Purposive Communication

GEC 102
What is communicative competence?

Anchoring on Dell Hymes’ (1966) concept,

communicative competence refers to the
linguistics, sociolinguistics, discourse and
strategic proficiency of the sender and the
receiver of communication.
Linguistic Proficiency

The ability of the communicator to use the

appropriate words, grammar, pronunciation,
meanings, and meaning of utterances in specific
context.

It is a product of being educated and exposed to a

language.
Sociolinguistics
It is a sub-discipline of linguistics that treats social aspects
of language (Southerland and Katamba, 2001:540)

Identifies that language varieties exist and these variations

are to a large extent shaped by social factors: socio-
economic status, gender, education, occupation or
profession, religion and other social variables.

One’s sociolinguistic competence is demonstrated in the

manner that a communication participant tailor fits his/her
utterances for a particular audience(s).
Sociolinguistics
Sociolinguistic competence is the ability of a
receiver to accommodate or adjust to the
communication style or language variety used by
the sender by making an extra effort to learn about
the communication patterns, exposure to a
particular variety of language, and using the same
style or language when necessary.
Discourse
It refers to how ideas are linked across sentences
(paragraphs in stories, news, essays, etc.) or
utterances (speeches, lectures/talks, sermons, etc.)
using the appropriate organization of ideas,
cohesion, and coherence (Stern 1983).

Discourse competence refers to one’s ability to

demonstrate organized, cohesive, and coherent
thoughts in spoken or written texts.
Strategic Competence
 It refers to a speakers ability to adapt to the use of verbal and
nonverbal language to compensate for communication problems
caused by the speaker’s lack of understanding of proper grammar
use and/or insufficient knowledge of social behavioural and
communication norms (Short, n.d.).

 This communication competence may include the ability to use

synonyms or employing gestures to get the message across.

 Further, this is an ability of the communication participants to keep

the exchange going, prevent communication breakdown from
happening and enhance the effectiveness of communication
(Smolcic, n.d.)
Task
If someone is proficient in speaking a
language, does this mean he/she is a
competent communicator? Explain your
answer.

What makes a competent communicator?

 Ethics in Communication

“Education without values, as

useful as it is, seems rather to
make man a more clever devil.”

C.S. Lewis
Ethics
The term ethics comes from the Greek word
ethos, which means custom, habit, character
or outlook.

Albeit peoples from different cultures vary in

their moral philosophies, people in general
expect to be treated with dignity, fairness,
respect or with basic courtesy in their
communication encounters.
 Regardless of an individual’s moral principle (relativistic),
ethics in communication can take a universal approach,
which can be displayed in several ways including but not
limited to the following:
Adhering to the golden rule or the platinum
rule.

The golden rule asserts to always treat others in the

same way you want to be treated while the
platinum rule according to Bennett (1980) stresses
on treating others the way they wish to be treated.
Ethical communicators address people of other
cultures with same respect that they would like to
receive themselves (Jandt, 2013:37).
Considering the feelings of the receiver

Humans are not only cognitive but also emotional

beings. If we are less careful with our words, tone,
and nonverbal gestures, people could be negatively
affected.

To be ethical in communicating with others, it will

be best to maintain tact and diplomacy in our
communications.
Acknowledging the source of idea and
information

Sources of ideas and information should be

acknowledged appropriately at all times.

It is unethical and unlawful for someone to convey

other people’s intellectual property without
recognizing the author’s names or organization.
Speaking the truth

This is a universal rule. Unfortunately, there are

also those who (for whatever reason) seem to enjoy
propagating falsehood.

Take for instance, the abundance of fake news or

what others call alternative facts on the internet.
Obviously, this is a violation of communication
ethics and should be stopped by all means.
Ten Basics of Ethical Communication

1. Seek to “elicit the best” in communications

and interactions with other group
members.
2. Listen when others speak.
3. Speak non-judgmentally.
4. Speak from your own experience and
perspective, expressing your own thoughts,
needs, and feelings.
5. Seek to understand others (rather than to
be “right” or “more ethical than thou”).
6. Avoid speaking for others, for example by
characterizing what others have said without
checking your understanding, or by
universalizing your opinions, beliefs, values, and
conclusions, assuming everyone shares them.
7. Manage your own personal boundaries: share
only what you are comfortable sharing.
8. Respect the personal boundaries of others.
9. Avoid interrupting and side conversations.
10. Make sure that everyone has time to speak, that
all members have relatively equal “air time” if
they want it.
Task
Research on issue/s in ethics in the
context of cyber communication.
How do you think these issues can
be resolved? Write your response to
it on a one page bond paper (font
size – 12; Times New Roman, and
1.5 spacing).
 Discuss in groups the ethical thing to do in the following
communication situations:

 Some of your classmates have spread bad rumors about one of

your close friends. You are not sure whether the gossip is true or
not. What would you tell your classmates? How about your close
friend?

 One of your friends is ranting on FB and is harshly trying to hit on

someone he/she happens to dislike a lot. You wanted to support
your friend’s statement by simply liking the post knowing that this
can only be seen by your group of friends and that you are not
saying anything in addition to your friend’s offensive post. Is it
acceptable to “like” the post? Is this a form of cyber bullying?
Explain your answer.

In 3-5 minutes, share the answers of your group to the class.

Your best friend confided to you that
he/she is already in a relationship but
wanted you to keep this as a secret since
his/her parents do not allow him/her yet to
get involved in a romantic relationship.
One day your best friends mother called
you up to confirm a rumor about your best
friend having a boyfriend/girlfriend. What
answer will you give your best friend’s
mom? What do you think is the best thing
to do?
Task

With your group, present a 5-minute

role play where violation in
communication ethics occurs.
 CHAPTER 2
Globalization, Culture and
Communication

Soul grows in communication. Word by word,

story by story, for better or worse, we build
our world from true conversation – speaking
and listening – communication deepens into
compassion and creates community.

Sam Keen
Globalization and Its effect on
Communication
Communication has been greatly affected by
globalization and globalization by communication.

What is globalization?
 the increasing economic, political, and cultural
integration and interdependence of diverse cultures
 the worldwide integration of humanity
 it is not isolation, not alienating; instead, it is
accommodation
Globalization
 Requires that we pay attention to a
related concept – diversity – the
recognition and valuing of difference,
encompassing such factors as age, race,
ethnicity, ability, religion, education,
marital status, sexual orientation, and
income
What are some of the drivers of
globalization?
Colonization
Diaspora
Dispersion of the Jews beyond Israel
(Oxford Dictionary)
Refers to peoples’ movement and
inhabitation in countries outside of
their own. Other scholars call this
migration
Media & Technologies
Internet
Google
FB
Twitter
Instagram
Communication Technologies:
Smart phones
Tablets
Laptops, etc.
Digital technology erases territorial boundaries
between countries.

We become multiculturalists – persons

respectful of and engaged with people from
distinctly different cultures

Effective communication and the

ability to understand cultural
differences are skills that are too
frequently deficient both in students
Task
What are the advantages and the
disadvantages of globalization?

Do you think globalization will eventually

lead countries to embrace a single culture?
Are you agreeable to the idea of having one
culture? Explain your answer.
Local and Global Communication in a
Multicultural Setting

“Grant that we may not so much seek to

be understood as to understand.”

St. Francis of Assisi

Culture

Culture is a learned system of

meanings that fosters a particular
sense of shared identity-hood and
community-hood among its group
members.
Culture
It is a complex frame of reference that
consists of a pattern of traditions,
beliefs, values, norms, symbols, and
meanings that are shared to varying
degrees by interacting members of an
identity group (Ting-toomey & Takai,
2006, p.691 in Oetzel, 2009)
Culture
According to Oetzel, we are
simultaneously members of multiple
cultural groups, such as national
culture, ethnic culture, religious
culture, gender culture, media
culture, social class culture,
generation culture, which overlap to
varying degrees.
Generation culture communication
Differences
With the advent of social media and texting came an
entirely new way to communicate. It’s a mix of
shorthand, conjoined words, abbreviations, and phrases
that came about because of a meme or even a mistake
on social media that people found funny – and useful
for communicating in a digital age. Here are a few that
people usually hear and discover on social media.

Phubbing
It means someone is talking to you while he or she is
texting or on a computer.
Hundo P
It means a “hundred percent” or that the person
using the phrase is supportive and approves.
JOMO
It means “Joy Of Missing Out”
Millennials like to take an overused acronym like
FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and twist it to their
will. The JOMO means missing something that was
lame in the first place.
Sorry not sorry
Fake apologies are part of the ethos when you are a
millennial. You are a little sorry, but you also want
to make fun of the idea of being sincerely
apologetic when it is not deserved.
I can’t even
When you here this phrase at work,
watch out. It means that the speaker is
losing patience, is at a loss for words, and
is pretty annoyed about something.
The struggle is real
When millennials use this phrase at
work, it means they are annoyed. They
might use the phrase to let you know there
is a tough problem or a real hardship.
On fleek
Used originally in an Instagram post about eye
brows (yes, the origin stories for these terms tend to
be as weird as the terms themselves), being “on
fleek” means to be on point. In a business context, it
means something was well executed and is worthy of
acknowledgement.
Dipset
I was confused when I heard this one on social
media. I means to bail on something – to leave
because something is lame. You might “dipset” from
the meeting if the topic is boring. If you use this one,
let me know if people understand you.
Bae
This word has fallen out of flavor, according
to a lengthy essay in The Atlantic that probably
was not necessary, but you’ll still hear people
use it at work. It means your significant other.
V
Another “word” that is a single letter, v is
common because it adds emphasis to texting
and social media conversations. It means
“very”, as in I’m v excited about this project. It
also means you don’t have to type three extra
letters.
 Perf
Another shortened word, perf means “perfect” and denotes
agreement to a cause or plan. Like many of the slang words on
this list, it came about because you don’t have to type as many
letters. Just don’t confuse it with the shortened version of
performance.
 JK
JK – just kidding – is not a new abbreviation, but it has stood
the test of time. It is used when someone has made a joke and
wants to make you pick up the humor.
 It me
This shortened version of “it’s me” is often used as a term of
agreement and self Identification. It means the person
identifies with the topic, but they don’t want to explain at
length. It’s just a quick way to say you can relate to something.
P
Is one letter by itself a word? That
something Oxford will have to decide if it
hasn’t already, but to millennials, p is already
part of their canon. It’s a replacement for
pretty (as in “I’m p excited”) and might show
up in your next email conversation.
TBH
This one is pretty easy to guess (or should I
say “it is easy to guess”?). It means to “to be
honest” and is usually followed by either a
joke or a more sincere comment.
Reaction to Cultural Communication
Encounters
People could react differently when they encounter
another culture. Literatures say that they could react
through: assimilation, accommodation, separation.

How do people respond?

Assimilation – It is the effort to eliminate the cultural
differences towards home and host culture.
Accommodation – it attempts to retain some cultural
uniqueness and to transform the existing dominant
structures so that there is less heirarchy.
Separation – It is the resistance to interact with
members of the dominant culture.
Ethnocentrism VS. Cultural Relativism

Ethnocentrism – It is the tendency to think

and feel that their culture is superior than the
others so they use their own culture as the
standard in judging other peoples’ culture.
Cultural relativism – It is the the acceptance
of other cultural groups as equal in value to
one’s own
Oetzel (2007:229-230)
Task
Do a creative presentation in 8-10 minutes on the
communication culture of one of these countries:

1. India
2. Korea
3. Japan
4. China
5. Middle East
6. Spain
7. France
8. Ireland
 Chapter 3
Evaluating Messages
“Language is not an exterior medium or
instrument into which I pour a self and from
which I glean a reflection of that self…Indeed to
understand identity as a practice, and as a
signifying practice, is to understand culturally
intelligible subjects as the resulting effects of a
rule-bound discourse that inserts itself in the
pervasive and mundane signifying acts of
linguistic life.”

Butler, 1990
Picture Paints a Thousand Words
Guide questions in unlocking messages
1. What is the general motif of the picture?
2. How does the motif reflect interrelatedness of the
elements?
3. What objects/elements stand out?
4. What objects/words seem out of place?
5. What culture prevails in understanding the meaning
conveyed?
6. What general note can be drawn from the picture?
Guide questions in evaluating messages
1. How is the message conveyed?
What belief is used to support the message?
In what way is the message best delivered?
To what extent is the impact of the message felt?
Who is the addressee of the message?
What ethos does the message support?
The Power of Nonverbal Cues

“Our Interpersonal effectiveness depends on more than

words. Nonverbal message add to or detract from our
words. In effect, we become the message, with our
nonverbal cues announcing our state of mind,
expectations, and sense of self. Our entire beings
chatter incessantly, revealing what we really feel and
think.”

www.sagepub.com/gambleic
Types of Nonverbal Cues
Kinesics
 Facial expressions
 Gestures
 Eye movement
 Posture
 Rate of walk
Types of Nonverbal Cues
Paralinguistics
 How words are spoken
 variations in the voice
Proxemics
 How space and distance are used
Haptics
 Different types of touching
Types of Nonverbal Cues
Clothing and artifacts
Appearance
Style
Color
Variations in clothing and
environmental colors
Chronemics
Using time to communicate
Task
Form groups of four and take turns in speaking
(for about three minutes) on any topic.
List down as any observations (separate with a
comma) as possible until everyone shall have taken
his or her turn.
Describe the person’s nonverbal cues.
Explain the frequency of these movements.
Explain how these affect his or her delivery.
Define the intent the speaker had during his talk.
Peeking through Promotions

“I believe that life is hard. That we are all

going to walk through things that are hard
and challenging, and yet advertising wants
us to believe that it’s all easy.”

Jamie Lee Curtis

Peeking through Promotions

Advertisement come in different forms. Quality

of product is often linked to better promotions
whose purpose rarely veers away from the goal
of gaining huge profit. When manufacturers
communicate to customers , the idea that drives
them is active participation as a collective
response to products’ advocacies.

In this section, you try to look into the nuances

of persuasion in the samples given:
Evaluating messages is a process of negotiation where
speakers conclude about what has been presented verbally
or in writing. Van der Wagen (2008) introduces 10
communication tools and tactics that help individuals
attain a systematic negotiation of meaning.

Communication Tools and Tactics in Negotiation

1. Preparatory research of the facts of the business situation
or parties to the agreement
2. Identification of goals of the negotiation and limits to the
discussion
3. Clarification of the needs of the parties, including third
party stakeholders such as suppliers and contractors
4. Identification of points of agreement and
points of difference
5. Active listening and questioning to clarify
points of discussion
6. Nonverbal techniques to reinforce messages
7. Use of appropriate language, avoiding Jargon,
acronyms and colloquialisms
8. Bargaining strategies, including attempts to
achieve win-win outcomes
9. Developing agreements verbally and in
writing
10. Using appropriate cultural behavior