Human communication

The components of human communication:

Messages: the building blocks of communication events.

Encoding: taking ideas and converting them into messages.
Decoding: receiving a message and interpreting its meaning.
Symbol: something that represents something else and conveys meaning

Human communication:

Communication focuses on the exchange of messages to create meaning.

Becoming an effective communicator involves both understanding the components and
processes of communication and putting them into practice.
Successful communicators must converse effectively face to face, correspond clearly via
e-mail, learn when it is appropriate to use text messaging, and absorb the norms and
surrounding cell phones, chat rooms, video, and telephone conferences.

Why is human communication important?:

It allows you to establish who you are to others. You reveal yourself as you
communicate.
It can help you attain your goals, establish relationships, and develop your identity.
Studying human communication can benefit you by leading you to a new career path.

How can human communication harm us?

Having too much communication can lead to problems.

Poor or unethical communication can negatively affect lives. Negative conversational
partner can lessen ones self-esteem.

Human communication in society:

Communication occurs when a sender encodes a message (puts ideas into words and
symbols)
Sent to a receiver who decoded (interpreted)
Process reversed (receiver becomes sender, sender becomes receiver)
Noise and channel also used

Communication is transactional:

Each communicator is a sender and receiver at the same time

Meaning is created as people communicate together
Communication is an ongoing process

Previous communication events and relationships influence the meaning of

communication

Communication is influenced by individual forces:

Age, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender/sex, sexual orientation, regional identity

Also include field of experience, such as education and experiences
Individual characteristics are unique for each person
However, society places limits on the variations that are deemed acceptable

Communication is influenced by culture:

Age affects the way you communicate

Beliefs, values, norms

Communication is influenced by context:

Context includes the setting or aspects of the physical environment

Both individual and societal forces are used

Communication Ethics:

Communication Ethics- The standards of right and wrong that one applies to
messages that are sent and received.
Why are communication ethics so important?
They sustain professional success. Your reputation as a person of integrity impacts
whether others want to hire you, work for you, or conduct business with you.
Consequently, communicating and behaving ethically is just good business.
2) Communication ethics are vital to personal relationships.
Maintaining intimate and caring relationships can be difficult if not impossible if one
communicates unethically. Far too many people have learned the hard way that a lack
of ethics destroys relationships.

Sharing or withholding Information:

A fundamental principle of ethical communication concerns what information should

be divulged and what can be with held.
This distinction is important because typically its ethical to maintain privacy but it
may be unethical to engage in secrecy.

Truthfulness in Ethical Communication:

Truthfulness plays an essential role in ethical communication.

Others expect messages to be truthful.
Messages have consequences.
Your communication can influence the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of others. The
more influential the impact of your message, the more you will be held responsible to
the truth. For example you might not be criticized too harshly for exaggerating your
salary during a flirtation with a stranger, but an employer will probably think it
unethical if you lie about your salary on a job application.