Principles of Communication
Book: Thinking through communication, 8th edition
1. History and development of communication
What is communication
Communication is defined as the process of generating meaning, by sending and receiving verbal
and non verbal symbols and signs that can be influenced by multiple contexts.
The origin of communication lays in Greece, public speaking, argumentation and debate where
taught here. This happened at the Lyceum, a school to study communication (founded by
Aristotle). The study of communication is called: Rhetoric: The art of speaking or writing
effectively. Aristotle’s writing was considered to be the single greatest source of rhetorical theory.
He believed that a speaker could sway an audience in 3 ways.
Rhetoric tradition -Three Pillars of Persuasion
A speaker can sway an audience in three ways
• Ethos = Credibility: Credibility, trustworthiness, expertise and good will.
• Pathos = Emotions: Appeal to listener’s emotions.
• Logos = Reasoning: Convince through logic, structure and clear reasoning.
Aristotle’s 3 models of speech
1. Plain style: Build ethos by convincing the audience of the speakers good character, sense and
trustworthiness
2. The middle style: Emphasised logos by impressing the audience with the oddness of the
speakers position
3. The vigorous style: Based on pathos, it pulled out all the stops and was eloquent and
emotional.
History of the communication
The study of communication, can be divided into four periods
• Classical period (500 BC - 400 AD): Oil speech and argumentation (rhetoric).
• Medieval period and Renaissance (400 AD - 1600 AD): Study of writing and preaching.
• Modern period (1600 - 1900): Rhetorics study revived (four approaches).
• Contemporary period (1900 - now): Scientific approach and measuring impact.
Classical period (500 BC - 400 AD)
A very important figure of this period was Cicero, a prominent Roman politician.
He was considered to be Rome’s finest orator: Public speaker.
He focus on studying and creating a new model of communication which is called the “5 canons
of rhetoric”.
,5 canons of rhetoric
1. Invention: Discover as much as possible about the topic and finding arguments that will allow
others to understand it.
2. Style: The process of selecting the proper words to convey a message. Three styles of
speaking that corresponded to ethos, logos and pathos. To give the speech a propose.
3. Arrangement: Select and arrange wording carefully. Dividing a speech into several parts:
introduction, body and conclusion.
4. Memory: Keeping the message firmly in mind.
5. Delivery: Speak in a natural, varied and appropriate way. Voice and body language conveys
interest and emotions.
Medieval period and Renaissance (400 AD - 1600 AD)
During this period, little inside was added to classical thought, because with the fall of the Roman
Empire and the rise of Christianity, rhetorical study declined. Most rhetorical works were
fragmented versions of earlier thought or handbooks on rhetorical type. Letter writing and
preaching were the most important forms of communication.
One of the most important figures of this time was Augustine. He was a major Christian theorist,
his goal was to interpret the word of God. He believed that people communicate through signs.
Natural signs: Created by God, smoke: cCauses to think there is fire.
Conventional signs: Arbitrarily created by humans, the spoken / written word.
After Augustine rhetoric became secondary to theology, its subject matter was dispersed
throughout the liberal arts, and what remained was prescriptive rather than theoretical.
Modern period (1600 - 1900)
One of the most important invention was the printer. There where new attitudes toward
knowledge that revitalised the study of rhetoric. The word became more secular and religion was
less influenced.
Four Approaches in the Modern Period
1. Classical approach: Recovering the insides of classical rhetoricians and adapting them to the
new age.
2. Psychological / epistemological (study of knowledge): Investigate the relationship of
communication and thought and focusing on how rhetoric influences people.
3. Belletristic approach: Focusing on speaking and writing as a form of art. Developing critical
standards for judging drama, poetry and oratory.
4. Elocutionary approach: Develop speakers’ verbal and nonverbal presentation.
, Francis Bacon: Identi ed 4 idols or distortions that get in de way of clear thinking
1. Idols of the tribe: Due to human nature
2. Idols of the cave: Individual prejudices because of backgrounds
3. Idols of the market place: Social, imprecise use of language
4. Idols of the theatre: Accept ideas uncritically.
René Descartes and John Locke: Mistrusted normal uses of rhetoric and argued that truth could
be obtained only through discourse that was solidly grounded in an understanding of human
rationality.
George Campbell picked up these ideas and combined them with the teachings of the classical
rhetoricians. He believed that receivers were active participants in the persuasion process and that
the effective communicator studied the inner workings of the human mind.
Contemporary period (1900 - now)
Two approaches to the study of communication are evident
1. Rhetorical tradition: Rhetoric remains a humanistic discipline
2. Scienti c method: A belief in controlled laboratory experimentation and careful objective
measurements. Science believed that one could understand a phenomenon only by reducing
it to its most basic elements of variables.
2. Communication De nitions, Models, and Perspectives
De nitions
Definitions are often used to explain and limit concepts, clarifying concepts by indicating their
boundaries Think of them as borders
There are two definitions:
1. Objective process of discovering
2. Subjective process of construction.
Objective process of discovering
This definition reverence to the understanding of an individual of the world and expressing that
understanding in a definition.
Subjective process of construction.
This definition indicated that every one of us experience the world by making a mental
representation. Therefor we have divergent needs and experiences, because every human has a
divergent understanding of the world.
The issue of the breadth
How broad or narrow do you want communication to be. Different definitions set different
boundaries for communication, you decide how broad you want it to be.
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, • Does communication involves intentionality?
Some people think it is impossible to know whether a message is intentional. How do you know if
a message is intentional? Does communication include intentional and unintentional behaviour?
Who is the one communicating? Person whose behaviour is a source of information
• Is communication sender or receiver based?
Sender based: Communication is the transmission of information, ideas, emotions and skills by
using symbols such as words and pictures.
Receiver based: Communication is a process helping us to make sense out of the world and
especially sharing our understanding of it.
• Is all communication symbolic?
We can express ourselves symbolically through words and numbers, but we can also convey
meaning nonverbally. The ability to use symbols makes humans unique.
Spoking symbolic interaction and nonverbal interaction
Spoken symbolic interaction: The way people use symbols (primarily words) to create common
meaning and to share that meaning with one other. For example: You hear a musician play at the
train station, you stop to listen. This is a way of communication, the musician communicates
through the symbols of sound an lyrics.
Nonverbal interaction: The unspoken often unintentional behaviour that accompanies verbal
communication and helps us fully interpret its meaning. For example: A detective interrogates a
suspect. The suspect tells a story and communicating that verbally. Detectives are able to identify
a lie thanks to the nonverbal gestures of the suspect such as biting their lip or looking away.
Functions of communication
The exchange of messages and information is important for many reasons, but it is not enough to
meet the various needs we have as human beings. While the content of our communication may
help us achieve certain physical and instrumental needs, it also feeds into our identities and
relationships in ways that far exceed the content of what we say.
• Physical Needs: Keep our bodies and minds functioning. At the most basic level,
communication can alert that out physical needs are not being met. For example, babies cry
when they are hungry of sick to alert their caregiver of these physical needs. Human beings are
social creatures, which makes communication important for our survival.
• Instrumental Needs: Getting things done in our day-to-day lives and achieve short and long-
term goals. We spent most of our time communicating for instrumental needs. Some of these
include influencing others, getting information we need of getting support.
• Relational Needs: Maintain social bonds and interpersonal relationships. Communicating for
relational needs helps us achieve the social relating that is an essential part of being human.
Communication meets our relational needs by giving us a tool through which to develop,
maintain, and end relationships.
