Jason Lantz

According to Shannon and Wavers model of communication there must be an information source, transmitter, receiver, and last a destination (http://stevefournier01.tripod.com/hist/hist-6.html). In the middle there is what is called noise, which I will discuss later in this paper. Shannon and Weaver’s model of communication is the basic foundation of how communication occurs.

My team member Griff Goas says that human communication is so common people do not even realize they are doing it. People have been communicating for such a long time that rarely do we stop to think about what is communication and how do we practice it. I am going to discuss how culture and society affects human communication, as well as listening and noise. I will also introduce two types of communication verbal and non verbal. While one is not more important than the other, both of these should be used in conjunction to get your ideas across.

Verbal Communication
In order for oral communication to take place you must use a common language. If one person is speaking English and another person is speaking French it is going to be difficult to have communication. In most high schools throughout the United States it is required to take a foreign language. The reason why they do this is so we can have better communication. This is also very important in business as the world continues to flatten it is going to be essential that you can communicate in a common language.

Another problem with oral as well as written communication is that people decipher messages differently. It is very easy to say one thing and mean another. This can happen by the transmitter or the receiver of the message. How each person comes up with his or her meaning of what is being said varies greatly.

Osgood says that individuals respond to stimuli in the environment forming a stimulus-response relationship. He believes this basic S-R association is responsible for the establishment of meaning, which is an internal, mental response to stimulus (Littlejohn and Foss, 2005, pg 125).

What this means is that with a given stimuli we use a previous experience to decipher our meaning of the stimuli. If someone is giving a speech we use our previous associations with the topic at hand to determine the meaning of what is being discussed.

How a message is said can also affect how we interpret what is being said. If someone uses sarcasm in their voice than this will change what the message means. Voice level can also affect how a message is understood. If someone is yelling as opposed to whispering this will affect how the message is perceived. Changing your voice level adds emphasis to words and we do this all the time. Managers do this when they want something to get done and teachers use this when they want students to pay attention to a particular point. Teachers also use repetition of words to help students grasp the concept they are trying to deliver.

Oral communication on the surface looks very easy but when you spate it into parts you can see just how difficult it can be. This is why colleges and high schools throughout the country offer communication courses.

Non Verbal Communication
There are many ways that we communication non- verbally. We use hang gestures, body language, signs, and sometimes even dress.

We use hand gestures and signs so often in our communication that we do not even realize we are doing it. In a classroom we raise our hang to get called upon, if we raise our hand with our palm out this means stop, and if we pat someone on the back this means good job. There are also signs that we use to represent communication. If we put our hands around our throat this means choking, if you see an octagon shape while driving this means sop and you can symbolize flying by flapping your arms. These are all ways we communicate everyday without even thinking about it.

Body language is another way we communicate non-verbally. If we see someone moving about frantically we can assume they are in a hurry. If we see someone slouching we may assume they are sad or tired. Eye contact is another way that we can communicate non-verbally. If you look someone in the eye while communicating it may symbolize you are telling the truth or you are paying attention. This also has a lot to do with your culture and society, which I will discuss in a moment.

The way you dress can also be a way to communicate non-verbally. If you see someone wearing a suit and tie you may get the notion that person is a business man or women. If you see a woman wearing maternity clothes you can assume she is pregnant. We use these clues about how people dress to first establish a relationship and secondly to understand how we should communicate with these people.

Culture and Society
Culture and society has a huge impact on how we communicate with one another. In the United States we are allowed to practice freedom of speech, other countries around the world do not have this luxury. They have to be careful with their diction (word choice) so they do not get in trouble. While we do not have social classes in the United States, there is what is considered upper and lower class. These classes affect how the two groups communicate. The same is true in business the way you talk to the people in your department is different than how you talk to the president of the company.

Your relationship with your family and how you communicate with them will affect your communication not only with your family but with others as well (Littlejohn and Foss, 2005, pg 191). The same is true when interacting with others your experiences with your family and friends will shape how you communicate. If your family is very open in communicating as opposed to not open, then you too will probably communicate openly. This is not true for everyone but if you notice how ones family communicates you can usually see a similarity in the individual members of the family. The same is true in a business there is usually a common language and form to the communication that takes place.

Stella Ting-Toomy says that individuals will communicate differently in different cultures based upon how they feel others will perceive them (Littlejohn and Foss, 2005, pg 167). This is based upon ones feeling of respect, honor, status, connection, and loyalty.

This is defiantly true with different cultures but it is also true in different groups. You see this a lot in high school, if someone belongs to one group of friends it can be difficult to associate with another based on the feelings mentioned above. How others perceive you has a lot to do with how you will communicate not only culturally but also in groups. Senthil says that language is an aspect of culture which is common to all human societies. The language is common between cultures the struggle in communication comes when you mix the language of two cultures. This will become clear later in this paper.

Listening
Listening is one of the most important skills you must acquire in order have effective communication. In the leadership section of Tom Peters he states just how important listening is. While this is a book about management the ideas in the book relate to how we communicate in everyday life. He states that “while keeping in touch with the whims of the new have always distinguished superior leaders it is now a necessity (Peters, 1987, pg 524). I believe however, that everyone must keep in touch with what is going on around them, always listening. By listening to theirs you create a way to include yourself into the conversation. Listening is a skill that we must work on to have better communication.

Noise
In order for communication to take place it has to travel through a medium. There are many things that can affect how the message is understood. Distance is one of those things. If you cannot see or hear the other person you are communicating with this will affect your communication. Another factor that can affect how a message is understood is noise. This could be other people talking the same time you are. If you are in a room and everyone is communicating this can make it difficult to understand what the other person is trying to say.

Conclusion
As you can see when you break down human communication it is actually a very difficult process with a lot of variables. We must be able to know what the other person is trying to communicate and interpret the correct signals. We have to communicate with a common language and have understanding in what is being said. We must also learn to practice these skills. We can do this by giving presentations, having group discussions, blogging, or conversating with a new group. As Brandon Kendall says “be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

Sources:

Brandon Kendall, October 22, 2007

Fournier, M. Stephen (2007, October 22). Shannon and Weaver’s Model of Communication. Retrieved
October 22, 2007 from, Web site: http://stevefournier01.tripod.com/hist/hist-6.html

Griff Goas, October 22, 2007

Littlejohn, W. Stephen, & Fross, A. Karen (2005). Theories of Human Communication (8th ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning.

Peters, Tom (1987). Thriving on Chaos: Handbook for a Management Revolution. New York, NY: Harper and Row

Senthil Natchimuthu, October 22, 2007

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Introduction
In order to have communication there must be an information source, a transmitter, a way for the message to get across to the receiver, and finally reach its destination (http://stevefournier01.tripod.com/hist/hist-6.html). In the middle where the information is sent either verbally or nonverbally, there are factors that can affect the way the message is understood or received, called noise. There are two main types of communication that I am going to discuss, verbal and nonverbal. I am also going to talk about culture and societies effect on communication and how listening is an important factor in human communication.

Verbal Communication
Verbal communication is the most common and frequently used type of communication. In order for there to be oral communication, there must be a common language. Without a common language you will not be able to decipher what the other person is trying to tell you or what you are trying to tell the other person. If you have a common language, such as English, Spanish, or French, to name a few, then each person will be able to understand what the message is that you are trying to deliver. However, if one person speaks English and the other person speaks French, then it is going to be very difficult to communicate because you will not be able to decipher the message.

With oral and written communication it can be difficult to choose the correct words to make your statement understood. One of the problems with oral and written communication is that people decipher words and meanings differently and that can change the way the message is understood. How do we decipher what the meaning of something being spoken or written is? Osgood, says that individuals respond to stimuli in the environment forming a stimulus- response relationship (Littlejohn & Foss, 2005). He believes this basics S-R association is responsible for the establishment of meaning, which is an internal, mental response to a stimulus. What this means is that with a given stimuli we use a previous experience to decipher our meaning of the stimuli. If someone is giving a speech you use your previous associations with the topic at hand to determine the meaning of what is being discussed.

Another factor that can effect oral communication is how the message is said. By using different tones you can change the meaning of what you are trying to communicate. It may also affect the way someone receives the message you are delivering. If the person you are communicating with does not understand when sarcasm, for instance, is used, then the meaning of the message can be completely different. How you change your voice level can also affect the way a message can be understood. If you are yelling your message as opposed to speaking softly, then the meaning of the message can be completely different. As you can see how you say your message and how loudly you speak can greatly affect the way your message is understood.

In effective verbal communication it is very important the two people in the conversation are able to understand what each person is saying with a common language and be able to decipher the message in a way that both people in the conversation know exactly what is meant. If you are able to do those two things, then you will be able to have effective communication.

Nonverbal Communication
The other type of communication is nonverbal communication. This type of communication is associated with hand gestures, body language, eye contact, touching, and sometimes even appearance. I think the most common type of nonverbal communication is using hand gestures. If you raise your hand with your palms facing out, this generally means stop, or if you pat someone on the back, this means good job, and finally if you shrug your shoulders, this is a gesture that means I am not sure. There are many, many more gestures that we use to communicate to the other person nonverbally. It is so common that in fact we usually do not even realize we are doing it.

Touching and hand gestures go together because by touching and using hand gestures you can display a message that can be understood. For instance, you can display a signal of choking by putting your hands to your throat, or you can display a signal for flying by flapping your arms up and down. Each of these are ways you can use nonverbal communication.

Body language is another way that we communicate nonverbally. If someone is in a hurry, you may see the person moving around frantically, or if someone is sad, their body language may indicate this by them slouching. Eye contact and touching are other forms of nonverbal communication. If you look someone in the eye as opposed to not looking the person in the eye, this can be a sign of respect, a sign that someone is paying attention, or that someone is not lying.

Sometimes you can even communicate nonverbally by the way a person may dress. If everyone is in a suit and tie, you may get the idea that you are in a business setting, or if you see a woman wearing maternity clothes, you can conclude the woman is pregnant. All of the examples above are just a few ways that we communicate everyday using nonverbal communication.

Culture and Society
Culture has a large influence on how we communicate with others. In different parts of the world communication can be very diverse. An example is in the United States we practice freedom of speech but not all other countries are able to do this. Society also shapes how we communicate with others. In America while there is no social class there is a difference in communicating with someone who is living on well-fare and someone who owns a fortune 500 company. The way they communicate is quite different. There are social barriers that can be difficult to cross, which leads to difficult communication between the two sides. In other countries these people may be looked down upon or it may be forbidden to talk to them. These are all factors that can affect how we communicate.

Your relationship with your family and how you communicate with them will affect your communication not only with your family but with others as well (Littlejohn & Foss, 2005). The same is true when interacting with others, your experiences with your family and friends will shape how you communicate. If you family is very open and you are allowed to discuss whatever is on your mind you are going to bring that type of communication into groups and individual conversations. If your family only allows you to discuss on certain topics, or they do not believe in having open conversation than you may be cautious about what you say and this will also affect your group and individual conversations. How you communicate with your family and friends has a huge impact on how you communicate outside of those groups of people.

Stella Ting-Toomy says that individuals will communicate differently in different cultures based upon how they feel others will perceive them (Littlejohn & Foss, 2005). This has to do with ones feelings of respect, honor, status, connection, and loyalty. You are always thinking about how others are thinking about you and this can affect how you communicate. If you are in a room full of people talking about business and you don’t know what they are talking about chances are you will not ask questions or join in for fear of them thinking you are not intelligent. This happens all of the time not only in the United States but in other parts of the world as well.
Listening

In the leadership section of Tom Peters he states just how important listening is. While this is a book about management the ideas in the book also relate to how we communicate in everyday life. He states that “while keeping in touch with the whims of the new have always distinguished superior leaders it is now a necessity” (Peters, 1987). I believe however that everyone must keep in touch with what is going on around them, always listening. By listening to others you create a way of including yourself in the conversation. Listening is a skill just as communication is a skill. Listening improves one’s ability to communicate.

Noise
There are, however, many problems with oral communication and nonverbal communication. In each of the two ways of communicating there has to be a medium through which the communication must travel. There are many things that can affect the way the message is understood. Distance is a way that the message can be misunderstood. If you are too far away from the person you are trying to communicate with than they may not be able to see your hand gestures or they may not be able to hear what you are saying. Noise is another factor that can affect the way a message is understood. If you are in a room full of people taking, hearing what the other person is trying to say can be difficult. If a message is misunderstood, verbally or nonverbally there still is communication on both sides; however, it is not effective communication.

Conclusion
For effective communication each person must know exactly what the other person is trying to communicate. The signals must be able to be interpreted and there must be a common language. There must be an understanding in what the other person is trying to communicate. If there is not an understanding in your message, than there cannot be proficient communication. You must also realize that communication is affected not only by noise but also by culture, society, family, and friends.

Sources:

Fournier, M. Stephen (2007, October 22). Shannon and Weaver's Model
of Communication . Retrieved October 22, 2007 from , Web site:
http://stevefournier01.tripod.com/hist/hist-6.html

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

Peters, Tom (1987). Thriving on Chaos: Handbook for a Management
Revolution. New York, NY: Harper and Row.

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