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Chapter 1
Communication: Essential Human Behavior
CHAPTER OUTCOMES
• Define the communication process
• Describe the functions of communication
• Assess the quality (communicative value) of communication by examining its six
characteristics
LECTURE NOTES
• Communication is the process by which individuals use symbols, signs, and behaviors to
exchange information.
ƒ Communication helps us satisfy our human needs.
ƒ We take communication for granted, but failures in communication happen all the time.
• We Must Communicate: The Functional Perspective of communication examines how
communication behaviors work to accomplish our goals in multiple situations. It occurs in
the context of interdependent relationships, or relationships in which both parties are
affected by the others’ behavior.
ƒ Expressing Affiliation
ż Control is the ability of a person, group, or organization to influence others and the
manner in which their relationships are conducted.
Ɠ Control is finite: The more control one person has, the less the other has.
Ɠ Control is negotiated through communication (what is said and how it is said).
Ɠ Control is based on situation and status and it can shift.
• How We Communicate explores the characteristics of communication.
ƒ Characteristics of Communication
ż Communication relies on symbols, or arbitrary constructions, that refer to people,
things, and concepts; people agree on the meaning of symbols.
ż Communication requires a shared code or set of symbols that are joined to create a
meaningful message.
Ɠ Encoding is the process of mentally constructing a message for production.
Ɠ Decoding is the process of receiving a message by interpreting and assigning
meaning to it.
ż Communication is linked to culture, or the shared beliefs, values, and practices of a
group of people. Co-cultures are smaller groups within a culture.
ż Communication can be unintentional, as in the case of spontaneous, involuntary
ƒ Assessing communicative value requires assessing the quality of your communication as
it relates to the six communication characteristics.
• Communicating Competently involves examination of the different aspects of competent
communication, or communication that is effective and appropriate for a given situation, in
which the communicators evaluate and reassess their own communication process.
ƒ Competent Communication Is Process Oriented
ż An outcome relates to the product of communication.
ż Process measures the success of communication by looking at how the outcome is
accomplished.
ƒ Competent Communication Involves Communication Skills, or behavioral routines,
that are based on social understandings and used to achieve specific goals.
ƒ Competent Communication Involves Using Technology that may assist communicators
in meeting certain goals; it may be inappropriate when used in a face-to-face situation.
• Modeling Communication examines different models that scholars have applied to the
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ƒ The Linear Model
ż A sender sends a message that is carried through a specific channel. Noise occurs
ƒ The Interaction Model
ż This model exhibits communication between sender and receiver that incorporates
feedback, that is, a verbal and/or nonverbal message from the receiver to the sender
that illustrates responses that occur when two or more people communicate.
ƒ The Competent Communication Model
ż This is a transactional process where communication takes place between parties,
simultaneously encoding and decoding within a relational context, a situational context,
and a cultural context.
communicators. Cultural identity influences our communication choices and is
reinforced by messages from those in similar cultures. A successful communicator needs
to determine what is appropriate and what is not in a variety of cultures and situations.
• The Study of Communication explores how communication skills, concepts, and theories
apply to various communication situations and offers scholarship from four distinct areas of
the discipline:
ƒ Basic Communication Processes refer to perception, intercultural interaction, language,
CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. How does communication function in your everyday life? What are your strengths in
communication? Your weaknesses?
• You may find that your students are hesitant to share about a topic as personal as their
communication strengths and weaknesses so early in the semester. As such, consider
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2. Looking at the competent communicator model, how do the different layers of context
work on the communication we have in the classroom?
• When discussing the cultural context, make sure that students focus on less obvious
aspects of culture, for example, socioeconomic status, hobbies, college majors, and so
3. What constitutes effective and appropriate communication in the classroom? How would
communication need to change in order to be appropriate and effective when you’re
spending time with friends or family? What if you’re communicating online?
• If your students seem hesitant, consider opening up with a funny communication story
of your own (e.g., someone you overheard on a cell phone sharing way too much
4. Take a look at Table 1.2, Common Areas of Specialization in Communication Research
Today, on p. 24 of the main text. What types of careers do you think will be open to you
if you choose to major in communication or specialize in one of these areas?
• This is a particularly useful discussion to have with students if your department uses
the Human Communication course to recruit majors. It’s important to let them know,
5. How does communication work in your relationships? Where do you think the most
issues come up? Why do you think they come up?
• The hardest thing here will be reigning in the conversation. Be ready to guide students
back to the communication concepts they have learned in this chapter. How do these
concepts come into play in relationships?
PERSONAL WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
1. Identify Your Communication Goals
Consider a communication goal that you hope to accomplish in the near future. How will
you accomplish it? Consider the specific steps that you will need to take and reflect on
2. Why Are You Here?
On the first day of class, ask students about their goals and motivations for taking this
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. GOAL Puzzles
Goal: To demonstrate the definition and challenge of achieving communication goals
Time Required: 20 minutes
Materials:
1. Piece of paper or transparency with the word GOAL! written in large letters. Cut the
2. Adjustable blindfold such as a scarf or bandana
4. Document camera or transparency reader
Directions:
1. Break students into teams of four to five; each team should have the same number of
students. Use extra students as timers or observers to see how the interaction
3. The student who is first in line should begin directing the blindfolded student on
how to assemble the puzzle. The student has 1 minute to give directions. When time
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continues either until everyone has had a chance to direct or until the puzzle has
been put together.
4. The team with the most pieces in the right places (or with the fastest time correctly
putting the puzzle together) wins.
2. Bag Me
Goal: To demonstrate the process of encoding and decoding in communication; to
demonstrate how the different contexts of communication affect the encoding and
decoding process
Time Required: 20–30 minutes
Directions:
1. Have students place the bags containing their object in one area of the room.
3. Have students take the object out of the bag and write a short description about the
4. Ask students to read their descriptions out loud, and then ask the student who owns
the object to reveal himself/herself. Ask the owner if they agree with the description
given by their peer. Repeat until time is up, and then have students return the objects
to their rightful owners.
Debriefing: Point out to students that this is the process of encoding (constructing a
message, in this case, a nonverbal one, for production) and decoding (receiving and
3. Modeling Communication Through Paper Wars
Goal: To illustrate the different models of communication; to reinforce the idea of
transactional communication
Time Required: 15–20 minutes
Materials:
1. Piece of full-size scrap paper for each student
2. Three to four pieces of scrap paper for instructor
Directions:
1. Have students crumple their piece of paper into a ball. Tell them to hang onto to it.
2. As you explain the model of linear communication, throw your paper balls to various
students in the room and have them catch the balls. If they fail to catch one of the
3. Take one of your paper balls and play a game of “catch” with a student in the front
4. Finally, ask students how communication in the classroom differs from what they
have seen before. If none of their answers point this out, prod students and ask them
5. At this point, ask the students to pick up their paper balls. If you preface your
6. Use this opportunity to talk about how competent communication happens as
4. Drawing Your Model
Goal: To provide students with an understanding of the various models of communication
Time Required: 20 minutes
Materials:
1. Piece of paper or transparency for each group of students
3. Transparency projector or document camera
Directions:
2. Have each group, without opening their text, draw on the paper or transparency what
3. Collect each model of communication and sort through them for elements of the
linear, interaction, and competent (transactional) communicator models.
4. Pull out some of the models of communication that the students have drawn.
5. Pull out some of the models of communication that the students have drawn. For
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6. Talk about how transactional communication happens between instructor and student
and between students in the classroom. Pull out some of the models of
5. How Should We Talk?
Goal: To write a code of communication for this class
Time Required: 15–20 minutes
Materials: Communication and You, 1st edition
Directions:
1. If you plan to have your students work in a set group this semester, encourage them
2. Have the groups share their codes with the rest of the class. Ask them to describe
how their code differs from the official one. Do they think this credo for ethical
communication will help their group? Why or why not?
6. Are You Like Me?
Goal: To provide students with a better understanding of the characteristics of
communication
Time Required: 15 minutes
Materials: One index card for each member of the class with strings attached to both ends
(in a necklace style)
Directions:
1. Write out the characteristics and behaviors listed in Table 1.1 on p. 12 of the text, on
3. Have students wear the neck cards and walk around the classroom, finding the
characteristic or behavior on another person’s card that fits with the card they are
wearing. Have students volunteer to explain how they found each other. For
example, with “Communication is linked to culture,” both individuals might be using
accents. For “Communication occurs through various channels,” the individuals
might be using a number of hand gestures, and so on.
Debriefing: Ask students if they paid more attention to the various characteristics of
communication than they normally do. For example, do they usually notice gestures? Do
they pay attention to how communication becomes a transaction? Did students find
themselves pairing up with the “wrong people”? Explain that this shows that these
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7. Channel Searching
Goal: To discover a number of different channels that communicators use when
communicating
Time Required: 5–10 minutes
Materials: Copy of the Word Search handout (provided at the end of this chapter) for
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. In your opinion, why is the study of communication often considered common sense?
2. What are the six characteristics of communication?
3. What do the authors mean when they say communication is “culturally bound”?
4. Explain the transactional model.
5. What are the differences between the relational context and the situational context?
6. What is cultural identity?
7. Why do communicators need to be flexible?
8. Describe an effective communicator.
MEDIA
Legally Blonde (MGM, 2001)
Show a scene from the beginning of the movie when Reese Witherspoon is interacting
with her sorority sisters. Then contrast that with a scene from the end of the movie
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Twentieth Century Fox, 2011)
This movie is the prequel to the Planet of the Apes where experiments with human
genetics give rise to the apes who then become involved in a war for supremacy. Have
students examine the role that communication plays in the rise of the apes and their
formation of a society.
Ronald Reagan: The Great Speeches (The Nostalgia Company, 2004)
Show Ronald Reagan delivering at least one speech and have the students discuss why he
was considered the “Great Communicator.”
HANDOUTS
Word Search
Use this handout to complete the classroom activity Channel Searching.
I Z H E F S I A D Z D T L R B N A
F P H S P L G G V V X I S A D B L
A F E S L R N I S R Q N C P Y H Y
D K M I U E A N I T Y G E H W S D
Z Y A O W E L G K Z S D U Z P X O
