Applied Communication Techniques (APCT5111)

Learning Unit 1:Introduction Theory

Explain the nature of Communication theory- Fielding 2014: 10 – 12 -

What is communication?Communication is the transactional process sending and receiving messages. The sender of the message intentionally encodes thoughts, ideas and/ or emotions, which is decoded by a recipient who provides feedback to show understanding.

What is communication theory?A theory explains complicated phenomena (such as communication). Thus, theories investigate, explore or explain behaviours, processes, practices and outcomes relating to the field of communication. Often, models are used to simplify theories and is illustrative in nature.

Identify and briefly describe the nine (9) elements of the communication process- Fielding 2014: 14 – 24 -

1. Participant as SENDER2. Participant as RECEIVER3. Message4. Medium5. Channel6. Feedback7. Noise8. Context 9. Result

SENDER- Initiator of the communication process- Known as the ‘encoder’- Senders choose the medium of transmitting the

message appropriate for the purpose and audience- E.g. In a greeting where Mary says “Hallo” to John

and John replies by saying “Hey there”; Mary is the sender

RECEIVER- The destination of the message- Known as the ‘decoder’- Responsible for sending feedback; understanding

lies in the mind of the receiver- E.g. In a greeting where Mary says “Hallo” to John

and John replies by saying “Hey there”; John is the receiver

MESSAGE- The message is the content/ information/ ideas/

emotions that the sender wants the receiver to get

- The message needs encoding by the sender and decoding by the receiver

- E.g. In a greeting where Mary says “Hallo” to John and John replies by saying “Hey there”; “Hallo” is the message

MEDIUM- The medium (media plural) is how the message

is sent from the sender to the receiver- E.g. e-mail, language, computer, etc.

In a greeting where Mary says “Hallo” to John and John replies by saying “Hey there”; language/ voice is the medium

CHANNEL- The audio, visual or audio-visual path a message

follows from the sender to the receiver- E.g. In a greeting where Mary says “Hallo” to John

and John replies by saying “Hey there”; audio (as you hear the message) would be the channel.

- Also direction: upward, downward, horizontal and diagonal (e.g. grapevine)

FEEDBACK- Feedback is the responsibility of the receiver- It shows whether the receiver has understood/ not

understood the message- Also referred to as ‘response’- E.g. In a greeting where Mary says “Hallo” to John

and John replies by saying “Hey there”; “Hey there” is the feedback

NOISE- Noise is the interference to the flow of the

message and causes misunderstanding- Noise may be:

i) Physical/ External: e.g. Dogs barking to such an extend that it is difficult to hear what someone is sayingii) Psychological/ Internal: e.g. Daydreaming about lunch and not concentrating paying attention to the lectureriii) Semantic: e.g. if the sender speaks in a language which is unfamiliar to the receiver

Hint for the exam: Be able to discuss each element of the communication process for five (5) marks!

Describe the evolution of communication models; four (4)- refer to student manual p. 20 – 23; Fieling 2014: 12 -

1) Lasswell’s communication model (1948)One-way; linear; no feedback; no noise

2) Shannon & Weaver’s communication model (1949)One-way; linear; no feedback; physical noise

3) Osgood & Schramm’s communication model (1954)Circular; two-way; feedback; noise; no context

4) Barnlund’s communication model (1970)Circular; two-way; feedback; noise; context

Hint for the exam: Be able to discuss each model as well as draw it completely for ten (10) marks. Refer

to a description of the model as well as its contributions and criticisms.