Chapter 4 Engaging in verbal communication

- Feature of languages

• Arbitrariness - are not intrinsically connected to what they represent
• Ambiguity - it doesn't have clear-cut, precise meaning
• Abstraction - are not the concrete /tangible phenomena

- Principles of meanings

• Interpretation creates meaning
• Communication is guided by rules - regulative rules , constitutive rules
• Punctuation affects meaning

- Symbolic abilities

• Language defines phenomena - totalizing(if one label totally represents that person)
• Language evaluates phenomena - loaded language, re appropriation
• Language organizes experiences -
• Language allows hypothetical thought - dream, plan, set goals
• Language allows self reflection -
• Language defines relationships and interaction - responsiveness, liking, power

- Guidelines

• Engage in person-centered communication
• Be conscious of the level of abstraction
• Qualify Language
• Own my feelings and thought

Chapter 3 Perceiving and understanding

- The Perception Process

• Selection (notice things that stand out)
• Organization - cognitive schemata : prototypes (ideal, best examples), stereotype, personal construct(help us to decide into which categories), script(a guide to action)
• Interpretations - attributions, the self serving bias( we tend to construct attributions that serve our personal interest)

- Cognitive Abilities

• Cognitive Complexity - the number of personal constructs used
• Person - Centeredness - the ability to perceive another as a unique individual (

- Social Roles

- Membership in Cultures and Social Communities

- Guidelines

• Avoid Mind-reading (we act as we know what is other people thinking)
• Check Perceptions with others (arrive at mutual understanding of each other and their interaction)
• Distinguish facts from inferences and judgments
• Monitor Self-serving Bias

Chapter 2 The Field of Communication in Historical and Contemporary Perspective

- The three pillars of persuasion

• ethos - speaker's credibility
• pathos - listeners's emotion
• logos - logic and reasoning

- Conducting research in Communication

• Quantitative research - survey, statistics, questionnaire, experiment
• Qualitative research - textual analysis, ethnography, historical research
• Critical Research - triangulation( studying phenomenon in multiple ways)

- The breadth of the communication field

• Intrapersonal Communication - self talk
• Interpersonal Communication - communication between people
• Performance Studies - perform our personal, professional, social identities
• Group and team communication - small group communication
• Mass Communication - how media represent and influence cultural value
• Organizational Communication -
• Technologies of Communication
• Public Communication
• Intercultural Communication - increase out insight into different cultures
• Ethics and Communication

- Themes in the communication field

• Symbolic Activities - basis of language, thinking and nonverbal communication
• Meaning
• Ethics - philosophy that focuses on moral principles and codes of conduct

Chapter 1 A first look at communication

The theories and principles of communication help us make sense of what happens in our everyday lives, and they help us to have the impact we desire.

-The features of communication

• Process
• System
• Symbol
• Meanings

- Models of Communication

• Linear Model (straightforward, oneway)
• Interactive Model ( Two ways, feedback is the best response)
• Transactional Model (Best model for communication, time change over the time, experience also)

- Careers in Communication

• Research
• Education (Teaching)
• Mass Communication (Broadcasting, Advertising)
• Training and Consulting
• Human Relations Management