Communication
Theory
Mutiara Budi Azhar, Dr., SU., MMedSc
Faculty of Medicine Sriwijaya University
[email protected] fb: Mutiara Budi Azhar II
Effective I. Introduction
Communicator: Understands what needs to be
communicated and the best
way to deliver it; develops
strategies to influence and
build relationships to gain the
respect and trust of others by
adjusting the style and method
of communication to specific
audiences.
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Introduction
Definition-1
• Communication is the process of exchanging
information.
• Information is conveyed as words, tone of
voice, and body language.
• Words account for 7 percent of the
information communicated. Vocal tone
accounts for 55 percent and body language
accounts for 38 percent.
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Introduction - Definition-2
• Interpersonal communication is the process
that we use to communicate our ideas,
thoughts, and feelings to another person.
• Intra-team communication is a process
through which team members communicate
with one another.
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Introduction
• To be effective communicators, team
members must be aware of these forms
(words, vocal tone, and body language), how
to use them effectively, and barriers to the
communications process.
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Introduction (cont.)
• People in organizations typically spend over
75% of their time in an interpersonal situation.
• Thus, it is no surprise to find that at the root of
a large number of organizational problems is
poor communications.
– Effective communication is an essential component of
organizational success whether it is at the interpersonal,
inter-group, intra-group, organizational, or external levels.
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II
THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
All of us have been
communicating with others
since our infancy.
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The sender-message-channel-receiver
model
The SMCR model describes the
communication process. The model is
described pictorially below.
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Fig. SMCR Model
Sender Message Channel Receiver
Feed forward and Feedback
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The Communication Process (cont.)-3
encoded
Message decode by receiver message
to be sent some error some error received
likely likely
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SMCR- The Message
1. The Message
The message has three components:
Content, Context, Treatment
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SMCR model – The Message - content
• Content is simply communicating what you
desire to communicate.
Don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four
Agreements, would ask, “Are you being
impeccable with your words?” Sometimes, in
our enthusiasm to speak, we do not think
about what we are saying.
Note: impeccable = cannot be faulted, excellent, perfect.
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SMCR model – The Message - context
• Context involves adapting your presentation of
the content to your audience.
If you are speaking to a linear thinker, do not
add a lot of “fluff” to your dialogue. If you are
speaking to a person who wants to understand
“the whole picture,” add more detail to the
context presentation.
Note: fluff: ↑material
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SMCR model – The Message - Treatment
• Treatment is the arrangement or
ordering of the content by the speaker.
The treatment directly supports the
context and content of the message.
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2. The Sender
The sender has to be aware of six variables
when communicating with another person:
– Sender’s communication skills
– Sender’s attitudes
– Sender’s knowledge level
– Sender’s social position
– Sender’s culture
– Feedback received by sender
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3. The Channel
There are two types of channels: Sensory
Channels and Institutional Channels.
• Sensory channels are based on the five senses
of sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. Social
scientists have found the sender is more likely
to gain the receiver’s attention if the sender
uses two or more sensory channels to send
information.
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The Channel-cont.
.
• Institutional channels are the chosen methods
of disseminating information—face-to-face
conversation, printed materials, and electronic
media.
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4. The Receiver
• The receiver of the information has to use the
same skill set as the sender (The six variables).
• The receiver has an additional variable:
credibility of the speaker. If the receiver
perceives the sender as credible, objective,
and having expertise in the topic being
discussed, then the receiver is more likely to
accept the message being sent.
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The Receiver – (Cont.)3
• Remember the goal of communication is for
the receiver to accept an accurate message
from the sender.
• This does not mean the receiver will agree
with the message, rather that the receiver
accurately understands the message.
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The Receiver – (Cont.4)
• The receiver accepts a message through
attention and comprehension.
• Attention is tuning in to the message being
sent, and comprehension involves
understanding the message and accepting or
rejecting it.
• Accepting a message involves both a cognitive
acceptance of the message and an affective
acceptance of the message
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The Communication Process –potential Errors
• At each step in the communication process
there is major potential for error.
• There is usually a 40-60% loss of meaning in
the transmission of messages from sender to
receiver.
• In many situations a lot of the true message is
lost and the message that is heard is often far
different than the one intended.
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The Communication Process (cont.)-5
• This is most obvious
in cross-cultural
situations where
language is an issue.
But it is also
common among
people of the same
culture.
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III. Barriers to Effective Communication
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Barriers to Effective Communication
• There are a wide
number of sources
of noise or
interference that
can enter into the
communication
process.
• The following
suggests a number
of sources of noise:
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Barriers to Effective – language
1. Language
2. defensiveness, distorted perceptions, guilt,
project, transference, distortions from the
past
3. misreading of body language, tone and other
non-verbal forms of communication (see
section below)
4. noisy transmission (unreliable messages,
inconsistency)
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Barriers to Effective (cont)-6
5. receiver distortion: selective hearing,
ignoring non-verbal cues
6. power struggles
7. self-fulfilling assumptions
8. language-different levels of meaning
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Barriers to Effective (cont)-7
10. Assumptions - eg. assuming others see
situation same as you, has same feelings as
you
11. Distrusted source, erroneous translation,
value judgment, state of mind of two people
12. Perceptual Biases:
o People attend to stimuli in the
environment in very different ways.
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Barriers to Effective – Interpersonal relationship (cont)-10
13. Interpersonal Relationships
14. Cultural Differences
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Reading Nonverbal Communication Cues (cont.)-3
Nonverbal communication is made up of the
following parts:
• Visual
• Tactile
• Vocal
• Use of time, space, and image
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Developing Communication Skills:
Listening Skills!!!
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Ten Ways to Improve Your Communication
Skills
1. Develop your voice
2. Slow down
3. Animate your voice
4. Enunciate your words
5. Use appropriate volume
6. Pronounce your words correctly
7. Use the right words
8. Make eye contact
9. Use gestures
10. Don’t send mixed messages
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Thank you very much for your kind attention
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References
1. http://web.cba.neu.edu/~ewertheim/interper/commun.htm#introd, July 23,
2006
2. http://www.foundationcoalition.org, July 23, 2006.
3. http://hwebbjr.typepad.com/openloops/2005/05/ten_ways_to_imphtml
4. Printed from the Technical Editor's Eyrie, http://www.jeanweber.com/
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