Communication the Author Defines Communication

¶ … Communication

The author defines communication as "the transmission of meaningful information from on person or group of persons to another person or group of persons." These messages generate "shared attitudes, values, beliefs, feelings, or behaviors between the sender and recipient" (p.8). The main strength of this definition is that it creates a very clear definition of a concept that can have very wide implications. This kind of focus, however, can also be a weakness. I think that claiming communication to be exclusively "personal," i.e. relating only to people, is somewhat narrow. Animals also communicate, both among themselves and with human beings. I do, however, agree that there needs to be both a sender and receiver for communication to occur.

2.

I once had a communication breakdown with a South African friend on Facebook. She told me that she would be "holding thumbs" for me. I did not understand why she would want to do that, but ignored it and carried on with the conversation. She cut off the conversation a little more quickly than I would have expected, and even seemed a little angry. When we connected next, I asked her if I had done something to offend her, and she explained that she was a little hurt that I simply ignored her wishing me luck. As it happened, "holding thumbs" in South African English is an idiomatic expression to wish a person the best or good luck on a venture.

3.

I must agree with the author on his assessment of the statement that "no people can see the same thing." The global nature of the statement makes it impossible to prove in any way. However, I also agree with the author that, even within a common understanding of a concept, idea, or vision, there are many different perspectives. So, if the statement were modified a little to acknowledge the existence of some commonality among human beings, it would not only be far more palatable, but also more realistic. In one sense, I agree that no two people see things in precisely the same way. However, meaningful and coherent communication would have been impossible without at least a few main common concepts.

CHAPTER 2

1.

Words are powerful indeed. We see this in both the grand scales of politics and the economy as well as in smaller-scale personal life. In politics, for example, a lie by a president can sweep an entire country into war in which millions die, many of whom are women and children. A lie by an investor can cause thousands of people to lose millions of dollars. In my own personal life, I have experienced the power of words in both positive and negative ways. A friend who says something simple like "you look nice today" elevated my mood for that entire day. On the other hand, hearing the word "unfortunately" at the start of any conversation makes me feel cold and anxious all over. James is right, although many do not seem to realize it.

2.

a) I tend to like anything with black added to it. Sometimes I would contrast it with something like red or yellow. At other times, I would be in a more sombre moods and wear only black or black with a subdued color for more variety. b) by choosing black, I think the statement I make relates the choice of my individuality and taste. I dress according to how I feel and not according to how others think I should look. c) I would avoid something obviously inappropriate like wearing pyjamas to K-Mart or things like that. I would also avoid wearing ill-fitting clothes or clothes that are inappropriate for the environment. I would not wear my jogging sweats to a church function, for example. At the same time, I would not wear my Sunday best simply to go out for some KFC and fries. Wearing wildly inappropriate clothes in any situation would create the impression that I do not care enough about myself or what I am doing to think about what I wear.

3.

Cornelius LaPide appears to be saying that all a person is in his or her heart can be seen in the face and eyes; even those who deceive others about this cannot hide the truth consistently from appearing on their faces. I agree with this. The mouth and eyes are, for me, the most expressive parts of the human physique. I think these two in combination tell the observer precisely what another person feels. In the show "Lie to Me," for example, the premise is that lies can be detected by means of gestures, but mostly by what happens in the face.

4.

Vocalics refers to the "volume, tone, pitch, accent, speaking pace, and silence" (p. 22) a person uses to communicate. Kinesics are "gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact" (p. 23) during communication. Proxemics refers to the "use of space" (p. 23) in communication, which generally means proximity in face-to-face communication. Haptics describes "touch, or by the lack thereof, among people." (p. 24) Chronemics refers to the "timing of our message transmissions to others," (p. 25) which can profoundly impact the quality and meaning of messages. Physical appearance, as the term implies, concerns what a person looks like. This is broadly divided into the categories of "attractive" and "unattractive." Artifacts are the "material objects" (p. 27) people use to determine non-verbal messages. These can include clothing, jewelry, tattoos, and so on.

5.

Vocalics: A person who speaks very slowly and clearly may be perceived as being slightly less than intelligent; however, this may only be the result of second-language competence. The person cannot yet speak with the certainty or pace of a native speaker.