Communication

People perceive and understand the term communication in different ways. This is based on the contexts that are encountered. According to Adler et al. (2014), communication is “the process of creating meaning through symbolic interaction.” Going with this definition would help understand that communication is intended to serve varying purposes. Communication happens to be a continuous, ongoing process as it is present throughout an individual’s life (Adler et al., 2014). There are different types of communication such as interpersonal, intrapersonal, organizational, public, mass and small group communication.

Why do we communicate?

People usually communicate for different reasons. On most occasions, people communicate with the objective of satisfying varying human needs such as identity, physical, social and practical needs.

Social needs: It is through communication that people can find affection, pleasure, inclusion and relaxation. This is because communication helps people to interact with each other hence gaining this ability to derive the positive attributes from them.

Identity Needs: As humans, we get the sense of our identity based on the people that we interact with. Other people will help us understand how stupid, smart, ugly, smart or skillful we are based on what they communicate with us. Such aspects might be fulfilling or demeaning depending on what is being communicated.

Practical needs: In this respect, communication helps us to express ourselves on what we want like instructing a cab driver on where to drop you.

Physical needs: Communication has proved important for improved physical health due to the relationships that are established.

Why study communication theory in an education core course?

Studying communication theory in this class might not seem quite important in comparison to other modules that have been encountered before. However, having this notion might be an indication that an individual is misinformed. As an educator, one should have adequate communication skills. A classroom set-up has students coming from different backgrounds hence perceive and understand information in different ways. Lack of effective communication skills might make it difficult for most of the students to benefit from whatever is being taught (Okoronkwo, 2011). This results to some students lagging behind compared to others. It is important for educators to undertake a communication theory module to acquire the relevant skills to ensure they become competent communicators. Effective communication will ensure that communication barrier does not deter students from comprehending the relevant course materials.

Communicative Competence

Communicative competence is all about the ability to use language to communicate successfully (Rickheit & Strohner, 2008). As an educator, communicative competence is very essential since it ensures that a teacher can pass the desired information to the students without the information losing its intended meaning in the process. It is important to know that there is no ideal way of communicating. A communicator should assess the situation at hand and the relationships involved, and should not use one way of communicating while addressing the different audience (Rickheit & Strohner, 2008). Having this ability gives an individual the relevant competence in communication.

Powerpoint and Videos

The power point presentation worked well in summarizing the main contents of this week’s reading. The quizzes involved on the other hand helped in understanding more concepts regarding communication.

This section also featured the videos “Love letters to strangers” and “Texting that saves lives”. “Love letters to strangers” has tried to show the message that is likely to be sent when someone takes their time to write another individual a letter. It is an art that shows one cares about the other party given the time that was put into writing that letter. This is not something that can be said of other communication channels such as sending a message through the phone.

“Texting that saves lives” on its part shows how it is easy for people to communicate their issues with strangers. This is because it gives them an opportunity to express themselves without the risk of being judged or victimized based on the information that is going to be passed across. This form of communication is something that teachers should use on some issues that they think the students would shy off in communicating openly due to the fear of the unknown.

 References

Adler, R., Rodman, G., & DuPré, A. (2014). Understanding human communication (12th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Rickheit, G., & Strohner, H. (2008). Handbook of communication competence. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Okoronkwo, S. (2011). Effective communication with children and youth. Central Milton Keynes: AuthorHouse.

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