Module 1 Communication in Multicultural

Contexts

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:
1. Unpack the essential components in defining communication through concept
mapping;
2. Identify the nature, elements, and functions of communication in real-life
multicultural situations through experience sharing; and
3. Explain the significance of cultural diversity in effective communication through class
feedback wall

COMMUNICATION

Alexander (1984) stated that communication occurs when a sender expresses an

emotion or a feeling, creates an idea, or senses the need to communicate. The
communication process is triggered when the sender makes a conscious or an unconscious
decision to share the message with another person—the receiver. It is a process wherein
the exchange of information between two or more people (Bernales, Balon and Biligan,
2018). Keyton (2011) supported this notion of communication when he defined it as
Communication can be defined as the process of transmitting information and common
understanding from one person to another.

For communication to succeed, both the participants must be able to exchange

information and understand each other. If this flow of information is interrupted or blocked
communication fails. The word communication is derived from the Latin word, ―
“communis”, which means common. In our everyday living, for a communication to be
effectively transmitted, elements of communication must be present, and these include a)
Speaker, b) Message, c) Receiver, d) Channel, e) Feedback, and f) Communicative
Situation.

Alexander (1984) further explains that every communicative act is based on

something that conveys meaning, and that conveyance is the message. The message may
be either verbal (spoken or written) or nonverbal (body language, physical appearance, or
vocal tone). Messages may also come from the context—or place and time—of the
communication. For instance, if you choose to make a critical comment to someone, the
place and the time you choose to make that comment will make a big impact on how it will
be received.

Moreover, every message is sent and received through one of our five senses—it is
seen, heard, touched, tasted, or smelled. The sensory media through which messages are
sent and received are communication channels. In a work setting, messages may be seen
through body movement, letters, memos, newsletters, bulletin board notices, signs, emails,
and so on. Messages that are heard come through conversations, interviews, presentations,
telephones, radios, and other audio media. Sight and sound are the two most frequent
communication channels used in our society.

When the receiver gets the message (through seeing, hearing, feeling, touching, or
smelling), he or she will usually give feedback (return message) unconsciously or
consciously. Thus, the communications process is on-going.
 The worst assumption a sender of a message can make is that the message will be
received as intended. So many things can go wrong during the communications process
that we should always assume that something will go wrong and take steps to prevent
that occurrence. Barriers to good communications are always present. For instance, the
language itself can be a barrier—unclear wording, slang, jargon, the tone. Another barrier
is the failure of the sender to realize that his or her body language might contradict the
spoken message. The channel used to convey the message might be wrong. For instance,
you would not use the telephone to relay a lot of statistical information; you would need
to write that message on paper. Poor listening skills can constitute a barrier also
(Alexander, 1984).

Lesson 1: Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

Nature, Elements, and Functions

Activity What do these quotes mean in relation to communication?

―If all my talents and powers to be taken from me by some inscrutable Providence
and I had my choice of keeping but one, I would unhesitatingly ask that I be
allowed to keep my power of speech for through it, I would regain the rest.”

- Daniel Webster

Answer:__________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

―To speak and to speak well are two different things.”

- Ben Johnson

Answer:__________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

―We listen a book a day, we speak a book a week, read the equivalent of a
book a month and write the equivalent of a book a year.”

- Walter Loban

Answer:__________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Analysis
LET’S TAKE A LOOK – Share your answers to the class and relate it to the ff. statements
below:
❑ We are social beings and such; we feel an intense need to express our thoughts, feelings
and aspirations, doubts, questions, and fears. Equally intense is our need to be listened
to. These needs - to express and to be listened to – are basic or innate in all of us.

❑ But as Ben Johnson, the English poet, has said, the ability to speak and the ability to
speak well are two different things.

❑ Speaking well is comparable to any skill in the sense that it can be developed and
enhanced. All that you have to do is expose yourself to various speaking situations.
Listen well and study how effective speakers express themselves.

“Learn from their strengths and practice whenever opportunities arise.”

“Practice makes perfect”
“If it is to be, it is up to me”

❑ As much as 75% of the average person‘s day is spent communicating.

❑ Those in technical jobs are estimated to spend between 50% and 90% of their work day
engaged in communication process

Abstraction

DEFINITIONS OF COMMUNICATION

1. Communication is a process by which we assign and convey meaning in an attempt to

create shared understanding.
❖ This process requires a vast repertoire of skills:
✓ Intrapersonal and interpersonal processing
✓ Listening
✓ Observing
✓ Speaking
✓ Questioning
✓ Analyzing
✓ Evaluating

2. It can be seen as processes of information transmission governed by three levels of

semiotic rules:
❖ Syntactic
❖ Pragmatic
❖ Semantic

3. It is therefore a social interaction where at least two interacting agents share a common
set of signs and a common set of semiotic rules.

4. The Oxford Advanced Learner‘s Dictionary defines communication, as the act of passing
news, information…, the act of sharing or exchanging thoughts, ideas, feelings with others
or with a group; the act of participating with or sharing in common, the ―we-belong-to-
same-feeling‖ as in communication with… or the act of thinking about oneself.

5. Communication is derived from the Latin word ‗communis,‘which means, ―Belonging to

many‖ or ―equally‖ and ―communico‖ – to confer with others. It is the mutual exchange
of information, ideas, and understanding by any effective means (Ballesterros, 2003).
6. Communication refers to the process of human beings responding to the symbolic behavior
of other persons (Adler and Rodman, 1997).
❖ COMMUNICATION IS HUMAN.
❖ COMMUNICATION IS A PROCESS.
❖ COMMUNICATION IS SYMBOLIC.

7. The communication done by animals is relatively different from humans. The manner by which we
communicate or use different gestures, facial expression, etc. to communicate is different from the
dance that is done by bees to instruct their hive-mates on the location of food or the chimpanzees that
have been taught to express themselves using sign language like deaf humans.

8. We often talk about communication as if it occurred in discrete, individual acts. In fact,

communication is a continuous, ongoing process.

➢ Consider, for example, a friend‘s compliment about your appearance. Your interpretation of those
words will depend on a long series of experiences stretching far back in time: how have others judged
your appearance? How do you feel about your looks? How honest has your friend been in the past?
How have you been feeling about one another recently? All of this history will help shape your
response to the other person‘s remark. In turn, the words you speak and the way you say them will
shape the way your friend behaves toward you and others- both in this situation and in the future.

➢ This example shows that it‘s inaccurate to talk about “acts” of communication as if they occurred in
isolation. To put it differently, communication isn‘t a series of incidents pasted together like
photographs in a scrapbook; instead, it is more like a motion picture in which the meaning comes
from the unfolding of an interrelated series of images. The fact that communication is a process is
reflected in the transactional model.

9. Symbols are used to represent things, processes, ideas, or events in ways that make communication
possible. The most significant feature of symbols is their arbitrary nature.

➢ For example, there‘s no logical reason why the letters in book should stand for the object you‘re
reading in class. Speakers of Spanish call it a libro, and Germans label it a Buch. Even in English,
another term would work just as well as long as everyone agreed to use it in the same way. We
overcome the arbitrary nature of symbols by linguistic rules and customs. Effective communication
depends on agreement among people about these rules. This is easiest to see when we observe
people who don‘t follow linguistic conventions. For example, recall how unusual the speech of
children and immigrant speakers of a language sounds.

10. In addition to this, nonverbal communication can have symbolic meaning. As with words, some
nonverbal behaviors, though arbitrary, have clearly agreed-upon meanings.

➢ For example, to most North Americans placement of a thumb and first finger together while facing
the palm of the hand outward stands for the idea of something being ―”OK.” But even more than
words, many nonverbal behaviors are ambiguous. Does a frown signify anger or unhappiness? Does a
hug stand for a friendly greeting or a symbol of the hugger‘s romantic interest in you? One can‘t
always be sure (Adler and Rodman, 1997).

OTHER CONCEPTS OF COMMUNICATION

1. Allen Louis – Communication is the sum of all things (telling, listening and understanding). It is a
systematic activity under any given circumstances.
2. Henry Kuntz – Communication is the transferring of information from one person to another whether
or not he/she elicits that confidence.
3. George Terry – Communication is the exchange of ideals, feelings, and emotions between two or more
persons.
4. Keith Davis – The purpose of passing information and understanding between two persons… without
the bridge of communication no one can cross the river of understanding.
 TYPES OF COMMUNICATION ACCORDING TO MODE

A message may be imparted through these types; verbal-non-verbal and visual. While
communication is often thought of as verbal, the non-verbal mode is equally essential as it
enhances one's message.

A. VERBAL COMMUNICATION
➢ (Linguistics) The process of sending and receiving messages with words, including writing and
sign language.
➢ It refers to the form of communication in which message is transmitted verbally.
➢ Communication is done by word of mouth and a piece of writing.

VERBAL COMMUNICATION: ORAL

❑ Spoken words are used
❑ It includes face-to-face conversations, speech, telephonic conversation, video, radio, television,
voice over internet.
❑ Communication is influenced by pitch, volume, speed and clarity of speaking.

VERBAL COMMUNICATION: WRITTEN

❑ In written communication, written signs or symbols are used to communicate.

❑ In written communication message can be transmitted via email, letter, report, memo etc.
❑ Written communication is most common form of communication being used in business.

B. NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

➢ Nonverbal communication is the sending or receiving of wordless messages. Such gesture,

body language, posture, tone of voice or facial expressions is called nonverbal communication.
➢ It is all about the body language of speaker.

It has three elements:

1. Appearance (speaker) - Clothing, hairstyle, neatness, use of cosmetics; Appearance
(surrounding) – room size, lighting, decorations, furnishings
2. Body language - facial expressions, gestures, postures
3. Sounds - voice tone, volume, speech rate

Sub-lesson 2: Elements of Communication

Creative Commons Attribution (2012) and Lunenburg (2010) explained that the quality
of communication is determined by the elements in the process. These are:

1. Sender – the person who initiates the conversation and creates a message.

2. Receiver – the recipient of the information.

3. Message – the information created by the source or sender.

4. Channel/ Medium – the carrier of messages. This is the way the information travels between
the sender and the receiver. This can be face to face conversation, written communication or
through electronic devices.

5. Feedback – the receiver’s response to the sender’s message.

6. Encoding – the sender’s process of converting ideas into understandable messages.

7. Decoding – the process where the receiver interprets the information into meaningful
messages.

8. Noise – also called as interference, is anything that blocks the communication process.
❑ Speaking and listening are vital elements of communication. Therefore, in any communication
situation, you are both speaker and listener. (Villamarzo, 2003).

❑ Eugene White (1960) mentions eight stages in the cycle of communication. These are:
❖ Thinking
❖ Symbolizing
❖ Expressing
❖ Transmitting
❖ Receiving
❖ Decoding
❖ Reacting, and
❖ Monitoring

❑ Roman Jacobson mentions the following as components of communication:

❖ Addresser (speaker)
❖ Addressee (listener
❖ Context (situation)
❖ Contact
❖ Code, and
❖ Message

❑ Gronbeck defines model as ―a picture or a representation of a thing or process that identifies

the key parts or elements and indicates how each element affects the operations of all of the
elements.

❑ Communication Model, therefore, is a sketch that shows the basic elements of the
communication process, and how each element affects the other elements in the entire
communication process as a system

Sub-lesson 3: Functions of Communication

What are the functions of communication? Perhaps, most of you have answered that we
communicate to express our desires, goals, and needs. That is the utilitarian function of
communication. Communication serves many other functions:

1. Informative Function
We want to inform other people of what we know—facts, information, and knowledge. In school,
most of our speaking activities are directed to get and give information to develop or improve our
knowledge and skills and to imbibe good values. In social organizations, information is shared to
guide people on the processes and procedures necessary to operate efficiently and effectively.

2. Instructive Function
Many times, older people, people who hold important information, and those in the higher rank
communicate to instruct people on what to do, when and where to do them, and on why and
how to do them.

3. Persuasive Function
You may find yourself wanting to influence the opinion of others to believe and accept your stand
or claim on an issue or a problem; so you think of strategies on how to persuade them to change
their perspectives or opinion and to decide accordingly.

4. Motivation Function
We communicate to entice and direct people to act and reach their objectives or goals in life. In
the process, we use positive language to make them realize that their actions lead them to
something beneficial for their being.

5. Aesthetic Function
We use communication for pleasure and enjoyment.
6. Therapeutic Function or Emotional Expression
Communication is curative and serves to maintain good health. Have you found yourself talking to a
friend about your personal problems? Have you consulted your teacher about your academic
standing? Sometimes, talking to a person does not mean asking for his/her help; we talk to another
person merely to vent our feelings. After the talk, we find ourselves in a much better condition to
think over matters that trouble us.

7. Regulation/Control
People use communication to maintain control over other people’s attitude and behavior. Your
parents use it to guide, inspire, or reprimand you when you seem to lose control over your schedule,
studies, and relationships, among others. In school, your teachers and the administrators use
communication to direct your efforts to positive channels in order to learn new skills, gain more
knowledge, develop competencies, and imbibe good values. In the workplace, leaders and managers
use communication to maintain control over their employees and their work environment, or to
encourage them in their work. The media use communication to urge the public to patronize a new
product or service, to support an advocacy or rally against a cause, or even to remove government
officials from office.

8. Social Interaction
Communication helps us start, maintain, regulate, or even end relationships with other people. We
usually establish a positive climate at home, in school, and in the workplace by greeting the people
around us and by exchanging pleasantries with them. We also show how we welcome new
classmates or col-leagues by smiling at them and conversing with them about any topic with the
intention of getting to know each other and to feel that “we belong.” Likewise, we avoid
communicating with a person when our relationship with him/her turns sour. Our nonverbal
language tells the other person that we are using communication in order to stop communicating
with him/her.

Application

Watch this YouTube video and write your thoughts about it on the feedback wall:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBT6u0FyKnc)

After watching the video and reading the lesson, answer the following questions.

1. Who was the sender? What was his/ her motivation or intention for participating in the
communication situation?

2. Who was the receiver? What was his/ her motivation or intention for participating in the
communication situation?

3. What was/were the sender’s message/s? How did the receiver/s interpret the message/s?

4. What was the medium used? Was it effective in conveying the message/s?

5. What was/were the feedbacks? How did the receiver/s send the feedback/s

6. Was there any noise? If yes, how did the noise affect the message/s?
 Assessment
Part 1: Draw a diagram that depicts the elements of communication and its process.

Part 2: Circle the letter of your answer.

1. It is defined as the process of transmitting information and common understanding from one
person to another.
a. Communication b. Speaker c. Process d. Purpose

2. It is a type of communication that uses visuals to convey information and/or messages.

a. Non-verbal b. Verbal c. Visual d. Intrapersonal

3. It is defined also as communication with oneself, and that may include self-talk, acts of
imagination and visualization, and even recall and memory.
a. Verbal b. Interpersonal c. Intrapersonal d. Non-verbal

Part 3: Fill in the blanks.

Communication follows a certain process which is composed or done using different the elements.
To start the conversation, the 1._______ formulates the message which will be transmitted to the
2._________. The (answer to number 1)’s job is to 3.________ or translate his message and he
has to choose the media where the conversation will be grounded. After 4._________ the message,
the receiver will then give 5.__________ to complete the communication process. This process will
cycle through until the purpose of the conversation is met.