Why Communicate?  To meet your needs.

Communication, roughly, is a dynamic process though which we create shared understanding.  It is the way we make group action possible.

We as animals have needs.... physical, relational, identity, and spiritual needs as well as instrumental needs that must be met every day.  You should be able to define these from your >>text.

Humans communicate in a variety of ways.  Your text describes three of them as Action, Interaction, and Transaction.  They work as follows:

Action is a one way model

Sender (encodes)  @ (message) ------------------ (channel)-------> Receiver (decodes)
remember the Cavemen we talked about in class

Interaction is two way communication... the second Caveman talks back

@ --------------------------->
<------------------------------@

Transaction is where both parties are communicating simultaneously.  This is used most frequently in Interpersonal Communication

Sender/Receiver <------------------------@---------------------------> Receiver/Sender

both encode and decode a variety of messages over many channels at once.

Six Characteristics of Communication

Communication relies on many channels... some contexts are channel-rich, others are lean.

Communication passes through perceptual filters... filters are pre-existing conditions that might change what a new message means to you

People give meaning to Communication...  symbols change in meaning based on the audience

Communication has both literal and relational implications...  content has meaning(s) but may also signal changes in the understanding of your relationship with another
(Metacommunication)

Communication sends a message, whether intentional of unintentional...  you try to stay awake in class, even though you eyes might give your tiredness away.

Communication is governed by rules... explicit or tacit they still count and you kind of have to go along.


Interpersonal Communication has even MORE qualities!

It occurs between at least two people.

Those people have some relationship with one another

Communication evolves as the relationship evolves.  Often it is a catalyst for the evolution.

Communication defines and negotiates the status of the relationship itself. (kind of important, no?)

Good Communicators are

effective at meeting the goal of their communication efforts

appropriate to the context, relationship, and nature of the communication effort

self aware.  They monitor their status and surroundings and become other-oriented in their communication

adaptable to a variety of communication settings, styles, and relationships.

empathetic.  They take on the feelings others have about an issue to understand it better.

capable of understanding a topic from a variety of positions.  Your text calls this cognitive complexity.

ethical.