The Communication Process

1. The Communication Process Section 5.1

2. Communication is an exchange of information between two or more people. It is a two-way process that involves both sending and receiving messages. • Sender transmits or sends the message • Receiver hears and interprets the message • Good communication occurs when the sender of the message and the receiver end up with a shared meaning about the message.

3. Types of Communication • Nonverbal communication is a way of sending and receiving messages without using words. • Verbal communication is the use of words to send and receive messages. • As you become more aware of how you send messages to others, you can begin to develop better communication skills.

4. Nonverbal Communication • Developing your nonverbal skills are important • You become aware of the nonverbal messages you send and receive • You can learn to send clearer nonverbal messages • Your actions need to support the words you say otherwise this will lead to confusion

5. Nonverbal Communication • Body language involves sending message through body movements. Through body language, people can express their thoughts, feelings and emotions. • Facial Expressions • Gestures • Body Motions

6. What are some examples of body language that could be interpreted in different ways, depending on your cultural background.

7. Verbal Communication • Your environment influences the words your use and the way you use them to express yourself. • Word meanings may vary from one part of the country to another, or from one culture to another. • Your tone of voice can change the meaning of the word

8. Verbal Communication • Communicating well with others begins with you. By developing your skills in expressing yourself, you will send clearer messages • Developing your listening skills is an equally important part of communication. To be a good listener, you need to develop your skills in active listening

9. Expressing Yourself • “I-statements are used to express your thoughts, feelings, and ideas and can help you speak for yourself—from your point of view • I-statements give you responsibility and control over what you communicate to others.

10. Types of I-statements • Descriptive • Used to report what you have seen or heard • Describe information taken in through your senses • “I see the scale reads 135 pounds” • “I smell smoke”

11. Thought • Start with words such as “I think,” “I wonder,” or “I believe” • Tell others how you interpret what you have seen or heard • “I wonder if it will rain today.” • “I believe I am gaining weight.”

12. Feeling • Let others know how you feel • “I feel discouraged because I failed the test” • “I feel worried that it will rain during the ball game”

13. Intention • Let others know what you want to do • Start with words such as “I want” or “I wish” • “I want to pass this course.” • “I wish I could lose some weight.”

14. Action • Let others know what you are doing now, have done in the past, or will do in the future. • Use action verbs • “I studied two hours last night” • “I plan to memorize that information before the test”

15. Avoid You-statements • Attack the person, not the problem • Attack the senders self-esteem • The receiver may respond in a defensive manner • They may feel that his or her thoughts, opinions and feelings are unimportant.

16. Receiving Messages • Passive Listening- they hear words without always listening for meanings • Don’t know if the message was understood

17. Active Listening-when you give the sender some type of sign that you are listening • Giving feedback shows that you are listening and encourages the sender to keep talking • Checking out means using questions to clarify a message. Ex- “Did you say that his car is wrecked?” • Reflecting you repeat in your own words what you think has been said

18. Keys to Good Listening • Show interest in what the other person is saying by sitting forward and using eye contact • Try to block out interruptions • Let the sender complete his or her thoughts • Accept the sender’s ideas and feelings • Use good verbal skills in giving feedback. Ask questions, reflect feelings, or restate an idea when appropriate • Control your nonverbal messages. Make sure that they are positive and reinforce your comments • Be aware of strong emotions. Understand that they can affect a message’s clarity, and the way that you might respond. • Don’t let silence make you nervous. Silence provides time for both people to think about what was said

19. Factoring Affecting Communication Section 5.2

20. Your Self-Esteem • Self-esteem is an important factor in the way messages are sent or received. • People with low self-esteem have more problems communicating effectively. They may not be quite sure of their own feelings. • Sharing thoughts and feelings with another person is a good way to build self-esteem.

21. Negative Communication Patterns • Lying is a negative communication pattern in which people are not honest. They do not share observations, thoughts and feelings in an accurate way. • Blaming is a pattern in which people accuse other for everything that goes wrong.

22. Placating is a pattern of communication in which people will say or do something just to please others or keep them from getting upset. Going along with the crowd is easier for people with low self-esteem • Distracting is when people just ignore unpleasant situations. They may put the issue aside as not really being important.

23. When a friend is using a negative communication pattern, how could you respond to help improve your friend’s self-esteem?

24. Your Emotional State • Before trying to communicate, you need to recognize your emotional state. • Intense emotions get in the way of sharing complex thoughts and ideas. If your emotions are intense let the other person know you need time to sort your emotions out.

25. Your Environment • The times of day or the amount of time you have can make a difference. • Avoid busy and noisy environments • Fatigue or illness can keep a person from showing interest • Distance between the two who are communicating makes it harder to interpret body language and nonverbal signals

26. Communicating via the internet or even over a phone makes it hard to get a complete picture of the sender’s total message. What are some common items used to communicate in today’s society? How do you think current technology affects a person’s ability to fully understand and interpret another’s message?

27. Communication Barriers • People with closed minds shut out or ignore opinions and beliefs that are different from their own. • Prejudice occurs when a person forms opinions about others without complete knowledge of facts.

28. How can you overcome communication barriers? • Keep an open mind • Avoid mixed messages • Overcome prejudice other other by asking questions and getting all the facts before forming an opinion • Practice active listening when others speak. Do not let your mind wander. Respond only when the speaker is finished and it is your turn

29. Gender and Communication

30. Quiz Time!!!True or False Women search for the meaning behind words more than men. TRUE

31. When men and women are together in a group women talk more than men. FALSE

32. Women use more direct eye contact than men. TRUE

33. Men, more than women, take the initiative to start and maintain conversations. FALSE

34. Women ask more questions than men ask. TRUE

35. Women ask for assistance more frequently than men do. TRUE

36. Men use less confrontational body language than women. FALSE

37. When listening, women appear to be more attentive. TRUE

38. Females dominate public discussions more than men. FALSE

39. Males interrupt women more frequently than women interrupt men. TRUE

40. Goals during Talking • Males view talking as a competition • Females view talking as a way to connect with people. How do you think this creates differences when males and females try to communicate? Women try to get closer through conversation and men want to win the conversation.

41. “It’s Complicated” • Literal-take words at face value • Implied- reading between the lines Describe (tell all about) a time when what you were saying was taken out of context or misconstrued.

42. Questions in Conversations • Males often see questions as a literal request for an answer. • Females often use questions to start conversations.

43. 5 ways Men and Women’s Speech Patterns Differ Tag endings are questions tagged on to the end of sentences. They make speakers appear more unsure of themselves. SHE: “That test was tough, wasn’t it?” HE: “That test was tough!”

44. Upward inflections is a rising intonation at the end of a sentence that gives a sense of uncertainty. Making a statement, as a statement sounds authorative. She: “My neighbor played his stereo all night, so I didn’t get any sleep?” He: “My neighbor played his stereo all night so I didn’t get any sleep.”

45. Emotional verbs- women use more emotional verbs, such as, “I feel…I love…I hope..” She: “I love the student evaluation form you designed. I feel the report should be laid out using excel.” He: “The student evaluation form you designed is excellent. The report should be laid out using excel.”

46. Qualifiers are words like “a bit” and “kind of” “Third quarter seems a bit long” Quantifiers such as “always, never, all or none” sound more confident, less tentative. “The third quarter always seems so long”

47. Disclaimers is a phrase at the beginning of a sentence that weakens the following statement. “I’m not sure but…” Hedge weakens an idea by including words: “Maybe” and “Sort of”

48. Skills for Conflict Resolution Section 5.3

49. Conflict occurs when any two people disagree on the same issue. Some conflict is a normal part of most relationships. Even when people attempt to communicate clearly, conflict can occur. • Conflict occurs for many reasons, it is often due to different personal values. • People often respond to a disagreement by arguing.

50. Arguing is a negative form of communication and is used to protect their self-esteem. It attacks the person not the problem. • Name-calling and blaming are two types of You-Statements. Both are destructive to a relationship as they create more hostility. The real conflict is left unresolved. In what ways would conflict be harmful to a relationship?