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Module 1 - Defining Communication

The document defines communication as a complex system of exchanging information, highlighting its various types and levels, including nonverbal, verbal, written, and visual communication. It discusses different communication models, such as Shannon and Weaver's and Laswell's, and emphasizes the importance of communication media in society. Additionally, it explores the relationship between mass communication and culture, urging responsible participation from both media creators and consumers.

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Salma Kirsten
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11 views6 pages

Module 1 - Defining Communication

The document defines communication as a complex system of exchanging information, highlighting its various types and levels, including nonverbal, verbal, written, and visual communication. It discusses different communication models, such as Shannon and Weaver's and Laswell's, and emphasizes the importance of communication media in society. Additionally, it explores the relationship between mass communication and culture, urging responsible participation from both media creators and consumers.

Uploaded by

Salma Kirsten
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Defining communication, its types and levels

KEY CONCEPTS:

1. Communication is a complex system of exchanging information.


2. Communication is present in different types and levels.
3. Types refer to the different forms of communication.
4. Levels are dependent on the receiver in the communication process.

OBJECTIVES:

1. Highlight the importance of communication media


2. Distinguish mass communication from other levels of communication
3. Identify the factors vital in communication media

What is communication?

“Communication is one of those human activities that everyone recognizes but few can define
satisfactorily” (Fiske, p.1, 2011).

Why? Because it is multi-disciplinary, it intersects with academic areas such as psychology,


sociology, anthropology, political science, literature, and philosophy

For our discussion and reference, we will look at four different models and definitions:

(1) Shannon and Weaver’s model of communication


(2) Laswell’s communication model
(3) Em Griffin’s definition
(4) Osgood and Schramm’s model of communication

Shannon and Weaver’s model of communication

It is one of the earliest and most influential communication models showing a simple
linear message transmission. This communication model emphasizes five essential
components, namely: source, transmitter, channel, receiver, and destination. The
communication channels in this model are telephone cables and radio waves.
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Figure 1: Shannon-Weaver communication model (Fiske, 2011, p. 6)

Laswell’s Communication Model

For the longest time, we mainly viewed communication based on Harold Lasswell’s
definition, which is a simple message transmission from a sender to a receiver. The flow of
communication, according to Laswell, can be described using the following questions:

• Who?
• Says what?
• Through which channel?
• To whom?
• With what effect?

Figure 2: Laswell’s Communication Model (Baran, 2021, p. 5)

Griffin’s Definition

"Communication is the relational process of creating and interpreting messages that


elicit a response" (Griffin, E., p. 6, 2019).

Features of communication by Griffin:

• Messages – one of the cornerstones of communication study


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- it involves “talking and listening, writing and reading, performing and witnessing, or,
more generally, doing anything that involves ‘messages’ in any medium or situation

- ‘text,’ another word for message used by communication theorists, used in academic
research. So when we say a text, it can refer to a book, a transcript, a video, a song, etc.

• Creation of Messages – when a communicator creates a message or text, the content


and form of the text is “constructed, invented, planned, crafted, constituted, selected,
or adopted”
• Interpretation of Messages – “Words don’t mean things, people mean things”

- “Humans act toward people or things on the basis of the meanings they assign to
those people or things.” - Herbert Blumer

• A Relational Process – communication is a process, a process of relating, it has


something to do with relationships because one, it involves two or more persons, and
because it affects the nature of the connections among those people.

• Messages that Elicit a Response – what is the effect of the message, and how would
you respond?

Osgood and Schramm’s Model of Communication

“Communication researcher Wilbur Schramm, using ideas originally developed by


psychologist Charles E. Osgood, developed a graphic way to represent the reciprocal nature of
communication (Figure 1.2). This depiction of interpersonal communication—communication
between two or a few people—shows that there is no clearly identifiable source or receiver.
Rather, because communication is an ongoing and reciprocal process, all the participants,
or “interpreters,” are working to create meaning by encoding and decoding messages. A
message is first encoded, that is, transformed into an understandable sign and symbol system.
Speaking is encoding, as are writing, printing, and filming a television program. Once received,
the message is decoded; that is, the signs and symbols are interpreted. Decoding occurs
through listening, reading, or watching that television show” (Baran, 2021, p. 5)
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Figure 3: Osgood and Schramm’s Model of Communication (Baran, 2021, p. 6).

Types of Communication:

a. Nonverbal Communication – the use of body language, gestures, and facial expressions to
convey information (e.g.: frown, grin, smile, dancing)

b. Verbal Communication – the use of language to transfer information through speaking or


sign language (e.g.: talking, newscasting)

c. Written Communication – the use of symbols in a common system to transfer


information (e.g.: writing in a notepad, typing in a computer, printing on a packaging box)

d. Visual Communication – the use of visual representations to convey information (e.g.:


photographs, paintings, sketches, charts)

Different types of communication can be used with each other to achieve a more effective
communication.

Levels of Communication:

a. Extra-personal Communication – communication between human beings and non-human


beings (e.g.: talking to dogs, plants)

b. Intrapersonal Communication – communication occurring within the mind of a


person (e.g.: talking to self while creating an artwork)

• In the case of talking to a Superior Being, the level of communication depends on the belief that the
Superior Being exists. Extra-personal communication suggests that there is Someone listening to you
while you pray, while Intrapersonal communication suggests otherwise.

c. Interpersonal Communication – communication between two or more persons


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(e.g.: talking to a friend)

d. Organizational Communication – communication between groups of persons with a


diverse or uniform level of thinking (e.g.: organizational meeting)

e. Mass Communication – communication considering the mass as the consumer of


information (e.g. State of the Nation Address, caucus, newscast)

Mass communication and culture

Excerpts from Baran, 2021

- “Culture is the learned behavior of members of a given social group” (p. 8)


- “Culture serves a purpose. It helps us categorize and classify our experiences; it helps
define us, our world, and our place in it” (p. 10).
- Culture can be limiting or liberating.
- “Despite the fact that culture can limit and divide, it can also liberate and unite. As such,
it offers us infinite opportunities to use communication for good—if we choose to do so”
(p. 14)
- “We are the people involved in creating and maintaining the culture that defines us. We
are the people involved in mass media industries and the people who compose their
audiences. Together we allow mass communication not only to occur but also to
contribute to the creation and maintenance of culture” (p. 14).
- Everyone involved has an obligation to participate responsibly. For people working in
the media industries, this means professionally and ethically creating and transmitting
content. For audience members, it means behaving as critical and thoughtful consumers
of that content. Two ways to understand our opportunities and our responsibilities in
the mass communication process are to view the mass media as our cultural storytellers
and to conceptualize mass communication as a cultural forum” (p. 14).
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References and for further reading:

Baran, S.J., & Davis, D.K. (2021). Introduction to mass communication. Media Literacy and culture
(11th ed). Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Fiske, J. (2011). Introduction to communication studies (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Griffin, E., Ledbetter, A., Sparks, G. (2019). A First Look at Communication. New York, NY:Mc Graw
Hill Education

O’Hair, D., Weimann, M., Mullin, D.I., Teven, J. (2015). Real Communication. Boston, MA:
Bedford/St. Martin’s

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