Jared Linder

Abstract
This essay concerns the cyclical nature of communication. By starting with a definition of communication, we learn of the meaning and difficulties of the concept. Once defined, the essay discusses the practice of communication. At that point, the essay explores and develops the cyclical nature of communication, along with its ability to create change.

Getting My Point Across: The Practice of Human Communication

To understand communication in practice, we must first define communication itself. The American Heritage Dictionary defines “communicate” as, “To convey information about; make known; impart,” (Pickett, 2000, p. 373). The definition continues on, stating, “To have an interchange, as of ideas,” (Pickett, 2000, p. 373). This open take on what it means to communicate is what gives communication its wide reach, and its difficulty to describe in practice.

Lee Thayer explains communication as affecting humans differently than non-humans. He explains, “For all other creatures, communicatively, whatever is, works. For man…whatever works, is, (Thayer, 1987, p. 103). This difference shows that the practice of communication is essential to our comprehension and understanding of the world. Thayer actually goes so far as to describe the need to communicate as, “one of the two basic life processes…the acquisition and processing of information, “ 1987, p. 69).

Communication, however essential, is difficult to define in its practice, given that it, “does not have an exclusively defined form,” (Maratt, 2006, p. 3). Words, both spoken and written, as well as hand gestures, symbols, and smoke signals all serve as methods of practicing communication. By practicing these methods, “out relationships are defined and managed through the exchange,” (Littlejohn and Foss, 2005, p. 54).

Given its place in human culture as essential, and its difficulty of definition, human communication emerges as the method with which we create meaning. As Nada Alamro notes, “The challenge is to be able to deliver the intended message,” (2006, p. 2). By delivering, the intention is that the communication is received and is processed appropriately.

In order to understand how or if a message is received appropriately, it is important to look at some of the elements in practice. Tom Peters has a section of his book Thriving on Chaos heavily dealing with listening as an important skill. The importance of this element is easily visible. Peters notes, “Good listeners provide quick feedback and act on what they hear,” (1987, p. 182). And, although other aspects of the practice of communication are also crucial—including speaking and nonverbal communicating—listening, which helps to complete the circuit, is often overlooked.

These practices help to achieve meaning, which is the main thread of communication that helps to bind the world together. This thread is not confining or restrictive, but is inclusive, connective, and supportive. By weaving these threads of meaning, we help to create an overall culture with broad social influence achieved through mutual understanding. Colin Cherry states it as follows: “[We] may be thought of as ‘sharing rules’ of language, custom, of habit; but who wrote those rules? These have evolved out of those people themselves,” (1980, p. 4). Thus, the practice of individuals becomes the practice of the whole.

But, how do the actions of individuals translate into the communications practice of the group? Using the weaving analogy works, as individual threads are used to make an entire tapestry, but there is more to it than that. Littlejohn and Foss see it this way: “We realize that each aspect of communication is part of a larger context. We see, too, that each level of communication affects and is affected by the larger contexts,” (2005, p. 53).

By applying this philosophy we see a cyclical pattern emerge where individual communications enter the culture, and those cultural standards are applied to the next communication, which cycle through the same process.

Communication helps to perpetuate itself (see Figure 1.1, Communication Model—JBL 2006). We see in this model the framework of how the practice of communication starts to develop. David Warycha explains this phenomenon as, “a circle. After the sender conveys her message, she in turn becomes the receiver, and the receiver…in turn become[s] the sender,” (2006, p. 3). We necessarily play these different roles to assist in the practice of communication.

Although everyone participates in the communicating and we help to establish norms, this process does not happen quickly. “Culture is built up through communication over time,” (Littlejohn and Foss, 2005, p. 54), thereby causing change gradually on a larger or overall level. We can witness practice evolving communication as well as the evolution of practice.

Conclusion

By defining communication, we are able to discern meaning from a hard to define concept with far-reaching implications. By exploring some practices and their relative importance to human culture, a definite potential pattern emerges. This pattern is best illustrated in Figure 1.1, where we witness the cyclical nature of communication. This cycle helps to create cultural norms and ideas of communication, which by their nature, affect individual users and communicators.

References

Alamro, Nada. (2006). Definition of human communication. Unpublished paper, Ball State University, Muncie, IN.

Cherry, Colin. (1980). On Human communication (3rd ed.). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Littlejohn, Stephen W., & Foss, Karen A. (2005). Theories of human communication (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Maratt, Dushyanth. (2006). Human communication. Unpublished paper, Ball State University, Muncie, IN.

Peters, Tom. (1987). Thriving on chaos: handbook for a management revolution. New York: Harper and Row.

Pickett, Joseph P., et al. (Eds.). (2000). The American heritage dictionary of the english language (4th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Thayer, Lee. (1987). On Communication. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

Warycha, David. (2006). Untitled. Unpublished paper, Ball State University, Muncie, IN.