Language and Communication

Elements of communication:

• Source of communication
• The message
• The channel
• The receiver
• Responses via feedback
• Possibilities of communication breakdown in each stage of communication.

Functions of language:

• Labeling - identifying an object, act, or person by name, so that it can be referred to in communication.
• Interaction - focuses on the sharing and communication of ideas and emotions.
• Transmit information - voices, books, television, signs, letters, etcetera.

Korzybaki's Laws:

• Non-identity - a word is not the thing it represents.
• Non-allness - a word cannot symbolize all of a thing.
• Self-reflectiveness- a word can refer not only to something in the real-world, but also to itself.

Barriers to good listening:

• Environmental setting
• The message source
• The message
• The listener

Ways to improve listening skills:

• A person listens better if motivated to listen.
• Make a conscious effort to pay attention.
• Keep an open mind free of prejudice.

Non-directive listening to listen to attempt to do the following:

• Take time to listen. Whenever he senses the speaker has become emotional and needs to talk things out, he lets him.
• Be attentive. He concentrates on what the speaker is saying and uses gestures such as tilting the head slightly to indicate non-verbally than he is paying attention.
• Give the speaker feedback. Again he uses nonverbal communication to indicate approval - - a smile or nod of the head is often all that is necessary.
• Does not probe for additional information. There is a distinct difference between willingness to listen and curious intent. Probing often causes the speaker to withhold information he would otherwise reveal.
• Not being critical. He refraines from passing judgment on what is being said.
• Refrains or postpones giving advice. If asked for advice, he holds off, realizing that the speaker may involve his own solution during the course of the talk.
• Respect the speaker's and his worth. He makes the speaker feel important and worthwhile, but at the same time does not diminish his own image.

Four stages of the listening process:

• Hearing - reception of sound waves.
• Attention - selective perception of stimuli.
• Understanding - interpreting and evaluating symbols.
• Remembering - storage of symbols in memory bank.

Listening - conscious perception of what is being heard.

Six functions of nonverbal communication:

1. Repeating - words that are accompanied by a nod or shake of the head etcetera.
2. Substituting - when hearing or speaking is impossible, nonverbal communication often replaces verbal.
3. Complimenting - used to emphasize emotional feelings or attitudes.
4. Deceiving / revealing - sometimes we deceive others or supply them with false information to avoid hurt feelings. At the same time, you may be pulling at your coat buttons.
5. Regulating - knowing when someone else wants to talk.
6. Accenting - use of gestures such as nods, blinks, squints, and shrugs to help emphasize or punctuate spoken words.

Nonverbal behavior is partly instinctive, partly taught, and partly imitated.

Research shows:

• Body language doesn't lie.
• Body language often contradict the spoken word.
• More than half of our talking is done without words.
• Some experts say that 90% of our messages are given with body language, not words.
• People look at each other between 30% and 60% of the time.
• Researchers have discovered that people have nine different smiles which means nine different things.
• Almost 65% of the meaning in our conversation is nonverbal.
• All wild animals greet one another, and apes do it with gestures very similar to man.

Five types of listeners:

1. Selective - they look for certain things they only want to hear.
2. Insolated - listens to only good things not the unpleasant.
3. Defensive - thinks everything is a personal attack.
4. Ambusher - looks for things for counter attack.
5. Insensitive - doesn't understand hidden meanings.

Symptoms of a poor listener:

1. Early rejection of the subject because...
• It is uninteresting.
• It is already known.
• It is too complicated.
• It is too simple.
2. Considering aspects of the speaker other than what he is saying.
3. Permitting the mind to be captured by segments of the speech, there after getting off continued response.
4. Selective perception. People are prepared to see or hear what they expect.

Verbal responses in communication:

• Interpretating
• Cross-examination
• Reassurance
• Paraphrasing
• Advice-giving