Understanding the Model of Human Communication

Model of Communication In this video we’ll review a model of human communication, the elements of communication, and how the elements of communication work together to form meaning during

a communication instance. Given the complexity of human communication, the information in this video provides a general overview.

As the course progresses, the ideas presented in this video will be covered in more detail. Let’s start with a single individual, a communicator. A communicator is a person who sends messages to and receives messages from other people.

While this definition of a communicator might seem simple on the surface, it is more complex than it seems and needs further explanation. In the communication the process the acts of “sending” and “receiving,”

are fairly complex. Before a communicator can send a message to another person, the message must first be encoded.

Encoding is the process of putting a message together. When it comes to using language, or rather, verbal communication, the encoding process is fairly easy to perceive.

Humans use verbal communication whenever using words in writing or speaking. Verbal communication includes sign language too, as sign language uses specific movements that convey meanings of specific ideas, objects, thoughts, and feelings.

Have you ever taken time to carefully write then rewrite a sentence to ensure you’re being as clear as possible? Have you ever been careful to choose just the right words to convey what you are thinking

before speaking to another individual? Of course you have, we all have. Carefully considering which words to use (and the order of their use) in a given situation

is one example of encoding. However, encoding verbal communication does not only occur when carefully and intentionally considering word choice.

It often occurs unintentionally. Have you ever sent off a text too quickly and, in rereading it, later found it contained incorrect spellings or words?

There are a variety of humorous websites documenting such mistakes, like this one: Dad: Come home soon. We’re having the dogs for dinner Son: We’re eating our dogs?

Nooooooo! Dad: HOT dogs, not our dogs. Son: Ha!

You scared me there for a minute. Have you ever said something in haste that you wish you could have taken back? If so, maybe you didn’t encode the message a carefully enough and unintentionally sent

information you didn’t mean to send. As mentioned, examples of encoding in verbal communication are fairly easy to perceive. Why?

Because verbal communication uses words, and words are symbols. Symbols are what we use to communicate our thoughts and ideas to others. Symbols are discrete, with a distinct beginning and ending, and can be perceived in a single

instance as a whole. For example, we easily can discern the first and last letter of a word. We know which letter it starts a word and which letter it ends the word.

It’s contained and has a specific beginning and ending. While this is an example of a word, which is a symbol, not all symbols are words. Specific movements, gestures, images, and non-word sounds can be classified as symbols

as well --if they communicate a discrete thought or idea like a word does. For instance: the peace sign, holding a hand up, palm forward, to communicate “stop.” And, shrugging one’s shoulders to communicate “I don’t know.”

Communication that uses language is classified as verbal communication. Everything else that is communicated, beyond the words in a language, is classified as nonverbal communication.

Nonverbal communication is any information sent from one person to another that does not fit the definition of a symbol. Nonverbal communication can include our facial expressions, our posture, our movements, how

we smell, how we sound when saying something, and more. Nonverbal communication surrounds our use of words. However, not all communication instances use words.

Sometimes we communicate with each other without uttering a single word at all. Unlike verbal communication that is discrete, nonverbal communication is continuous and can be more difficult to decipher.

Continuous forms of communication don’t have distinct beginnings and endings as symbols like words do. Instead, they have indeterminate beginnings and may or may not have clear endings.

Many times, one form of continuous communication overlaps with others that can either add more clarity or more confusion to what is being communicated. For instance, if a person is crying, frowning, and has slumping posture all at the same time

we might assume accurately the person is sad. But what if a person is crying and laughing at the same time? Is that as easy to decipher?

Is the person so happy that it led to crying? Is the person so sad that laughing was the only way to lighten the mood? In many cases of nonverbal communication, it can be difficult to decipher what another

is thinking. Sometimes, the only way you can know for sure what another is thinking is to ask. And, even when asking directly, a person may not be truthful in the reply.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it?” This phrase highlights the importance of nonverbal communication. For instance, there is a big difference between saying, hello, in a friendly manner and saying

it with a grunt in an unfriendly way – like saying hello accompanied by a frown on one's face. In this second example, is the speaker really happy to see the other person as the word

might indicate? Probably not. It’s important to note that nonverbal communication can influence or even change the meaning of

verbal communication sent. Verbal and nonverbal communication work together to form messages, and people who receive messages use both to try to understand what is communicated by others.

A further way to categorize communication, beyond verbal and nonverbal categories, is by its origin. Where did the information sent originate?

Beyond the categories of verbal and nonverbal, communication can also be categorized as either vocal or nonvocal. Vocal communication refers to sounds that come out of a mouth like words, grunts and

sighs, and how the sounds are presented including speed, loudness level, and more. As both verbal and nonverbal communication can be vocal, so too can they be nonvocal. Nonvocal forms of nonverbal communication do not come out of a mouth, like written words

and body movements. It is a common mistake to assume that all sounds that that come from the mouth are verbal. However, this is not the case.

Only the words that come out of a mouth are classified as verbal. All the other sounds that come out of the mouth are classified as nonverbal because they are not symbols.

On the other hand, another common mistake is thinking that all verbal communication must originate from the mouth. As mentioned earlier, anytime words and language are used, they’re classified as verbal communication.

Thus, words in mobile texts, term papers, books, and on computer screens are all classified as verbal communication. How words are presented and look is considered nonverbal communication.

As a communicator sends both verbal and nonverbal forms of communication vocally and/or nonvocally, that communicator also receives these forms of communication from others as well. When receiving information, a communicator needs to decode it and give

the information meaning. As explained earlier, encoding is the process of putting a message together. Decoding, on the other hand, is taking a message apart and assigning it meaning.

When receiving verbal and nonverbal communication, a number of factors influence how a person will perceive the messages received. A communicator’s background, including culture, age, economic-level, and life experiences,

all influence how she or he communicates and, in turn, interprets communication from others during interactions. For example, do you introduce yourself to new people or should you wait to be introduced?

In some societies, it’s considered rude to introduce yourself whereas in other societies it is expected. Similarities and differences in how people have learned to behave influence how humans

interpret each others’ behaviors and how they understand each other. So far we’ve concentrated on behaviors of individual communicators that influence how people understand each other.

There are also additional elements to the communication process that can effect how people perceive what others communicate. A term used to describe how information is sent from one communicator to others is called

a channel. Common channels include face-to-face conversation, talking on a phone, texting, emailing, a handwritten note, a newspaper article, and even a television advertisement -- to name a few.

Whatever carries a message from one communicator to another is labeled a channel. In some instances, the channel selected to carry a message is so influential, that it can influence or completely alter the intended meaning of a message.

Each channel brings with it additional meanings that can become part of a message sent. For instance, if a person is going end a long-term romantic relationship on friendly terms, which might be the most appropriate channel in which to send a message about ending the relationship?

Quickly sending a short text? Leaving a long-handwritten note taped to a person’s door? Publically posting the message on a social media site like Facebook or Snapchat?

Or, speaking to the person face-to-face? The primary message of the communication is, “I am ending this romantic relationship with you.”

However, the intended meaning of a message can be altered depending on the channel through which it is sent. Given the influence of a channel on a message, not only will the message, “I am ending

our romantic relationship” be communicated, but additional information can be inferred from the channel chosen as well. Sending such a message through a text might be interpreted as rudeness and communicate

additional information like, “Our relationship means so little, I am ending it with a few words via a text.” Or “Um, I’m too scared to talk to you about this, here’s a text because I am trying

to avoid you.” Leaving a long-handwritten note is a bit better, but it might also imply something like, “I am not strong enough to talk to you face-to-face about this.”

or “I have made up my mind, and I won’t give you an opportunity to discuss what is going on with me.” Ending a relationship via social media, where others can see it, could be especially painful

and lead to a loss of dignity. This channel might send implied messages of “I want to humiliate you publically” or “I hope others see that I ended things first and not you.”

Of the examples listed initially, an attempt to end a long-term relationship on friendly terms might best be achieved by speaking to a partner face-to-face. Although the primary message of “I am ending this romantic relationship with you” may

be difficult to send and receive, the face-to-face channel can imply messages like “you’re important to me, and I care about how you feel, so I needed to discuss this with you in person,” or “I wanted to give you the opportunity to express your feelings about

this to me,” and “Although I am ending this relationship, I respect you.” Choosing an appropriate channel depends on accurately predicting the messages that will inevitably accompany the channel selected to transmit it.

Choosing the appropriate channel depends on many factors including, but not limited to, cultural expectations for communication behavior, the content of the message being sent, generational expectations of appropriate behavior for the situation at hand, and your relationship

with the person or people with whom you communicate. Another element that can influence the communication process is noise. In communication models, noise is anything that can interfere with the communication

process and influences how people understand each other. Noise can be external, like music playing so loudly that people speaking can’t quite hear each other.

But, noise in the communication model doesn’t only refer to sounds. External noise is any peripheral force that interrupts communication including things like the lights suddenly going out, someone interrupting a conversation, or a room being

so hot it’s difficult to concentrate. Noise can also be psychological. Thoughts within a communicator’s own mind can interrupt communication.

Have you ever been so preoccupied with something that you cannot pay attention to what is in front of you? If so, you’ve experienced psychological noise.

There is also physiological noise. Physiological noise has to do with an individual’s biology. Sometimes we are too tired to pay attention, can’t clearly hear the message, or feel

too ill to process all the information being communicated. All these forms of noise can interrupt information flow and can influence what we do and don’t perceive or understand during communication.

Another element of communication that is always present is the context. A context is where communication takes place. Elements of a context that influence communication behavior include the rules people are supposed

to follow given what surrounds the communication overall. Examples of elements in a context that can influence communication include the time of day, the place where a conversation takes place, level of a relationship, and the number

of people privy to the communication. Communication always occurs within a context, and the context contains rules and norms that regulate how people communicate.

The rules and norms of contexts are based in cultural, organizational, and social expectations and conventions. For instance, people may be expected to speak quietly when in a library, but be encouraged

to yell and cheer at a sporting event. People jump around, dance, and talk while musicians play at a rock concert, but sit quietly and listen intently while musicians play at the symphony.

As with the channel, the context in which communication takes place influences human behavior and the understanding of messages people share. As you might have considered, some people don’t share the same rules or norms of behavior

for given contexts. Not sharing the same rules or norms can lead to miscommunication or frustration between or among people.

A final element in the process of communication is feedback. Feedback is communication received in response to the messages a communicator sends to others. When communicating with someone, how do you know that they agree with what you communicated,

are angry with what you communicated, or not paying attention to what you communicated at all? We “know” because during or after sending information, we pay attention to how people

react to both how and what we communicate. When interpreting others’ reactions to our communication, we can alter our messages to be more clearly understood or to best fit the intended purpose of communicating in

the first place. With all of this information, we can now construct a Model of Communication. Communicators send, receive, and respond to messages

Messages are encoded verbally and nonverbally before being sent and can be delivered vocally, nonvocally, or both. Messages are sent through a channel that carries information to others.

Given cultural, social, and personal expectations of how information should be sent, the channel can influence how information is interpreted by others. Information, while traveling from a communicator to others, can experience noise.

The noise can also influence how information is interpreted by others. Received messages are decoded then interpreted, and the interpretation of messages is based on a variety of elements including cultural expectations, personal experience, and context.

As verbal communication is discrete, often it is easier to decipher than nonverbal communication which is continuous. However, this is not always the case.

As people receive information, they respond via feedback. Feedback offers clues as to how information is being understood by others. Sometimes feedback is quite clear while other times it is difficult to decipher.

Feedback can be sent verbally, nonverbally, vocally and nonvocally. All communication occurs in a context, and the rules and norms of a context are used to guide interaction and interpretation of the communication that occurs within it.

And, the rules and norms that guide and influence communication can change from person to person, from relationship to relationship, and from culture to culture. From the information offered in this video, it should be clear that communication is

quite complicated. Figuring out how to clearly and appropriately communicate with others is one of the great challenges of being human.