Purposive

Communication
Course Material No. 1

Merry Jaine M. Liwanag, MAEngl

Course Instructor
 LESSON
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
OUTLINE
Demonstrate understanding of
basic/major concepts of communication
by doing the following:
Define communication
Draw to show the role each element
plays in the communication process

Apply the principles of ethics in given Nature of

communication situations Communication

TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 Pre-Activity

4 Lesson Content Elements of

Communication

8 Lesson Summary

8 Assessment Tasks

9 References
Barriers to
Communication

Week 1:
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 INTRODUCTION

Communication, though seems an easy activity, is a vital task for humans to sustain
social relationships and express thoughts or emotions. To do this, we must establish an in-
depth understanding of the nature of communication, its principles, and its practical
application in both academic and real-life situations.

In this lesson, you will learn the concepts revolving around communication, the different
elements comprising communication, and the proper way of communicating in various
events and contexts.

COMMUNICATION DEFINED
The word communication itself provides a clue to what it is - commun implies
"something in common" and ication suggests "understanding," so communication hints at
the meaning of "a common understanding of something" (Chase & Shamo, 2013, p. 6).
Seiler and Beall (1999) define it as "the simultaneous sharing and creating of meaning
through human symbolic interaction" (as cited in Chase & Shamo, 2013, p. 7). Wood's
(2004) definition specifies "a systemic process in which individuals interact with and
through symbols to create and interpret meanings" (as cited in Padilla, Dagdag, Roxas, &
Perez, 2016, p. 2).
PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION 4

NATURE OF COMMUNICATION
The communication process is the transmittal of a message, whether through uttering
sounds or showing signals by the communicators and the receiver. It is an unlimited way of
expressing ideas, opinions, and emotions. This is why communication is considered to be
a very powerful tool for it can change what happens, what had happened, what is
happening, and what will happen.

Communication plays a vital role in shaping the meaning of utterances or words.

ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
Nordquist (2018) presents the following vital
components in the process of communication. In the recent warm-up
activity, can you identify
The sender is the source of the information. the specific element of
communication present?
The receiver is the recipient/decoder of the
information given by the sender.

The message is the information relayed by the sender to the receiver/ interpreter.

Medium or channel is the tool that is used by the sender to relay the message.

Feedback is the response or reaction given after decoding the information.

Noise is a barrier that can affect the transmission of the message.

Context is the place or situation where the exchange of thoughts happened.

Source: https://cape-commstudies.blogspot.com/2011/10/communication-process.html
Note: Encoding and Decoding are not considered elements, they are part of the process
5 PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATION MODELS
To visualize how communication works in different contexts, well-known linguists had
devised models of communication. Some of these are the Linear Model, Interactional
Model, and the Transactional Model.

LINEAR MODEL

This was first introduced by Claude

Shannon and Warren Weaver (1949).
Under this model, there is only a linear
or straight flow of communication,
meaning that after the receiver
decodes the message, no feedback is
commonly required by the receiver.
Example TV, Newspaper, etc.

INTERACTIVE MODEL

Wilbur Schramm (1954) published a

modified version of the Linear Model of
Shannon-Weaver and Lasswell. He
discuss that as active participants of
communication, the receiver can also
give another message in response to
the first message delivered by the
sender, which we called Feedback.

TRANSACTIONAL MODEL

Dean Barnlund (1970) argues that in

interpersonal communication, both the
receiver and the sender
simultaneously exchange messages.
He then introduced the Transactional
Model. This model also includes a
multi-layered feedback system.
PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION 6

TYPES OF NOISES
Noise obstructs smooth communication flow or may result in miscommunication
between the sender and the receiver. The term "Noise" does not always pertain to sounds
hindering one's ability to comprehend the message, there are other types of Noise within a
communication process.

Noises are also known as barriers to effective communication. The following are the
different barriers to communication:

1. Internal Barriers are things that can impede communication that one doesn't
necessarily have control over and take place inside the body or mind.

2. External Barriers are things outside the body or mind that can obstruct communication.

Communication Breakdown - is the result of communication failure or

miscommunication and lack of communication.
7 PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATION ETHICS
Deirdre D. Johnston (1994) pointed out ten ethics in communication that you should
bear in mind to avoid being labeled "unethical" (as cited in Chase & Shamo, 2013, pp. 140-
141).

1. Mutuality. Pay attention to the needs of others, as well as yours.

2. Individual dignity. Do not cause another person embarrassment or a loss of dignity.
3. Accuracy. Ensure that others have accurate information. Tell them everything they
have a right and need to know, not just what is true.
4. Access to information. Never bolster the impact of your communication by preventing
people from communicating with one another or by hindering access to the supporting
information.
5. Accountability. Be responsible and accountable for the consequences of your
relationships and communication.
6. Audience. As an audience or receiver of the information, you also have ethical
responsibilities. A good rule of thumb is the "200% rule" where both the sender and the
receiver have full or 100% responsibility to ensure that the message is understood, and
that ethics are followed. This is a 100/100 rule, not a 50/50 rule.
7. Relative truth. As either sender or receiver of information, remember that your own
point of view may not be shared by others and that your conclusions are relative to your
perspective, so allow others to respectfully disagree or see it differently.
8. Ends vs. means. Be sure that the end goal of your communication and the means of
getting to that end are both ethical although no rule can be applied without reservation
to any situation.

9. Use of power. In situations where you

have more power than others (e.g ., a
teacher with a student, a boss with a
Have you been offended by the subordinate, a parent with a child), you
person you're talking to? also have more responsibility for the
Or outcome.
Have you been guilty of offending
someone with your words? 10. Rights vs. responsibilities. Balance
your rights against your responsibilities
What did you do to resolve it, or even if you live in a wonderful society
shall you do next time?
where your rights are protected by law;
not everything you have a right to do is
ethical.
PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION 8

The communication process is the transmittal of a LESSON

message, whether through uttering sounds or showing SUMMARY
signals by the communicators and the receiver.
There are different elements of communication namely
Sender, Receiver, Message, Channel, Noise, Context, and
Feedback.
Barriers to effective communication can be Internal (Personal, Intrapersonal, and
Language) or External (Environmental and Socio-cultural).
Johnston (1994) enumerated 10 communication ethics namely (1) Mutuality, (2)
Individual Identity, (3) Accuracy, (4) Access to information, (5) Accountability, (6)
Audience, (7) Relative Truth, (8) Ends vs Means, (9) Use of power, and (10)
Rights vs Responsibility.

Assessment Task

PICTURE-COMICS
(AsynchrOnOus)
Instruction: In a group, create picture-comics within the context of your professions. It
should reflect the different elements of communication. Be sure to also show the practice of
communication ethics in the scenarios.

Scenario 1 should be Mutuality Scenario 6 should be Audience

Scenario 2 should be Individual Dignity Scenario 7 should be Relative Truth
Scenario 3 should be Accuracy Scenario 8 should be Ends vs. Means
Scenario 4 should be Access to Information Scenario 9 should be Use of Power
Scenario 5 should be Accountability Scenario 10 should be Rights vs. Responsibilities

Sample of picture comics: *Photos were intentionally blurred for student's data privacy
9 PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

Rubric:

References

Padilla, M.M., Dagdag, L. A., & Roxas, F. R. (2018). Communicate and Connect! Purposive
Communication. Mutya Publishing House Inc. Malabon City, Philippines

Sarip, H. D., et al. (2019) Purposive Communication. Mutya Publishing House Inc. Malabon City,
Philippines

ELECTRONIC SOURCE:
Gavi Z (19 Aug 2013). The models of communication. Blog.
http://thecommunicationprocess.com/models-of-communication/

Wrench, J.S., Punyanunt-Carter, N.M., & Thweatt, K.S. (n.d.) 2.4: Models of Interpersonal
Communication. Retrieved on 27 Jul 2023 on
https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Courses/Pueblo_Community_College/Book%3A_Interpersonal_Com
munication_A_Mindful_Approach_to_Relationships_(Wrench_et_al.)/02%3A_Overview_of_Interper
sonal_Communication/2.04%3A_Models_of_Interpersonal_Communication#:~:text=Model%20of%
20Communication-,Barnlund's%20Transactional%20Model,to%20understand%20basic%20interper
sonal%20communication.&text=Barnlund%20argues%20that%20one%20of,that%20they%20rese
mble%20mediated%20messages.