Title: Human Communication
1Human Communication
- UDSM, January 2010.
- English for Water Managers
2Introduction to Communication
- In todays world, communication enables man to
influence and control his environment and is seen
as one of the conditions for development. Not
only is communication an integral part of human
life, but it is also the pivot of society as the
key component of all cultural, political,
educational and economic activity.
3Communication cont/
- Positive change is achieved as a result of the
efficient and effective flow of information, a
process that can only obtain through the use of
effective communication skills. - . People in organizations typically spend over
75 of their time in an interpersonal situation
thus it is no surprise to find that at the root
of a large number of organizational problems is
poor communication
4Purpose of this module
- The Communication Skills module will enable
Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)
experts to examine the relationship between the
theory and practice of communication, - to demonstrate how the acquisition of
Communication Skills enhances decision-making
processes, - encourages the smooth flow of information and
how, through mastery of communication skills,
IWRM experts can address the challenges
encountered in their field.
5Objectives of the Module
- Raise an awareness and understanding of
communication dynamics - equip IWRM experts with requisite skills needed
in making their clients aware of IWRM-related
issues. - Enable IWRM managers make informed decisions on
crucial issues affecting their interaction with
the environment. - equip Water Managers with the knowledge, skills
and techniques needed in evaluating a variety of
situations and circumstances likely to arise
during interaction with clients. - Working with different view points
- Define the term communication.
- Identify the various components of the
communication process. - Discuss the role and importance of communication
in development issues.
6What is Communication?
- Communication is a process in which feelings,
ideas are expressed as verbal and/or non-verbal
messages, sent, received and comprehended. - Theodorson (1969) quoted in McQuail and Windhal
(1993) defines communication as the transmission
of information, ideas, attitudes or emotions from
one person or group to another primarily through
symbols
7Definition (cont)
- Rodgers (1986) in Communication Technology
defines communication as a process in which
participants create and share information with
one another in order to reach a mutual
understanding. - Carey (1992) defines communication as a symbolic
process whereby reality is produced, maintained,
repaired and transformed .
8Communication (cont)
- Human communication is dynamic the
communication process is always in a constant
state of change. As attitudes, feelings,
expectations, emotions of persons who are
communicating change, the nature of their
communication changes as well
9Communication
- Communication is continuous it never stops.
Human beings are always processing information
and ideas, thoughts, expressions all the time,
whether awake or asleep our brains remain
active and are always communicating. - Communication is irreversible once we send a
message, we cannot undo it. Once we make a slip
of the tongue, or give a meaningful glance
10Communication
- Or an emotional outburst, we cannot erase it.
Sometimes our apologies, denial cannot erase what
has taken place. - Communication is interactive as communicators,
we are constantly in contact with other people
and with our selves. Other people react to our
speech, actions and we also react to our own
speech it becomes a cycle of action
reaction becomes the basis of our communication.
11Communication
-
- Communication is contextual it is a part of our
entire human experience. We need to develop an
awareness and skills necessary to function as
effective communicators and to adapt to - the setting
- the people present
- the purpose of the communication
12Human Communication
- This occurs on basically 3 levels
- Intrapersonal communication with one self. It
encompasses thought processing, personal decision
making, listening, and determination of self
concept. - Interpersonal communication takes place between
two persons who establish a communicative
relationship. This includes
13Human Communication
- activities such as interviews, conversations
and small group discussions. - Public communication is characterized by a
speaker sending a message to an audience. This
may be face to face or direct communication for
example, delivering a message or it maybe
indirect such as relaying a message through the
radio or television.
14Communication Process
- SENDER (SOURCE OF INFORMATION Originator of the
message (WHO). - MESSAGE WHAT IS COMMUNICATED.
- CHANNEL By WHAT MEANS is the message
communicated. - RECEIVER AUDIENCE
- FEEDBACK RESPONSE to the message.
15Source of the Message
- Communication starts when a Source is consciously
or unconsciously stimulated by some event, object
or idea. A need to send a message in then
followed by a memory search to find the
appropriate language (verbal or non-verbal) in
which to take the ideas and put them into message
(encode).
16Message
- What is to be communicated to the audience.
- The Channel
- The means by which the message is communicated to
the audience e.g, we rely on five senses,
electronic channel telephones (sound),
television (sight), physical contact e.g. tapping
a person on the shoulder (touch channel)
17Examples of Communication Channels
18Communication channels cont.
19Choosing a channel
- When choosing what channel to use to communicate
- particular information, the following should be
- focused on
- the availability of the channel
- the credibility of the channel
- permanence
- speed with which information is disseminated
- and potential for feedback from the receiver to
the source or sender of the information.
20Communication channels cont.
- the diversity of cultural, linguistic and social
groupings - the physical barriers of terrain and distance
which have resulted in an undeveloped transport
and communication infrastructure - the educational barrier of illiteracy
- limited access to the mass media
21Audience
- Audience refers to the Receiver of the message.
The message must be translated (Decoded) into the
receivers own language system. This message is
not identical to the other encoded by the source
because each persons symbol system is shaped by
a unique set of perceptions.
22Feedback
- Once meaning is assigned to the received message
- the receiver is in a position to respond.
Feedback can be a verbal or non-verbal reaction
to the message or both. Feedback indicates
whether the receiver understands the message e.g
by nodding, misunderstands (by shrugging
shoulders), encouraging source to continue (by
leaning forward and saying yes) or by pulling
back (disagrees).
23Feedback (cont)
- The act of responding by which the receiver sends
feedback to the source, actually shifts the role
of the receiver to that source. - Noise
- Messages are influenced not only by
interpretations of each communicator but also by
noise which is any internal or external
interference in the communication process (e.g.
environmental, physiological, semantic (meanings
of words), syntactic (inappropriate grammatical
use), cultural, psychological-stress,
frustration, irritation
24The Context.
- Communication does not occur in a vacuum it
always relates to a context. That is - Who is present
- Where the communication is taking place (e.g.
size of the room) - General attitude of those assembled
25Communication cont.
- Communication is power. Those who have mastered
its effective use can change their own experience
of the world and the worlds experience of
them.(Anthony Robbins). - What do you think is the single most important
benefit of learning the skills of communication?
26Test yourself
- Respond to each of the following statements with
T for true if you think the statement is always
or usually true and F for false if you think the
statement is always or usually false. - Good communicators are born, not made
- The more you communicate, the better your
communication will be. - Unlike effective speaking, effective listening
really cannot be taught.
27Test
- 4. Opening lines such as Hello, how are you or
Fine weather today serve no useful communication
purpose - 5. Like good communicators, leaders are born and
not made. - 6. Fear of public speaking is detrimental and
must be eliminated.
28Language and Meaning
- The process of communication involves using words
to create meaning and expectations. Meanings are
in people and not in words as you go through
this course, it is important for you to note that
you have your own meaning that you ascribe to
words you use and other people have theirs. - A Japanese proverb By your mouth you shall
perish brings in another dimension on language
and communication the dimension of meaning and
culture.
29Language and Meaning
- As Water Managers, you work in different cultures
and subcultures different from your own. All
these have different languages that vary from
culture to culture - it is important to
recognize that the language we speak helps
sustain our perception of reality and our view of
our world - -in your day to day interaction with communities
you work with, you should not assume that the
words you use and the words people from other
cultures use mean the same thing and that people
see reality the same when viewing the same
situation.
30Language and Gender
- Sometimes the sex of the communicators affects
not only the meaning they give to their
utterances but also the very structure of those
utterances. A linguist, Deborah Tannen, points
out that women and men use different
gender-lects - while women speak and hear a language of
connection and intimacy, - men speak and hear a language of status and
independence.
31Language and Gender
- As a result, when conversing with men,
- women tend to listen attentively rather than
interrupt - or challenge, what a man is saying.
- Another researcher, Gillagan (1982) asserts that
- women are guided morally by a motivation to
- maintain relationships and protect their social
- partners they tend to seek to minimize harm to
all - persons within the social context.
32Language and Gender
- Men are said to argue linearly to solve a problem
of a moral conflict, generally arriving at a
definitive conclusion distance is established
to distance oneself from personal involvement in
the decision-making process itself - the assumption seems to be that challenging men
in conversation could damage the established
connection that most women believe must be
preserved at all costs.
33Male-Female Communication
- Men
- Use speech to report
- To compete
- To gain attention
- To maintain their position in a social hierarchy
- Women
- Use speech to gain rapport
- To maintain relationships
- To reflect a sense of community.
- .
34Men-Female
- Men
- Men tend to use Language to preserve their
independence - Men tend to say what they have to say, assume
that the message is clear and proceed from that
point. - Women
- Tend to use Language to create intimacy and
connection - Women use more words to make their point they
tend to be more sensitive to the needs of their
listener, spend time clarifying to their listener
35Male-Female
- Men
- Men tend to be task-oriented, they want results
at all cost - Men are more direct when men want something,
they ask for it directly - Women
- Women tend to be more maintenance-oriented
- Tend to be more supportive conversationalists
they are likely to check the connection of
conversations they tend to ask more questions. - Women tend to be more indirect and tend to use
tag questions e.g that movie was terrific, dont
you think?
36Male-Female
- Men
- Men tend to be self-oriented and concerned with
action. - Men have been taught to hide or disregard their
feelings - Men are interested in visual stimulation and
physical detail - Women
- Women disclose more personal information than men
do. In their vocabulary, women tend to be people
oriented and concerned with psychological and
emotional states. - Women have larger vocabularies for describing
emotions and aesthetics. Women have been taught
to express their feelings - Women are interested in tactile sensations,
emotional overtones and intimacy.
37Meaning and Experience
- The meanings of words are based on our
experiences with the words and things they
represent. Take note of this observation from
Anton Chekov If you cry Forward! you must be
sure to make clear the direction in which to go.
Dont you see that if you fail to do that and
simply call out the word to a monk and a
revolutionary, they will go in precisely opposite
directions(Anton Chekov)
38Male-Female
- Men
- Men offer solutions and invalidated feelings
- Men tend to pull away and silently think about
what might be bothering them - Men are motivated when they feel needed
- Men primarily need a love that is trusting,
accepting and appreciative - Men think women want solutions rather than
empathy - Men feel that instead of feeling nurtured, he
feels hes being controlled
39- Women
- Women offer unsolicited advice and direction
- Women feel an instinctive need to talk about what
is bothering them - Women are motivated when they feel cherished
- Women primarily need a love that is caring,
understanding and respectful - Women complain that men dont listen they want
empathy - Women might think that they are nurturing men.
40Communication and Culture
- Communication and Culture have a direct link.
Culture consists of all those individuals who
have a shared system of interpretation. - No culture can live, if it attempts to be
exclusive (Mahatma Gandhi)
41Communicating in a Culturally diverse world and
society.
- To help you assess your personal preparedness to
communicative effectively with persons of
different cultures, respond to each of the
following statements by labeling as either True
or False - 1. I try to communicate with persons like me as
often as I can - 2. I rarely consider my culture or the cultures
of the individual I am interacting with - 3. I find it difficult to , tell when persons
from other cultures do not understand me - 4. I am fearful of persons from different
cultures - 5. Persons from other cultures have no right to
be angry at members of my culture
42- 6.People from other cultures who dont talk when
around others act that way because they usually
have nothing to say - 7. Disagreements with persons from other cultures
should always be expressed openly - 8. My culture is superior to other cultures
- 9. I am uncertain how to behave with persons of
different cultures. - 10. I am unfamiliar with rules of any culture
other than my own.
43Intercultural Communication
- This can be defined as the process of
interpreting and sharing meanings with
individuals from different cultures. It also
comprises interracial, inter ethnic,
international, intra-cultural which includes
all forms of communication among members of the
same racial, ethnic or sub-cultures. - Who are the people involved in teaching members
of a community their culture? Parents, teachers,
religious institutions, peers, mass media.
44Activity
- What steps have you personally taken to reduce
the strangeness of strangers? (Intercultural
Communication) - Note all of us work hard enough to understand or
to be understood by those with whom we differ. To
counter this strangeness, we need to - Open ourselves to differences by adding to our
knowledge of others - By learning to cope with uncertainty
- By developing an appreciation of how increasing
our cultural sensitivity will positively affect
our communication competence
45Activity
- How do individuals feelings about socialization
differ from your own? - To what extent do the individuals values and
attitude differ from yours - Which of your behaviours did the individual have
difficulty understanding or accepting? Which of
his or her behaviours did you have difficulty
with?
46Activity
- Individualism versus Collectivism
- Individualistic cultures for example, in the UK,
France, Germany, Canada focus on stressing the
individual goals, whereas collectivistic cultures
for example, Arabic, African, Asian, Latin
American countries, group goals are given
precedence instead.
47Activity
- Collectivistic cultures
- Tend to nurture group influence We is
dominant in such cultures. - These are also referred to as high context
cultures, that are tradition bound, that is,
cultural traditions shape the behaviour and
lifestyle of group members causing them to appear
overly polite and indirect in relating to others.
48Activity
- Individualistic cultures
- Cultivate individual initiative and achievement
- I is important - Generally encourage members to exhibit a more
direct communication style for example, Americans
tend to speak directly on an issue, whereas
individuals from Japan, Korea, China prefer to
avoid confrontation to preserve - sense of harmony
- to make it possible for the individuals with whom
they are speaking to save face or maintain
self-esteem. - For example, Saudi Arabians rarely criticize one
another publicly, to do so would be to label the
individual as disloyal and disrespectful.
49Intercultural communication
- Improving intercultural communication
- One can do this by accepting the fact that our
culture is - not superior to other cultures
- avoid basing our behaviour expectations for
members of other cultures on our own cultures
norms.
50Activity
- How to improve your ability to communicate
interculturally - limit your reliance on stereotypes that can
diminish your success when you interact with
others - there is need for you to reduce your uncertainty
levels regarding the persons of different
cultures with whom you communicate - Refrain from formulating expectations based on
solely on your culture - Recognise how faulty education can impede
understanding(personal biases, prejudices,
acknowledge differences that you have developed
over the years) - Make a commitment to develop communication skills
and abilities appropriate to life ins of a
multi-cultural world. - Familiarize yourself with the communication rules
and preferences of members of different cultures
so that you can increase the effectiveness of
your communication encounters.
51Communication and self concept
- How do your friends picture you?
- Self-concept
- Spend some time considering who you are and what
you intend to do with the rest of your life. Self
concept is everything you think and feel about
yourself. - It is the entire collection of attitudes and
beliefs you hold about who and what you are. E
One is not born with self concept but develops
one. Although one undergoes changes, it is
difficult to alter or change the picture you have
of yourself. The way we are treated by others
influences our sense of self.
52Self concept is shaped by
- Ones environment
- By people around you for example, peers,
relatives - If people important to you have made you feel
accepted, valued, worthwhile, lovable and
significant, you have probably developed a
positive self concept. - On the other hand, is those important have made
you feel left outm small, worthless, unloved,
insignificant, you probably have developed a
negative self concept. - Self concept is a mental picture you have of
yourself. If you feel you have little worth, you
probably expect to be taken advantage of, stepped
on, demeaned by others. - Our opinions about ourselves grow more and more
resistant to change as we become older and
presumably wiser, how you look at yourself is
affected by how you look at other people, how
people actually look at you, how you imagine or
perceive that people look at you. Self concept
may be realistic or unrealistic self concept is
derived from experience and projected into future
behaviour
53Communication and self concept
- 1. List the names of all the people with whom you
interacted during a single day this week/ or last
week. For each - Identify the environment in which you
communicated - Choose an adjective to describe your image of
yourself during each interaction and an adjective
to describe your image of the person with whom
you spoke. - What can you say about the nature of your
self-image? To what extent does your view of
yourself change as you move from person to person
what contributes to these changes. - Are you the person you think you are?
- 2. If you could trade places with any TV or film
or well known person or your hero who would the
person be? What does this person real of
fictional do for you? Why would you like to be
like them? Why would you like to be more like the
media image? Or would you like the image to be
more like you?
54Purposes of Communication.
- Intrapersonal (communication with oneself) To
think, reason, analyze, reflect - Intercultural (between people of different
cultures) - To learn, relate, influence, help, play.
- Mass (addressed to an extremely large audience,
mediated by audio and/or visual means) To
entertain, to persuade, reinforce, change,
activate, inform, confer, create ties
55Visuals and Communication
- The use of visuals in communication are
classified into three categories namely, those
that are used for telling, and showing and doing.
He points out that visuals that allow the
audience to do or experience something are more
concrete than visuals that simply show
something. Examples from Dales cone of
experience - Telling using verbal symbols, visual symbols,
graphs, charts, cartoons, diagrams, pictures,
sketches, maps, bar graphs, line graphs. - Showing using demonstrations, excursions, study
trips, video clips, films these bring the
audience closer to reality than mere telling. - Doing participation by the audience for
example, role playing, working on case studies.
56Activity
- Think about textbooks, newspapers, magazines you
have read. How have visuals in these helped you
to understand the information being put across?
Have they - clarified an image not made quite clear by words
alone? - guided you through a maze of unfamiliar
information? - emphasized materials so that you remember it?
- allowed you to find information quickly? and to
make comparisons between items? - People rely on non-verbal messages to help them
communicate and people respond to visuals to a
higher degree and this is probably because people
think in images as well as symbols.
57Visuals and Communication
- Advantages of using visuals in communication.
- visuals, especially tables can consolidate a
great deal of information int0 relatively little
space. - They clarify concepts
- They emphasize materials
- They guide the audiences through important
material - They make it easier to see an overall pattern and
draw comparisons - They help to make ideas concrete and encourage
creative thinking by projecting alternate
solutions to a problem. - can express simultaneous conditions as words
cannot. - They help in solving anticipated problems in
conveying ideas or information and to add
emphasis.
58remember
- Remember,
- Communication takes place within a system as we
enter into communicative relationships with
others, we set a pattern by which we will
interact - We teach others how to treat us we need to
develop a system, a structure within any
communicative exchange, and each person plays a
role within the system. If the role is accepted
by the other person, it becomes a pattern - We communicate what and who we are every time
we communicate, we tell a great deal about
ourselves our selection of words, we tone of
our voice and the gestures we use combine to give
a picture of our values, likes, dislikes,
experiences, beliefs and self perception. We give
clues of our background by the pronunciation
patterns we produce, and the attitudes we express
59remember
- Much of our communication centres on our wanting
others to act or think or feel as we do in other
words, much of it is an attempt at persuasion - Meaning is in people, not in words the meaning
of a word only has that meaning by virtue of the
meaning people give to that word - We cannot not communicate communication does
not necessarily stop simply because people stop
talking and listening much of our communication
is done below the verbal level
60remember
- People react to our action we are constantly
demonstrating the action reaction
principle. For example, when we smile, others are
likely to smile back. - We do what we do because in the end we expect to
achieve happiness when we enter into
communication, we do so hoping to gain from the
experience. - We cannot always have the same understandings and
as others- as we communicate we must recognize
that because of differences in our cultures, the
only areas we share are those in which we have
common experiential ground.
61Human Communication