Chapter 13

Communication Theory

By the end of this chapter you should be able to do the following:

 Understand and define the communication process;

 Apply effective communication skills;
 Discuss the importance of effective communication in the
workplace;
 Develop an understanding of different communication models;
 Explain and implement the different communication functions;
 Identify and illustrate the communication directions;
 Distinguish between a medium and channel of communication;
 Identify the different barriers to communication;
 Distinguish between different categories of communication;
 Discuss interpersonal communication in detail;
 Critically analyse types of listening skills;
 List and discuss the different types of communication styles;
 Recognise and discuss barriers to cross-cultural communication.

What is communication?

 Short questions

(i) Define communication.

(ii) Mention four factors that are common in the definitions of
communication.

 True or false questions

State whether the following statements are true or false:

(i) The communication process is a static process that

consists of feedback.
(ii) People communicate for the sake of communicating.

 Completion questions
 Fill in the missing words.

(i) Communication is a ………………. process in which

…………………… is sent from a ……………… to a
…………………… who in turn gives ………………..
(ii) The language or code that is used in the communication
process is referred to as a ……………………
(iii) The ‘mode of transport’ that is used to deliver a medium in
the communication process is commonly known as a
……………….

The importance of effective communication

 Short questions

(i) Mention six factors regarding the importance of

communication.
(ii) Mention any five actions that one could take in order to
communicate effectively.

 Completion questions

Fill in the missing words.

(i) Communicating effectively will enable you to

A. Save ……. and ……… and increase ……………

B. Make informed decisions and persuade others to
…………..
C. Explain ………, give …………… and solve ………………..

 Role play

Take ± 2 minutes to do the following oral group work. Choose a

group’s representative.

Communicating effectively

Imagine yourself addressing your subordinates on the changes that are going to be
effected in your company. Give them facts regarding the changes that are going to
take place and how they are going to be affected.

Communication models

 Short questions
 (i) List the four characteristics of a communication model.
(ii) Distinguish between the linear and convergence model of
communication.
(iii) Graphically illustrate a successful communication model
that shows feedback.
(iv) Analyse the following illustration and do as instructed at
the end.

Cupid in the air

Vusi Nomsa
Nomsa

A. Identify
the individuals that perform the following
functions in the communication process illustrated
above:

A (i) Decoding the message

A (ii) Encoding the message

B. What is the message that is being conveyed?

C. How is the message transmitted? Don’t mention the
word heart.

D. Considering the four basic elements of the

communication process,
what does the heart from Nomsa refer to?
E. Identify the kind of communication described by the
above illustration

.
 Match numbers questions
Match the statements in Column B with their corresponding
numbers in column A. Write down answers only e.g. Feedback: K

COLUMN COLUMN B
A

Sender A. Comes in a form of instructions, information

or enquiries etc.
Receiver B. A route that is taken to deliver a medium.
Message C. The deliverer of feedback.
Channel D. The initiator of a communication process.

Sender: …….
Receiver: …….
Message: …….
Channel: …….
  Multiple choice questions

Underline the correct answers from the options given in the

brackets.

(i) The code or the form that a message takes is referred to

(language/ channel/ medium).
(ii) The sender is also referred to as the (active listener/
encoder/ decoder).
(iii) The receiver is also referred to as the (active speaker/
encoder/ decoder).
(iv) Feedback could be regarded as the (interpreted message/
second message/ response).

 True or false questions

State whether the following are true or false:

(i) A receiver is the encoder of feedback.

(ii) A sender is the decoder of feedback.
(iii) A sender is the encoder of a message.
(iv) A receiver is the decoder of the message.
(v) The sender and the receiver exchange roles continuously
during the communication process.
(vi) A message can only be transmitted verbally in a spoken or
written form.

 Completion questions

Fill in the missing words.


(i) The model that stresses the transactional and continuing
nature of communication is called ……………….
(ii) The model that illustrates the communication process as
just a system is called ………………….

 Role play

Take +\_ 30 seconds to do the following oral exercise in pairs.

Other learners must observe and identify the relevant elements
of communication that will be showcased, e.g. sender, receiver,
message, feedback and channel.

Elements of communication

Choose a friend and ask him or her three questions which require one answer. You
questions should be in the following forms:
 oral
 written
 non-verbal

 Case study

Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

Popi, a teacher and single mother, was trying to figure out

what her four-
year-old son, Molemo, was saying to her. The boy couldn't
articulate some
words clearly and as a result the poor lady couldn't
understand what the conversation was all about. She then
told him to speak slowly so that she
could understand him. It was only after this advice that she
could hear that
the boy was saying that when he was grown up he was going
to be an
astronaut like Mark Shuttleworth whom he had seen on TV.

(i) Mention the four main elements of the communication process

and quote an
example of each from the passage above.

Communication functions

 Short questions

(i) Mention the four functions of communication.

Communication directions

 Short questions

(i) Briefly discuss the following:

A. Internal communication
B. External communication
C. Formal communication
D. Informal communication
  Multiple choice questions

(i) Choose examples of all of the above [in (i)] from the list
given below:
NB. Some of these examples fit in more than one
communication type.

Gossip, Interviews, Memoranda, Business letters, Board members’ meeting, Press

release, Intranet, Internet, Girl-talk, Enquiry desk.

 True or false questions

State whether the following statements that are based on the

organogram under the ‘role play questions’ below are true or false:

(i) The communication route between the Vice-rector and

Dean of art is described as diagonal.
(ii) People that communicate diagonally and vertically occupy
different job levels in the organisations.
(iii) A conversation between two colleagues that do the same
job and report to the same departmental boss describes
horizontal communication.

 Completion questions

Mark the relevant box with an X to indicate the route of

communication indicated in the table below.

SAME DIFFERENT SAME DIFFERENT

DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT JOB JOB
S LEVEL LEVELS
DIAGONAL
COMMUNICATIO
N
VERTICAL
COMMUNICATIO
N
HORIZONTAL
COMMUNICATIO
N

 Role play

(i) Refer to the organogram below and illustrate the following

communication routes:
Illustrate at least two examples of each route.
 A. Vertical communication
B. Horizontal communication
C. Diagonal communication

Rector

Vice Rector

Dean Dean Dean

Engineering IT Art

HOD Data HOD Computer

processing systems

Communication channel

 lecturers lecturers
Short questions lecturers lecturers

(i) Distinguish between a channel and a medium.

(ii) Identify the relevant channel and a medium that could be
used in the following situations:
For example: The channel : letter.
The medium : the written word.

A. Lerato is sending her boyfriend an SMS to say good

night.
B. A student is e-mailing her assignment to her lecturer.
C. A boy is listening to a telephone conversation between
mom and dad.
D. A traffic officer is controlling traffic during a peak hour.
E. Her eyes went wide open when she found out that she
had failed.

 Completion questions

Fill in the missing words.

(i) The nature of a medium of communication could be

…………….... and/or …………………..
Barriers to communication

 Short questions

(i) What do you understand by a barrier to communication?

(ii) Give examples of barriers to communication with specific
reference to the following:

A. The sender
B. The receiver
C. The message
D. Feedback

(iii) List the five categories of barriers to communication.

  Match numbers questions

Match the concepts in column A with their corresponding

statements in column B. Write down only the letters of the correct
answers, e.g. 1 F.

A B

1. Objecting to interact with others due to A. Psychological

your barrier
religious differences.
2. Feeling a terrible pain during a B. Physical barrier
discussion.
3. An inaudible voice that is frustrating the C. Perceptual
audience. barrier
4. Delivering a boring speech that makes D. Semantic
people to barrier
ignore you.
5. Using undefined jargon that spoils a good E. Physiological
speech. barrier
F. Discomfort
barrier
G. Sociological
barrier

 True or false questions

(i) When doctors use medical terminology to address ordinary

people, they will cause a semantic barrier.
(ii) People who cannot pronounce words clearly cause
physical noise barrier.
(iii) The inability to use sign language correctly will cause
physical barrier.

 Completion questions

Fill in the missing words.

(i) A barrier that is caused by the state of the mind is called

………………....
(ii) A barrier that is caused by a bodily disorder
…………………………
(iii) A barrier that is caused by differences in viewpoints is
called ……………...
(iv) A barrier that is caused by interference with the meaning
is called ………..
(v) A barrier that is caused by an external factor interfering
with the message is called ………………………..

 Role play

(i) Choose any type of barriers to communication and

showcase your understanding through dramatising.
  Case study

(i) Identify the types of communication barriers and quote

their examples from the paragraph below.

Thembi and Thobeka are IT students at theVaal University of

Technology. They are
in their second year of studies. They have been friends since they
met last year.
Back home at KZN, Thobeka has a friend called Khanyi, whom she
doesn’t talk
to anymore because she dropped out of school. According to
Thobeka she
has nothing valuable to discuss with a friend who is not as
educated as she claims
she is. Poor Khanyi feels inferior because Thobeka is a university
student. One day
Thembi insisted on visiting Thobeka at Nquthu so that she could
meet this old friend
of hers. To her surprise, she discovered that Khanyi had a hearing
problem. One
has to speak loudly and slowly for her to understand what one
says. She felt sorry
for her and understood why she had dropped out of high school.
As the two were
talking, a huge truck passed and it made such a noise that they
could hardly hear
each other.

Categories of communication

 Short questions

(i) Draw a graphical illustration that shows a distinction

between verbal and non-verbal communication.
(ii) Mention the three ways in which verbal communication
differs from non-verbal communication.

 Match numbers questions

(i) Match the statement in column B with their corresponding

concepts in column A. Write down answers only.

COLUMN A COLUMN B
1. Intrapersonal A. Talking to an animal, bird, object
communication and anything that can’t use a human
language
2. Interpersonal B. Watching your favourite programme
communication on TV.
3. Extrapersonal C. Having a conversation with your
communication partner.
4. Mass communication D. Thinking about your future.
  Multiple choice questions

(i) Write down the correct examples of each type of semiology

mentioned in each column below. Choose from the list that is given
below.

Music, colour, map, touching, silence, proxemics,

embracing, human sound, facial expression, posture

Visual Tacesic Acoustic Graphic

semiolog semiology semiology semiology
y

 True or false question

(i) Oral and written communications are classified under

verbal communication.

Interpersonal Communication

 Short questions

(i) Mention the five ways in which organisations can help to

improve perception.

 Completion questions

(i) Fill in the missing words to complete the following

demands of effective one-to-one communication:

A. Being assertive rather than ………………………..

B. Clearly stating your …………………………
C. Clearly stating what ……………………..
D. Clearly stating the motives
……………………………………………
E. Giving and …………………………………..
Listening skills

 Multiple choice questions

(i) Choose and underline the correct answer from the options
given in brackets.

A. Analysing and judging the speaker’s speech is called

(attentive listening/ appreciative listening/ critical
listening).
B. Not getting exited about the speaker’s point before
understanding it is called (attentive listening/
appreciative listening/ critical listening).
C. Trying to establish the speaker’s main purpose or goal
speech is called (attentive listening/ appreciative
listening/ critical listening).

 True of false questions

State whether the following are true or false.

A. Listening involves hearing a sound made by the

speaker.
B. Hearing is a purposeful activity.
C. Hearing is a passive exercise.
D. Listening involves understanding the message and its
intention.

Communication styles

 Match numbers questions

(i) Match the language styles in column A with their corresponding

information in
columns B and C. Write down answers only eg. 1GH

A. LANGUAG B. RELATED C. DESCRIPTION

E NAME
STYLE
A. A style that is enjoyable,
1. Problem- A. Parental-ego conversational,
solving style. emotional expressing and
spontaneous.
B. A style used by someone who
2. Directive B. Adult-ego style. wants his
words to be used as a frame of
reference.
 C. A style characterised by a
3. Meta C. Child-ego style. search for a
best alternative.
D. A style used to criticise, blame,
4. Expressive D Communication order or
about persuade.
communication.

Cross-cultural communication

 Match numbers questions

Match the terms in column A with their corresponding statements

in column B.
Write down answers only eg. 1. F

COLUMN A COLUMN B
1. Ethnocentrism A. Making sweeping generalisations about
people.
2. Verbal messages B. Established rules of what is acceptable
and
appropriate behaviour.
3. Stereotyping C. Thinking that your culture is superior.
4. Generalisation D. Misunderstanding deeper meaning of
words and
idioms.
E. Oversimplified, one-sided and inflexible
view of a
group.

 True or false

State whether the following are true or false.

(i) We are all born with a specific culture that defines who we
are.
(ii) Culture is static and it does not get influenced by the
changing times.
(iii) The core of culture remains the same and it can be traced in
people’s history.
GROUP ASSIGNMENT

Choose an organisation of your choice and get information

regarding the following aspects:

(i) Illustrate its hierarchical levels in an organogram (it may be

department or division if the organisation is too big)
(ii) Identify the communication directions/ routes that are used
to communicate internally and define them.
(iii) Identify any barriers to communication that it experiences.
(iv) Suggest ways to avoid such barriers.
(v) Identify any messages that are expressed non-verbally.
(vi) Ask whoever you interviewed what the role of effective
communication is in their organisation and write down your
facts.