PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION

Aside from defining communication, identifying its elements, and describing its nature, it
is equally important that you learn the different principles which serve practice and continuous
improvement of your communication skills.

1. Communication is transactional.

It is a two-way process which involves an exchange. When a message is sent, a reply is

expected. Think about a time when you sent a message either via text message or email
and no response was made. How did you feel? Conversely, have you at some point
ignored a message that was sent to you (except probably of course when it is a text scam)
or probably did not reciprocate a genuine greeting or a smile from a classmate? How was
the experience? Certainly, it might not have been pleasant because it deviates from the
give-and-take nature of communication.

2. Communication is inevitable.

It is impossible not to communicate. The moment you wake up, you already start
communicating by merely thinking of how your day will look like. When you start eating
your breakfast and conversing with your parent/s and/or your sibling/s, you are already
taking part in the process of communication. In school, you cannot avoid talking with
your classmates and more so with your teachers during recitation and consultation. In
other words, communication is an indispensable part of daily life.

3. Communication is goal-oriented.

When you communicate, you have goals in mind. You do not just say something or write
a message on a piece of paper for no reason at all. To persuade; to entertain; to inform; to
express one's feelings, ideas, or emotions; to build and maintain relationship; and to
influence others are some of the purposes of communication. People communicate to
develop and maintain their sense of self. Through interaction, one learns who he or she is,
what he or she is good at, and how people react to how one behaves. At the core of these
specific purposes is the ultimate goal of communication-to understand each other.

4. Communication has various levels.

There are various levels of communication: intrapersonal, interpersonal, small group, and
public or mass. The intrapersonal level refers to the communication that occurs when we
do "self-talk" or engage in self- reflection. The interpersonal level involves two persons
who interact with each other usually based on common communication goals. The small
group level involves three to twenty people while the public level involves more than
twenty people as in the case of a public official delivering a speech to an audience
(Verderber et al., 2015).

5. Communication is complex.

You may perceive communication as simply sending a text message, talking over the
phone, or using hand gestures. However, communication is so complex that it entails a lot
of processes, which can occur simultaneously or successively. Likewise, there are
implications and considerations which are perceived consciously or unconsciously. In
communication, the focus is not just on the message but also on the kind of relationship
the communicators have, including their personal, religious, cultural, educational, and
socioeconomic backgrounds. Part of the complexity lies in the recognition that
communication is interactive, context- based, culturally loaded, circular, and irreversible
 (once something is said, it cannot be taken back).

6. Communication can be learned.

Despite the complexity of communication, it is a skill which can be learned. The

foundational knowledge in this chapter is your first step to learning and eventually
improving your communication skills.

7. Communication is relational.

In any communication setting, aside from sharing meaning, the process how meaning is
created also echoes two vital aspects of the relationships of the communicators:
immediacy and control. Immediacy is the degree of liking of attractiveness in a
relationship. Immediacy is shown when John enters the coffee shop and sees Joon and he
says, "Joan, good to see you" (a verbal friendliness). Control, on the other hand, is the
degree to which one participant shows dominance or power. Thus, when Tim says to Ara,
"I know that you are very much concerned about our group output, but I'll assure you that
with the support of everyone in the group, our presentation would surely be one of the
best," his words and the sound of his voice may be saying that he is "in control."

8. Communication is guided by culture.

Culture may be defined as a system of knowledge shared by a relatively large group of

people. The system includes shared beliefs, values, symbols, and behaviors. How
messages are created and processed in order to foster understanding is greatly influenced
by the cultural background of communicators. When one communicates with others
whose cultural backgrounds differ from his or her own, he or she needs to look at himself
or herself. His or her sensitivity must always be given to communication behavior as a
way of practicing cultural sensitivity. Regardless of cultural identity and ethnicity,
sensitivity must always be given to the sex, age, class, and sexual orientation of the
participants in the process of communication (Verderber et al., 2013).

Activity 1: Read the Principles of Communication and answer the following questions.

1. Why do you think communication is considered inevitable in daily life?

2. In your opinion, what factors contribute to the complexity of communication?
3. In what ways do you think immediacy and control play a role during group discussions?
4. How do personal backgrounds influence the effectiveness of communication?
5. How does the concept of immediacy impact relationships in communication?
6. How can awareness of cultural backgrounds enhance group communication dynamics?
ETHICS IN COMMUNICATION

An integral aspect which you need to learn about communication is ethics. Ethical considerations
in communication shape how you communicate. Ethics deals with one's judgment of rightness or
wrongness, appropriateness or inappropriateness of a course of action or decision. It is a set of
moral principles guiding the society to maintain social order. On the next page are some
guidelines for becoming an ethical communicator.

1. Ethical communicators are honest.

In communicating your thoughts, ideas, and feelings, you have to be truthful. Good
communicators never lie and deceive other people. To fully realize the end purpose of
communication, thoughts, ideas, and feelings should be expressed with the best
intentions.

2. Ethical communicators are well aware of the consequences of their thoughts and
actions.

You need to think before you communicate whether it is in the spoken or written form.
The way you communicate can build or ruin your reputation. Thus, you need to take
accountability for what you are doing and what you are saying. As previously mentioned,
communication is irreversible. This means that once you have uttered or written
something, you cannot take it back. Therefore, you need to be very cautious with your
choice of words and be responsible for your thoughts and actions.

3. Ethical communicators value diversity and respect other's opinions.

Respect means showing regard or consideration for others and their ideas even if you do
not agree with them. People differ in terms of backgrounds, interests, beliefs, and value
system. They formulate different opinions and insights about various topics and issues.
Their ideas may be similar to or, more often than not, different from yours. Whatever the
case, you have to respect others by listening to their points of view and genuinely trying
to understand them. You may still disagree with other people without sounding rude or
offensive. This is an indication that you demonstrate respect amidst differences.

4. Ethical communicators are just and fair.

To be just and fair is to be impartial and objective. You do not hastily make decisions or
judgments based on hearsays, gossips, prejudices, and personal biases. An ethical
communicator exerts every effort to gather relevant facts or pertinent information related
to a situation before making a decision. Think about the jurisdiction. They are examples
of people who should adhere to standards of fairness. Of course, this is also from
everyone else.

So far, the foundation for the better understanding of communication has been laid by
defining it, identifying its elements, discussing its process through various
communication models, and citing some principles and characteristics of ethical
communicators. To better appreciate and apply the concepts, accomplish the succeeding
exercises and activities.

Activity 2: Read the Ethics in Communication and answer the following questions.
1. Why is honesty important in communication?
2. How should someone handle disagreements while respecting different opinions?
3. Why is it necessary to consider the diversity of backgrounds and beliefs in
communication?
4. How can ethical communicators ensure their decisions are just and fair?
5. What steps can you take to improve their ethical communication?
 COMMUNICATION IN MULTICULTURAL SETTINGS

Communicating with people of various backgrounds is unavoidable. In your classroom, for

instance, your classmates come from different family, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Some
of them might come from other regions in the Philippines. Others might be born and raised in
other countries and might therefore be speaking a different language from yours. Since you are
classmates, you have no choice but to communicate with each other. As discussed in the
previous lesson, one of the principles of communication is that it is inevitable. When you
become part of the work force, communicating will even be more complicated as you have to
constantly deal with people of different perspectives, personalities, and culture.

In any communication situation, it is essential that you understand how various contexts, cultural
diversity, and the advent of technology shape and influence the way you communicate with
people not just in your locality, but more importantly, in the global community.

Communication Contexts

Human interaction does not exist in a vacuum. It operates within a certain context.
Communication context pertains to the personal, physical, social, psychological, and cultural
circumstances, among others in which communication occurs. It influences the expectations
from the participants, the meaning derived from the exchange of utterances, and the subsequent
actions in communication.

The personal context involves the background of both the sender and the receiver of the
message. It includes their education, religion, socioeconomic status, marital status, and beliefs
that greatly influence what and how they communicate. It is important that there is awareness of
these kinds of information on both parties, so misunderstanding avoided and respect can be
maintained.

The physical context pertains to the environment where communication takes place. It involves
tangible factors which can be easily perceived by the senses such as temperature, humidity, odor,
lighting, and noise level, among others. For instance, people conversing a very humid location
may feel uncomfortable and thus might not be able to each other's messages. Further, the
physical context includes proximity, how far from or how close the participants are to each other,
as well as the medium used in sending message. Over the years, most of communication occurs
in a virtual environment (e.g., email, Skype, Facebook, Messenger, etc.) consequently
influencing the way messages are sent, received, and perceived.

The social context refers to the kind of relationship that exists between the sender and the
receiver. For example, the way you talk to your parents differs from the way you talk to your
friends, younger siblings, and more so with your classmates. Ideally, you easily communicate
with people who are closer to you and as such, you easily gain their respect and understanding.

The psychological context includes the emotions and feelings of the participants in the
communication process. It involves their opinions, judgments, prejudices, attitudes, and
perception toward each other which can play part in the transmission of messages. For example,
a person who is emotionally unstable because of a recent break-up with a partner may not readily
receive your message well. Hence, it is important to recognize one's mood or overall emotional
condition in communication.
The cultural context is one of the vital considerations in communication. It includes the sets of
beliefs, value systems, guiding principles, and assumptions based on one's race, ethnicity, age,
gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and religion within which communication happens.
The content (what is said) and the delivery (how it is said) vary from one culture to another.

Activity 3: Read the Communication Context and answer the following questions.
1. In what ways do socioeconomic statuses influence communication styles between
individuals?
2. Why is it essential to consider the physical environment during communication?
3. How does emotional state affect the interpretation of messages in communication?
4. How does the social context between individuals influence how they convey messages?
5. What strategies can be employed to mitigate misunderstandings due to different cultural
backgrounds?