Chapter 1
Introduction to Human Communication
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CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
• Introduce the study of human communication.
• Explore how communication works, why effective communication is essential, and what makes
CHAPTER OUTLINE
CHAPTER INTRODUCTION
• Michael Sam was not your typical football player in college. His small stature and interest in
Harry Potter books made him unique. Intimidated at first, he used his communication and
leadership skills to build camaraderie with his teammates. Michael was the first openly gay man
to play in the National Football League and used his notoriety as a celebrity to take a stand
against bullying.
COMMUNICATION: THE BASICS
• Communication Defined
The word communication has over one hundred unique definitions.
The authors agree that communication is the transactional process through which
people use symbols to send and receive messages to negotiate, interpret, and create
• Contexts for Communication
Where we are and who we are with largely determines how we communicate.
Each context offers challenges and opportunities for becoming a better communicator.
Interpersonal communication
• Interpersonal communication is the communication between two people that
includes a deeper level of enjoyment and intimacy.
• Interpersonal relationships include intimate partnerships, friendships, and
professional relationships that can turn into friendships.
• Content and relational messages are part of interpersonal communication
Group communication
• A small group is a limited number of people who work toward a common goal
and believe that they can achieve more together than acting alone.
• Working in a small group at various points in life is inevitable.
• The dynamics of a group largely determines how communication transpires.
Public speaking
• Public speaking is the delivery of a message by a speaker to an audience.
o The speaker does most of the talking, and audience members primarily
listen.
o Skillful presenters are able to adapt their message accordingly based on
Mass and mediated communication
• Mediated communication consists of messages transmitted through a
mechanical or an electronic medium.
• Mass communication is mediated communication that takes place on a very
large scale.
• Mass media refers to the outlets that transmit mass communication, including
television, radio, and print media (newspapers, magazine, and the Internet).
o Businesses and other large organizations used to be the primary
distributors of mass communication because they had the financial
means necessary to reach a large audience.
o With the growth of the Internet, anyone can now reach mass audiences
THE IMPORTANCE OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
• Benefits of Effective Communication
Communication helps in your personal life.
• Use constructive words to show that you value your relationships.
• The way you interact with others determines the longevity of those relationships.
• The emergence of technology has affected how we interact with others.
Communication helps in your career.
technological advances are driving business decisions.
Communication helps you as a student.
• Making connections with faculty, staff, and other students is a key factor in
college success.
• Knowing how to construct a claim effectively can help you get a problem solved.
• Effective communication skills can make living with people with opposing views,
• Gaining Communication Competence
Communication competence is the ability to achieve your communication goals.
Gaining communication competence can be divided into three actions—achieving
communication goals, building a communication repertoire, and choosing appropriate
communication behaviors.
Achieving communication goals
• To communicate effectively, you must be concerned with the goals of your
partners as well as your own.
• Even when one communicator holds power over another, successful
Building a communication repertoire
• A communication repertoire consists of all the skills you have available for
interacting with others.
• Your communication repertoire includes verbal and nonverbal expressions,
listening skills, the ability to perceive and empathize with others’ perspectives,
different communication styles, and channels of communication.
• Verbal resources include all the words in your vocabulary.
• Nonverbal expressions include gestures, eye focus, tone of voice, and proxemics
(how you use space and distance).
• Actively listening allows you to process the message to uncover its meaning.
• Empathy includes having the best interest of others in mind, understanding what
• Prior communication experiences will influence the communication behaviors
we choose.
• The cultural background of people with whom we interact affects our
communication behaviors.
• Paying attention to feedback, both verbal and nonverbal responses, can help
PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION
• Communication Is Transactional. (The model of communication shown on page 17 in the
text depicts the components of the communication process.)
Source: The person with an idea to express
Message: The idea that a person conveys
Encode: The act of using verbal or nonverbal symbols to express an idea
Verbal communication: The exchange of messages using language
Nonverbal communication: Communicating without words
• Communication Is Symbolic.
Verbal and nonverbal symbols are used to send and receive messages.
Symbols are arbitrary.
• Communication Can Result in Shared Meaning.
Shared meaning is a common understanding with little confusion and few
misinterpretations. Achieving this can be difficult, but you can improve your ability to
express your thoughts and understand the ideas of others.
• Communication Should Be Ethical.
Ethics are rules and values that a group uses to guide conduct and distinguish between
right and wrong. They should come into play during every stage in the communication
MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT COMMUNICATION
• Communication Is Not Just Common Sense.
At times, many of us have found it difficult to understand others or to make our
• Communication Is Not Always Positive.
Communication can be deceptive.
Communication can be used to manipulate others into making decisions that are not in
their best interest.
Bullying often involves the use of words to try to gain power over others.
• Communication Does Not Always End in Agreement.
Effective communication often helps people to better understand the perspectives of
others but doesn’t guarantee agreement.
LIST OF KEY TERMS
communication
transactional
interpersonal communication
content meaning
relational meaning
small group
encode
verbal communication
nonverbal communication
channel
receiver
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CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Communication contexts: Look around the classroom in which you are sitting. Pay attention to
the lighting (are the lights bright or dim?). Pay attention to the seating (how are the chairs
positioned—face toface, in a circle, lecture style?). Pay attention to the size of the room (large or
small?). Look at the color of the walls (warm or cool colors?). Look at the technology (modern or
barely there?). How might all of these factors influence the communication that takes place within
this environment?
• When students are asked these types of questions, they really start to analyze the role that the
2. Interpersonal communication: Think of a time when you have gone out to eat with someone. Did
you get through the whole meal without looking at your cell phone once? Many older adults
consider checking a phone during a meal to be rude behavior, partially because they were raised in a
culture without this technology. But younger people are more likely to consider it normal. What are
your thoughts on the matter? How does the use of cell phones influence the creation and
development of interpersonal relationships (both negatively and positively)?
• Have students observe others the next time they go out in public. Sometimes we are so
engrossed in our own lives (and phones) that we do not think about what is going on around
us.
3. A global economy: What does communicating in a global economy mean to you? What types of
mediated communication channels might be effective in a global work environment? Provide three
advantages and three disadvantages of using mediated communication in a global work
environment.
• At every stage in our life, we know only what we know. If we haven’t visited a particular
country outside of our own, it’s likely that we don’t fully understand that country’s culture.
4. Communication competence: How can using appropriate communication strategies from your
communication repertoire help prepare you for your dream job?
• Connections and relationships matter. Most college students do not realize that relationship
building can expand their network and therefore help them move closer to their larger goal,
5. Ethical dilemma: Pretend that you have a job at the local movie theater. After receiving this
week’s paycheck, you notice that there was an error in the calculation of your hours worked and you
were overpaid. In this situation, do you tell your supervisor, or do you accept the pay and say
nothing? Can you think of any other examples in your own life where you had to make an ethical
decision? What happened, and what were the benefits or consequences to your decision?
• In this situation, students are asked to recall the portion of the chapter concerning ethics.
Ask them to provide their own definition of the term, and let them know that if they find
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APPLY YOUR SKILLS
APPLY YOUR SKILLS FROM CHAPTER 1
1. Look at the “Apply Your Skills” activity on page 29 in the text. After students complete the
activity, have them answer the following questions, either in a small group, in a class discussion, or
in writing:
• When communicating via text, how do individuals attempt to express tone?
• What symbols were used to represent a more harmonious interaction in this particular text?
• What would have been a clearer response to the first question of “Are we still on for
tonight?”
MORE “APPLY YOUR SKILLS” IDEAS
1. Look at the illustration “Communication: The Basics” on page 8 in the text. Then create and
illustrate (or write about) an example of each of the four contexts of communication that have been
demonstrated in your own life, and explain how your communication style differs for each.
2. Look at the illustration “Benefits of Effective Communication: Community” on page 12 in the
text. Similar to the incident shown, think of a time when you were upset and conveyed your feelings
through some words that could have been perceived as offensive. What words could you have
chosen instead to convey your message in a more civil manner?
4. Look at the illustration “We Are All Channels” on page 18 in the text. Feedback regulates the
flow of communication in any encounter. What are some nonverbal cues (feedback) that you might
give to convey that you would like the communication encounter to end? What are some nonverbal
cues (feedback) that you might give to convey that you would like the communication encounter to
continue?
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PERSONAL WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
1. Have students think of a time when they have been around someone from another culture,
perhaps at school or at work. Ask them to write about how they attempted to communicate with the
individual. What happened? They should also consider how to break through language barriers if
they exist.
2. Have students think about the way they communicate around their friends, significant others, and
family members (such as parents or grandparents). Individuals use items in their communication
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Have students form groups of four or five. Each person will choose a country of interest (each
student must choose a different country) and research three ways in which that culture
communicates when conducting business. Students will have 10 minutes to conduct research and 10
more minutes to report their findings to the group.
2. Have students form groups of four or five. Assign each group one channel of communication
that typically is not used anymore (examples include letters, telegrams, faxes, landlines, pony express,
smoke signals, HAM radio), and have them respond to the following prompts in a three-minute
presentation to the class:
• Who was the receiver for this channel of communication?
• Could the receiver provide feedback to participate in transactional communication? If so,
3. Have students form groups of four or five. Have them develop a list of mass media outlets and
respond to the following prompts. Which ones do they use to receive their news and why? Are
4. Scenario: After a student left a candle burning in a dormitory room, a fire destroyed two floors of
the residence hall. No life-threatening injuries were sustained, but five students were taken to the
5. Have students partner with one other person and develop a list of 10 questions they would ask
when trying to get to know someone (interpersonal communication). Have students share their
questions aloud. What were the similarities and differences in the questions? Why do we typically ask
surface-level questions at the start of any relationship?
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ADDITIONAL MEDIA RESOURCES AND ACTIVITIES
1. Search for and watch the video Look Up. Although the video primarily portrays negatives aspects
2. Search for and watch the Key and Peele skit “Text Message Confusion” (viewer discretion advised
due to language). Have you ever had an experience where someone has misinterpreted a text from
you or vice versa? Was the misunderstanding resolved? If so, how? Discuss three reasons why text
3. Watch part or all of the 2012 vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan. Who do
you believe won the debate? How did you reach that conclusion? Comment on how the candidates’
appearances, tones, facial expressions, and other gestures affected the meaning of their messages.
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HANDOUTS AND READY–TO–PRINT ACTIVITIES
The Meaning behind Emojis
For each emoji shown below, write your interpretation of the feeling that is being
expressed. When you complete this exercise, compare your interpretations with your
neighbor to see if your interpretations are similar or different. What are some reasons
for this? Take this exercise home, and share it with your family members (including
siblings, parents, and grandparents). Were there similarities or differences in their
interpretations compared to yours? What are some reasons for this?