Reading and Discussion for Unit 1 Read the passage and give a brief analysis to the discussion questions. Communication is the transfer of a message from one person to another, so that it is understood, and hopefully, it invokes a response. (See diagram l) Diagram 1 [sender] Message [receiver] encodes decodes and 'responds with next message Communication can be: i) Verbal-language symbols ii) Non-verbal-body language, gesture, clothing, conformity with customs and norms, para-lan- guage-tone, volume, pitch, emphasis, pauses, etc. It is said that about 65 ~70% of how we communicate is through non-verbal means. (Some say up t0 93% ! ) In normal everyday communication, the message does not always transfer from the sender to the receiver. Such communication breakdown can occur for a number of reasons. These barriers to effective communication are often collectively referred to as noise. (See diagram 2) Even when two people speak a common language, and share common experiences and background knowledge and traditions, the communication process may not work as effectively as we would like. . When we add the extra dimension of cultural difference, the process becomes even more complex. There is an even greater chance of communication breaking down not only because of the language complications, but also because of cultural differences. Questions for Discussion: 1. Compare these two communication models with the ones in Unit l. What similarities or differences do you find? The similarities of these two diagrams are that both of them show clearly the pattern of communication which is basically the transfer of a message from one person to another and that there are at least three components involved in comm...
