Beebe/Beebe/Ivy Communication: Principles for a Lifetime 6e
Instructor’s Manual
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CHAPTER 1:
Identifying Foundations of Human Communication
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, students will be able to:
1. Explain why it is important to study communication.
2. Define communication and describe five characteristics of the communication
process.
3. Explain three communication models.
4. Describe three criteria that can be used to determine whether communication is
competent.
5. Describe the nature of communication in the 21st century.
6. Identify and explain three communication contexts.
7. List and explain five fundamental principles of communication.
TEACHING OUTLINE
I. Why Study Communication?
A. To Improve Your Employability
B. To Improve Your Relationships
C. To Improve Your Health
II. The Communication Process
A. Communication Defined
1. Communication is about making sense
2. Communication is about sharing sense
B. Communication Characteristics
1. Communication is Inescapable
2. Communication is Irreversible
3. Communication is Complicated
4. Communication Emphasizes Content and Relationships
5. Communication is Governed by Rules
III. Communication Models
A. Communication as Action: Message Transfer
1. Source
2. Receiver
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3. Message
4. Channel
5. Noise
B. Communication as Interaction: Message Exchange
C. Communication as Transaction: Message Creation
IV. Communication Competence
A. The Message Should be Understood
B. The Message Should Achieve Its Intended Effect
C. The Message Should Be Ethical
V. Communication in the 21st Century
A. Mediated Communication
B. Mass Communication
C. Face-to-Face vs. Mediated Communication
D. Concerns About Mediated Communication
VI. Communication Contexts
VII. Communication Principles for a Lifetime
A. Principle One: Be Aware of Your Communication with Yourself and Others
B. Principle Two: Effectively Use and Interpret Verbal Messages
C. Principle Three: Effectively Use and Interpret Nonverbal Messages
D. Principle Four: Listen and Respond Thoughtfully to Others
E. Principle Five: Appropriately Adapt Messages to Others
CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTION SETS
What is your personal definition of communication?
• In other words, what should this class be about?
• When employers mention communication skills, to what are they referring?
• Are there any jobs that do not require effective communication skills?
• Can the study of communication be taught? Why is it important to teach
people effective communication skills?
How will the study of communication directly benefit you?
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• What are your major worries when communicating with others in a public
speaking, small group, or interpersonal setting?
• Will a simple study of communication ideas improve your communication
skills?
What are some examples of linear communication?
• A possible idea for discussion is radio and television. The channel is on and
nobody’s home.
• What examples of communication as interaction can you identify? Fax,
mail, e-mail.
• What are some examples of transactional communication?
• How do YOU see communication? What model would YOU create?
If we spend 80% to 90% of our waking days in some communication activity,
when are we NOT communicating?
• This can lead to a discussion of what does and does not count as
communication.
• Can a speaker send unconscious messages, if so, what happens to the
encoding process?
• In other words, is behavior the same as communication?
• Can we truly take back a statement? If so, how? If not, why should we
apologize for transgressions?
• What does it mean for communication to have the physical property of
matter?
• What variables and unknown factors complicate communication? This can
lead to a discussion related to gender, culture, specialization, etc.
• According to the text, when you communicate with one person, you’re
actually communicating with six; explain how this works. Do you agree?
• Are Osmo Wiio’s maxims correct or just satirical?
• Is it possible for someone to not communicate? Some communication
scholars suggest that we “cannot not” communicate. Do students agree or
How do the messages we say to ourselves influence the messages we say to
others?
• In today’s world, where more intense language and images are displayed
even on television, is profanity really taboo anymore? If yes, why? If no,
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• How do these words make us feel? Is this magic? For an honors course,
you might lead into Burke’s discussion of Language and Magic.
• Do actions speak louder than words? Should they? Are there absolute
meanings to nonverbal codes? Is a smile always a smile? Why?
• Given that we control our verbal codes to be “polite,” shouldn’t we be just as
careful with our nonverbal codes, such as eye contact and vocal quality?
Can we control nonverbal codes?
• Does being polite violate ethical codes? White lies?
• Why is it important to study listening?
• What ethical advice would you give to Jerry Springer, to the tobacco or
alcohol industry, or to yourself?
Why study interpersonal communication?
• Are there actually techniques we can learn to improve relationships? Does
love at first sight really exist?
• Do you enjoy working in groups? What problems have you experienced in
JOURNAL QUESTIONS
Instructors requiring journals should ask students to purchase a notebook or
journal for the class. Many of the questions listed in the discussion area can be
converted to journal questions so the ideas listed here are in no way meant to be
exhaustive. As a suggestion, journal questions should be included in the syllabus
with a schedule of when students should address each question. It is
recommended that journals be collected at least three times during the semester.
1. Take a moment to reflect and write your personal definition of communication.
How is it similar to or different from the definition in the book? Does it omit
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2. Reflect on your life goals. Specifically identify how the study of communication
can enhance your future. Will interpersonal, small group, or public speaking
have greater influence on your career, social life, or personal life? What
specific things would you like to study in each area to help you achieve your
goals?
3. Think about the three models of communication. Identify a situation where you
recently experienced miscommunication and analyze how it happened. Be
sure to analyze each of the elements—source, encoding, message, channel,
receiver, decoding, feedback, noise, context, and rules. What caused the
breakdown? Which model best explains what happened? How could you keep
a similar miscommunication from occurring again?
5. Look at the five fundamental principles of communication identified by the
author. Which of the five do you feel you need to work on the most?
6. Consider each of the contextual levels: interpersonal, small group, and public
ACTIVITIES
Any of the following activities can be used for first-day–of-class icebreakers.
Activity 1.1: Getting to Know You
The following icebreaker activity will take an entire class period. Begin by
generating a list of questions you would ask someone upon first meeting. The
following list is fairly typical:
Name
Hometown
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Romantic Relationship Status
Siblings, pets, children, monsters
Identify students who already know someone in class and tell them that they
cannot partner with the person they know. Allow students to partner together in
dyads and tell them they have five minutes to learn everything they can about each
other. Also, tell them to put away pens, paper, and tape recorders. Time the
interaction and at the end of five minutes, tell the “couples” to join another couple
so that the dyads become quartets. Tell students they have five minutes to
complete the exercise again. At the end of the time, check to see if the students
know each other and then instruct them to stay with their group, but join another
foursome so that quartets become octets. Give students another five minutes to
learn all they can about each other. Ideally, you want to get two or three distinct
groups and listen in periodically, paying attention to associating names with faces.
After the final rotation, get the class into a large circle and ask, “Does everyone
remember the first person you talked to? We will move to my left and as we come
to the person you talked to, you need to introduce them to us.” Introductions will
Activity 1.2: Why don’t I believe you?
This activity will take between 20 minutes and the entire class period. Have
students write three things about themselves, such as their favorite hobby, major,
future career aspirations, on a sheet of paper. Of the three, tell students to make
one a lie. Have students memorize their list and dispose of the sheet of paper.
the lie. The point to be made is impression management and nonverbal leakage,
not promoting lying.
Activity 1.3: I am like…
The following may be used for a graded activity and will take the entire class
period. Tell students that they will need to introduce themselves to the class, but
rather than the standard name, major, and classification, students will have to
incorporate four metaphors that best describe their personalities. They must
choose one metaphor from each of the following—animal, vegetable, mineral, and
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thought. Introductions should be no more than two minutes and students should
be given time to prepare.
Activity 1.4: Conversation Starters
This activity will develop rapport among students through brief, fun, and safe one–
• What famous person, living or dead, would you most like to have a conversation
with?
• If you could persuade people to change one thing, what would it be?
• What is your greatest strength as a communicator? Your greatest opportunity
for improvement?
• What languages would you like to learn to help you communicate with others?
• What famous person, living or dead, do you feel is an effective communicator?
After students have finished writing their questions, have them stand up and find a
partner (if there is an odd number of students, you may wish to participate).
Explain that you will read one of the conversation starters and students will have 1
minute to discuss the question with their partners. Explain that after 1 minute, you
will ring a bell or switch the lights on and off; this is to signal students to find a new
partner. Then you will read another conversation starter where the same process
will be repeated until each student has had a discussion with every one of his or
her peers. Debrief the activity by asking how students felt, what they learned about
themselves and their peers, and how they can apply what they learned to the class
and to the “real world.”
Activity 1.5: Who are you?
As an ice-breaker, this activity takes 15-20 minutes and the resulting discussion
takes the remainder of the class period. Students form pairs and spend
At the completion of the brief interviews, pairs stand and take turns introduce their
partners, saying their own name, then their partner’s name (this helps to reinforce
name recognition in the class), then providing the information their partner
supplied. This technique is often a good way to encourage students to speak in
class without the need to talk about themselves on the first day.
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ASSIGNMENTS
Assignments may be modified in a variety of ways to meet the individual style of
instructors. As with the discussion and journal questions, assignments are
designed to meet the stated objectives of each chapter.
Assignment 1.1: Communication Models
This assignment is designed to help students:
1. Define communication.
2. Become aware of the complexities involved in communication.
3. Apply the variables of communication.
4. Distinguish between communication as action, interaction, and transaction.
On _______ all students will be asked to present a three minute explanation of
their personal definition of communication. Students will be expected to present a
model that incorporates the variables of communication presented in the text:
source, encoding, message, channel, receiver, decoding, feedback, noise, context,
and rules. Students are encouraged to consider other variables not mentioned in
the text. To help focus the assignment, students may consider a specific kind of
communication such as interpersonal, small group, public speaking, e-mail, chat-
room, mail, telephone, television, etc. Models presented by students may be two–
dimensional paintings, collages, drawings, and photographs, or three-dimensional
with actual objects.
Presentations should address the following:
❖ Inspiration for the idea.
❖ Presentation of model.
❖ Explanation of model.
❖ Discussion of the strengths and weakness of the model.
❖ Whether the model illustrates the concept of communication as an
action, interaction, transaction, or something else.
Presentations will be graded on uniqueness, creativity, and insight.
Assignment 1.2: Miscommunication Analysis
This assignment is designed to help students:
1. Identify a specific situation of miscommunication.
2. Apply the variables that make up the communication process.
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Assignment 1.3: The Value of Communication
This assignment is designed to help students:
1. Understand the pragmatic value of communication in life.
2. Recognize how others view communication.
3. Identify various characteristics of communication.
4. Apply the five principles of communication addressed in the book.
5. Develop and conduct an interview.
Students should identify a professional they can interview. The professional may
be a current or former employer, doctor, counselor, clergyman, etc., but the
professional should not be a professor or in any way connected to the university.
Students’ parents are equally off limits. Each student should conduct an interview
with the chosen professional about the role and importance communication plays
In writing their analyses, students should be sure to use quotation marks to
accurately identify specific quotations. Students are encouraged to use ideas from
the text and other sources to help shape both the interview and the paper.
On a specific date, all students will be asked to present their findings in an informal
presentation.
Papers will be graded on the following criteria:
❖ Choice of interview subject.
❖ Quality of interview questions.
❖ Quality of writing in both technique and interest.
❖ Incorporation of ideas from text and lecture.
❖ Depth and breadth of original insight.
Assignment 1.4: Term Paper
(This assignment is most appropriate for an honors section, although it may be
modified for more generalized sections. Because the paper incorporates so many
issues throughout the text, it is impossible to fully articulate the objectives it
achieves.)
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This assignment is designed to help students:
1. Define effective communication.
2. Recognize communication techniques used in the “real” world.
3. Distinguish communication as action, interaction, and transaction.
4. Analyze several characteristics of communication.
5. Evaluate the ethical standards used in contemporary communication practices.
Students should choose a specific communication campaign. The campaign can
be political, social, or marketing. Some examples would include the way Tylenol,
Jack in the Box, Burger King, and various other companies have managed
defective product information; promotion of a new product or personality such as
MTV’s latest show, your favorite pop singer, or a new line of designer clothing; a
specific political candidate running for office or apologizing for a transgression; or a
The analysis must be typed, double spaced, and range between 10 and 15 pages.
Students are expected to use a standard citation format such as APA or MLA. A
minimum of five published sources will be expected. Students are also
encouraged to consider using interviews of qualified sources. All papers will be
due _______.
Papers will be evaluated on the following criteria:
❖ Complexity of communication problem chosen.
❖ Depth and breadth of research.
Assignment 1.5: Communication at Work
This assignment is designed to help students:
1. Understand the pragmatic value of communication in professional contexts.
2. Recognize how employers view the importance of effective communication
abilities.
3. Identify various facets of communication.
4. Assess the practical importance of the five principles of communication
addressed in the book.
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5. Identify how communication is relevant to various work situations including
interpersonal, small groups, and presentational.
First, students should identify ONE professional career they are interested in
pursuing. Next, they should find at least ten job advertisements relevant to their
selected profession (these can be for jobs anywhere in the world; however, they
characteristics and qualifications that are related to communication. Students
should then group these characteristics into three or four communication-related
themes and describe the importance of each in a formal paper. The analysis
should be typed, double-spaced, and range between three to five pages. The
paper should include an introduction, body, and conclusion. Copies of the job
advertisements should be included in an appendix at the end of the paper.
In writing their analyses, students should use quotation marks to accurately identify
specific quotations. Students are encouraged to use ideas in the text and other
sources to help shape the paper.
On _____ all students will be asked to present their findings in an informal
presentation.
Papers will be graded on the following criteria:
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Student Information Form
First Name________________________ Last Name________________________
Classification__________ Major__________________ Minor_________________
Occupation______________________ Place of Employment_________________
Phone________________________E-mail_______________________________
Student Information Form
First Name________________________ Last Name_______________________
Classification__________Major_________________Minor__________________
Occupation______________________ Place of Employment________________
Phone________________________ E-mail_____________________________
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Speech Evaluation Form
Name________________________________ Time_________ Grade______
Vocal Delivery
Physical Delivery
Clarity of Ideas
Organization