Chapter 1 Outline

  1. There are many ways to define communication.
    1. The purpose of a definition is to set boundaries and focus attention.
      1. Definitions can be narrow or broad and can focus on sender or receiver.
      2. Each definition of communication tells us something about a phenomenon, yet also leaves something out.
      3. Definitions should be judged by their usefulness, not in absolute terms.
    1. The definition used in this book–communication is a process whereby humans collectively create and regulate social reality–focuses on several characteristics of communication.
      1. It views communication as an ongoing process.
      2. It concentrates on human communication.
      3. It stresses the fact that communication is collective, i.e., social.
      4. It argues that when we communicate we do not reflect an already existing reality; instead we create reality.
      5. It notes that we use communication to control ourselves and others.
      6. This definition implies several things:
        1. People with different communication experiences see the world in different ways.
        2.  We are often controlled by what we create through communication.
        3.  Communication takes place in a social context.
        4.  It is important to focus on what people do together, not who they are separately.
  2. Communicative competence is the ability to communicate in a personally effective and socially appropriate manner.
    1. Scholars who study competence distinguish between two kinds of competence: internal or process competence, and external or performative competence.
    1. Process competence is internal. For purposes of analysis, it can be divided into five parts.
      1. Message competence is the ability to translate action into specific message choices. It is a process of coding and decoding.
        1. Message competence involves the ability to process and use verbal codes.
        2.  Message competence involves the ability to process and use nonverbal codes.
        3.  Message competence involves the ability to listen to the verbal and nonverbal messages of others.
      1. Interpretive competence is the ability to label, organize, and interpret the conditions surrounding an interaction. It is a process of perceiving.
      1. Role competence is the ability to take on social roles, to know how to act appropriately in those roles, and to decide whether to accept those roles. It is a process of adapting.
      1. Self competence is the ability to choose and present a desired self-image. It is a process of self-presentation.
      1. Goal competence is the ability to set goals, anticipate consequences, and choose effective lines of action. It is a process of planning.
    1. Process competence is affected by context.
      1. Cultural values affect what it means to be a competent communicator.
        1. Culture is the set of values, beliefs, and customs that bind people together.
        2.  The way we use communication to complain is an example of how culture determined communication competence, as is the extent to which we value modesty.
      2. History is an important context for communication. What it means to communicate competently changes over time.
        1. An example of how communication changes over time can be found in changing attitudes toward love and sex.
        2. The values attached to being direct have also changed over time.
      3. Technology is another factor that affects competence.
        1. Nowadays being competent means using electronic communication wisely.
        2. The wide availability of cell phones has also changed what it means to communicate interpersonally.
      4. Different relationships call for different kinds of competence.
    1. Knowing the rules that govern communication and being sensitive to context does not always guarantee success. We must also master performative competence.
      1. Performative competence is the ability to translate our knowledge of how to communicate into actual behavior.
      2. Performative competence comes with practice.
  3. Communication can be improved by taking a process perspective–that is, by observing and monitoring communicative behavior.
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