight, context. This refers to the general
message by eliminating possible environment the sender and receiver are in,
distractions. He may fail in decoding the their relationship, and their culture. Context
correct meaning as he has a different filter, dictates their manner of communicating, the
schema, and level of understanding. verbal/written/non-verbal language they
employ, and their behavior in communication
Sixth, decoding. If encoding is the creation process.
of the message, decoding, on the other hand,
is the process of accurately understanding Lastly, the noise, which represents all the
the message received. In this phase, the physical, psychological, or even
receiver must be able to eliminate barriers interpersonal barriers that may act as
that could impede the precise understanding interference in achieving effective
of the message. communication.

TOPIC 2: COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

Imagine talking to a person from another country whose language you cannot understand.
Imagine conversing to a person who is deaf and mute. Imagine talking to a person who does not
believe anything you say. All these situations are challenging since there are distractions such as
different language, inability to speak and hear, and close-mindedness, which may hinder the
proper delivery and digestion of the message.
A. Physical Barriers information. Physical disabilities. Deaf, mute,
and blind, – these are the common physical
Noise. Loud sounds and voices may disabilities that may intervene in
oftentimes disrupt receiver from hearing the communication process
message that may result to no understanding
or misunderstanding of the message. B. Psychological Barriers
Temperature. It may either be too hot or too Lack of attention. As recipient of the
cold that we fail to focus on the message message, we are oftentimes lost in our sea
because of how we feel of thoughts that we fail to give our full
attention; or like children, we may have short
Medium disturbance/Technical problem. attention span. This may result to
This may occur when we use our cellphones communication breakdown especially when
to communicate where it may run out of communication becomes one way in nature.
battery, lose signal, and the like.
Poor retention. They say that one has not
Workplace design. The way the room is listened well if he cannot remember. Poor
organized also affect communication, retention of the message is a barrier since
whereas it is more comfortable communicate production of response could be interrupted.
to members in a round table that to cubicles
Lack of trust. As receiver, we sometimes let
Information overflow. Too much absorption our judgement dictate whether we would
of information is also not good for it may listen or not. We question credibility of
exhaust our brain that it refuses to receiver speaker, we doubt the authenticity of the

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Second Semester | Academic Year 2021-2022
Instructor: Mark Anthony S. Bartolome
message, and the like. when it comes to skincare routine, rather
than to men since they may generalize that
Closed mind and filtering – we may not be women know better in such topic more than
aware but most of us let this barrier win over men.
us. Sometimes, instead of giving our
undivided attention to whoever is speaking, Competition. Competition may be physical:
we tend to assess the credibility of the when noise is much louder than the message
speaker and question everything he is intended to be listened at; and it may be
saying. That may hinder us from absorbing psychological, when our attention is driven to
information/messages. others while listening; and it may be
interpersonal, when we regard ourselves as
superior to others that we fail to be open
minded.

C. Interpersonal Barrier Culture. Our ethnic, religious, and social

differences may greatly affect effective
Gender issues. Gender issues act as barrier communication. Our culture dictates our way
when we distrust the honesty of the speaker of communicating to people, hence
because of their gender. For instance, differences in culture may bring about
women will prefer to listen to the women conflicts.
TOPIC 3: COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Communication barriers are inevitable. They appear/occur anywhere and anytime hindering us
from encoding and decoding meanings. Hence, as communicators, it is imperative that we
develop certain skills that may help us in creating and digesting meanings. WikiJob 2019 released
Top 10 communication skills that we must develop in ourselves in order to be effective
communicators:
Emotional Intelligence type an email or begin a discussion, have in
mind what the purpose of the communication
Emotional intelligence is the ability to is and what information you hope to obtain as
understand and manage your emotions so as a result. Lack of clarity and cohesion can
to communicate effectively, avoid stress, result in poor decisions and confusion.
overcome challenges and empathize with
others. It’s a skill which is learned over time Friendliness
rather than obtained. In any type of communication, make sure
that you set the right tone. A friendly tone will
There are four main strands to emotional encourage others to communicate with you.
intelligence: self-awareness, self- Always try to personalize messages,
management, social awareness and particularly when working with partners or
relationship management. Each of these fellow colleagues. Wishing the recipient, a
strands is important in its own way and good weekend, for example, is a great way
allows you to communicate confidently with a to personalize your message.
variety of people.
Confidence
Cohesion and Clarity In all interactions, confidence (but not over-
Good communication is much more than confidence) is crucial. Demonstrating
saying the right thing; it is about confidence will give customers faith in your
communicating messages clearly and abilities to deliver what they need, and that
concisely. Before you start a conversation, you will follow through with what you have
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Second Semester | Academic Year 2021-2022
Instructor: Mark Anthony S. Bartolome
promised. Conveying confidence can be Open-Mindedness
something as simple as maintaining eye Try to enter into communications without
contact during a conversation, or using a firm having an agenda. Strong communications
but friendly tone when speaking with people require an open mind and a commitment to
over the phone. Be careful not to come understanding other people’s points of view.
across as aggressive, since this will have the If you disagree with the people you are
opposite effect of what you are hoping to speaking to, try to reach a middle ground that
achieve. benefits all parties. Approaching a discussion
with an open mind is more likely to result in a
Empathy successful outcome.
Within a busy work environment, everyone
will have their own ideas about how things Tone of Voice
should be done. Even if you have The tone of your voice can set the whole
disagreements with your colleagues or mood of the conversation. If you start the
partners, their point of view should be discussion in an aggressive or unhelpful
considered and respected.Empathy is also manner, the recipient will be more inclined to
beneficial when speaking with customers in respond in a similar way. The tone of your
certain types of customer-facing role. The voice will include the level of emotion that you
goal here is to understand where the other use, the volume you use and the level of
person is coming from – and respect their communication you choose.
views even if they are very different from your The same sentence can have a very different
own. meaning depending on which words are
emphasized and the tone of your voice. In a
Respect customer complaint scenario, for example,
Empathy leads into the next communication your tone of voice should be as calm as
skill, respect. If you respect the ideas and possible, since an unfriendly tone of voice will
opinions of others, they will be more likely to only serve to worsen the situation.
communicate with you. Active listening or
simply using the name of the person you are Asking Good Questions
speaking to can both be effective. Make sure Good questions can help conversations flow
that when you type emails, you don’t sound and improve the outcome. During a
insincere or write in a way that is insincere. conversation, always aim to ask open-ended
questions. These are questions with prompts
Listening which encourage the recipient to speak about
Good communication is all about listening certain points and they require more detailed
effectively. Take the time to listen to what the responses.
other person is saying and practice active If you need further information still, you can
listening. Pay attention to what the other use probing questions which request even
person is saying, ask questions and clarify more information from the recipient such as
points, and rephrase what they have said so ‘Tell me the process of…” During the
that you know you have understood correctly. conversation include a mixture of questions
including clarification, ‘what if’ scenarios and
open-ended questions to make sure that you
achieve what you set out to do at the
beginning of the call or conversation.

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Second Semester | Academic Year 2021-2022
Instructor: Mark Anthony S. Bartolome
TOPIC 4: COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES
"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." - George
Bernard Shaw

Effective communication does not always happen. It takes a lot of effort and practice. Also, a
number of principles have to be followed to ensure that effective communication will be realized.
These are called as the seven (7) C’s of communication.

1. Completeness. The message must 5. Correctness. It is our responsibility

contain all the necessary information as communicators to ensure that all
required to achieve the purpose. information we send are accurate and
2. Clarity. There must be clarity of the factual. Especially in this generation
message and purpose. The language where social media is widely used,
used, the non-verbal elements, and fake news are also generally spread.
the structure of the expression must As communicators, we must confirm
all agree with one another to achieve the accuracy of the message before
clarity. we share them to others.
3. Conciseness. The message must 6. Concreteness. This principle is in
only cover the necessary details to relation to clarity. The message must
achieve brevity. The acronym KISS be specific and not vague so it will not
must be remembered: Keep it short be misleading.
and simple. 7. Consideration. Whether we are the
4. Courtesy. As communicators, we sender or the receiver, we must be
must always communicate in a emphatic of the other member. We
respectful manner: polite and friendly. must be considerate of others’ needs
in communication, their sentiments,
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Second Semester | Academic Year 2021-2022
Instructor: Mark Anthony S. Bartolome
 and their feelings. We must always be and personality of the individual. These
considerate to adjust our message for communication styles tell about their choices
their benefit. and strategies on how to deal with people and
communicate with them.
Every individual has unique styles and ways
of presenting information, expressing Dr. Aileen M. Russo developed a
emotions, understanding messages, and communication matrix which shows four
overcoming barriers. Some people are very communication styles: spirited, considerate,
talkative while some are timid; some people direct, and systematic. These four styles are
are aggressive while some are attentive and further categorized into two different
sympathetic; and some are straight to the dimensions: assertiveness and
point while some are elaborated. Each of the expressiveness.
styles may be dictated by the culture, society,

Assertiveness and expressiveness are further classified into two levels: high and low. People with
high assertiveness are fond of ‘telling’ while those with low assertiveness are fond of ‘asking’.
People with high expressiveness tend to ‘show emotions’ while those with low expressiveness are
likely to ‘hide emotions.’


The combination of these levels result to the basic Considerate = high expressiveness + low
communication styles: assertiveness
 Spirited = high expressiveness + high  Direct = low expressiveness + high
assertiveness assertiveness

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Second Semester | Academic Year 2021-2022
Instructor: Mark Anthony S. Bartolome
 Systematic = low expressiveness + low  Understand that you don’t have to
assertiveness be friends with everyone but make
sure to respect others and treat
A. SPIRITED them professionally
 Persuasive C. DIRECT
 Is a good story-teller  Gets to the bottom line
 Focuses on the big picture  Speaks forcefully
 Uses motivational speech  Maintains eye contact
Tips for People with Spirited  Presents position strongly
Communication Style: Tips for People with Direct
 Respect decisions and agenda Communication Style:
 Limit personal anecdotes that may  Avoid interruption. Listen
be off-topic  Allow time ‘chatting’ at the beginning
 Allow others to contribute their ideas  Recognize that others also have to
and suggestions – listen genuinely express themselves
 Be certain that any request you give  Consider brainstorming as helpful
is clear and that you convey the tool in generating ideas
reason for such request  Show appreciation
 Communicate appreciation D. SYSTEMATIC
B. CONSIDERATE  Presents ideas precisely
 Listens well  Focus on facts and not elaborated
 Is a good counselor  Efficient on speech
 Uses supportive language  Well organized workplace
 Builds trust Tips for People with Direct
Tips for People with Considerate Communication Style:
Communication Style:  Avoid interruption. Listen
 Be open-minded to the ideas of  Allow time ‘chatting’ at the beginning
others  Recognize that others also have to
 Respect personal space (not express themselves
everyone shares personal details)  Consider brainstorming as helpful
 Allow others to share personal tool in generating ideas
matters before asking them  Show appreciation

TOPIC 6: ETHICS IN COMMUNICATION

Effective communication is ethical communication. Communication is only ethical when it is
genuine, open, cooperative, and sensitive to one’s cultural and social beliefs and practices. If
there is an intent to conceal the truth, or bring damage to any organization, group or individual
person, communication is considered unethical. Even in situations where there is no intent of
harm, but damage to a certain group is inevitable because of the message or the channel used
to relay the message, it is still considered unethical.
In communication situations, ethics is best observed by people who manifest the following:
1. Active and respectful listening (face-to-face) 2. Avoiding prejudice
3. Showing commitment and genuine interest. 4. Respecting socio-cultural beliefs and
practices of others
1. Active and Respectful Listening also provides opportunities to be more
While listening is important to decode productive at work, establish deeper
the message accurately, listening allows a relationships, and increase efficiency in both
person to help others communicate better. It study and work.

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Second Semester | Academic Year 2021-2022
Instructor: Mark Anthony S. Bartolome
 A requisite to ethical communication Interrupting while in the mid-sentence is
is being aware of one’s behavior and habits very disrespectful to some cultures.
during the communicative process in  Respond appropriately. As respectful
different circumstances. It is very necessary listening builds up relationships, so as
to be aware of your behavior while listening. respectful responses. Being honest is
While listening, the following must be considered: indeed necessary but remain polite.
 Body language.
 Eye contact. 2. Avoiding Prejudice
 Sense of the message Most people bring their past
 Turn taking experiences into communication situation.
Awareness of these considerations Sometimes, they pitch in existing information
would send a message that a person because they learned in the past that adding
speaking is either important or unimportant. information makes communication better.
Being self-aware helps one become a more There are times when they do not contribute
active listener, hence becoming an effective anything because of a possible past
communicator. experience when their inputs were
considered or valued. In any case, people
The importance of active listening. enter into a communicative situation with
Being an effective listener requires certain expectations, and they behave or
involvement in the conversation or react accordingly.
communicative situation. It demands a Past experiences inevitably affect
conscious effort to be attentive to the words people’s communication styles in the future.
and more importantly, to the sense of the When their audience responded positively to
message being relayed. their message, chances of them repeating
This necessitates the concentration, the same style are relatively high. However,
which means all distractions during when they were turned down or given
communication must be ignored, as well as negative feedback, this will definitely
practice, which means that it has to be done influence how they deliver the message next
in every communicative situation until it time.
becomes habitual.
Effect to
Past Experiences:
Five key aspects of Active Listening Communication:
You have experienced You hesitate to
 Pay close attention. As a listener, you
to be treated transact in
have to practice remaining focused. improperly in one government offices,
Keep yourself away from any government office. and may
distractions that may corrupt your overgeneralize
attention. government officials.
 Show physical manifestations that Your colleague has You give him/her
you are listening. Nod your head, forgotten some reminders every now
smile, or even maintain eye contact to important information and then to avoid
show that you are interested in listening. many times in the past. messing up again.
 Check for understanding. If you think Your professor ignored You don’t provide
you didn’t get the idea accurately, do not your inputs last inputs anymore. Or
session. You study better to
hesitate to ask question BUT, you have
provide better inputs.
to learn to wait for your turn.
Your teammates You use the same
 Don’t interrupt. If you have to comment reacted positively to strategy in a similar
or ask questions, wait until the speaker your strategy. situation.
stops talking before doing so. Your parents scolded You use a more
you for speaking very formal and respectful

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Second Semester | Academic Year 2021-2022
Instructor: Mark Anthony S. Bartolome
 informally to your tone the next time of trust can go a long way in promoting
grandparents. around. ethical communication in any academic or
business setting.
Prejudice, on the other hand, THE BELLY BUTTON PSYCHE
happens when people take their past It is clear that the two major elements
experiences and make certain assumptions affecting ethical communication are the use
that the same experience will happen with
of words or language, and one’s behavior or
the same people, given the same context.
body language. The second element – body
Prejudice may be attributed to culture or language – may be enhanced through the
personal preferences. ‘Belly Button Psyche’ which is believed to
Not all prejudices have a negative
communicate true interest while engaging in
characteristic, as a person might consider all
face-to-face communication.
members of a group to be smart even without The origin of the rule dates back to
meeting them individually. It must be noted, the 1930’s and since then, numerous
however, that effective communicators
scientists and body language experts have
should avoid prejudices because it
honed the theory. Most notably, Dr. Albert
influences the communication process even Mehrabian, a professor of Psychology at
before it begins. UCLA said that the betty button rule is a vital
Prejudice happen when people
indicator in reading a person’s intention.
isolate an experience with one type of person
Simply put, the rule means the direction of a
or one group of people, then behave as if all person’s navel reflects his/her true interest.
encounters with people of the same “type”, or Here is the basic explanation of the rule:
at least with the same characteristics, will When people are interested in you and
lead to the same experiences. This what you have to say, they will point their belly
eliminates people’s personal identity and button directly as you talk. That shows that they
individuality. There could be prejudices as are focused and they are engaged on what you
regards to age, gender orientation, religious have to say. Although we commit to this act
belief, race, social economic status, and without being aware, the fact is that we can
physical conditions. Effective communicators consider this rule when we are having a
view people as separate from preconceived conversation with people who are special to us. If
notions others may have about them. They you have something important to discuss, begin
by pointing your belly button exactly to their
see the value of the individual as a person of
direction.
worth, and thus will respect that individuality. This act may signal your interest to the
person you are talking with and may also
3. Showing commitment and genuine encourage others to give attention. Listening to
interest others may signal how much value we give them.
A key component of ethical This may help us a lot in building relationship
communication is showing commitment in people.
the communicative situation. Being
committed means giving sufficient time and 4. Respecting socio-cultural beliefs and
resources to any discussion or conversation, practices of others
and being open about any issue that may The concept of globalization is not new, but
arise. Commitment also involves people somehow fail to realize that this is not
volunteering important information, even if it confined to technology or bridging the world
puts a person’s own short-term interests at and making it a virtual community.
risk, as long as it is for the benefit of the
majority especially in the long run.
Encouraging a communicative environment

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Second Semester | Academic Year 2021-2022
Instructor: Mark Anthony S. Bartolome