UNIT I

NATURE AND ELEMENTS OF

COMMUNICATION
1. Fundamentals of Communication
2. Intercultural Communication
THIS UNIT LAYS OUT THE FOUNDATIONAL
KNOWLEDGE FOR STUDYING ORAL
COMMUNICATION.
IT FEATURES ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
INCLUDING THE DEFINITION AND NATURE
OF COMMUNICATION AND THE RUDIMENTS
OF COMMUNICATING ACROSS CULTURES.
LET’S WARM UP
1. Form groups of four to five members.
2. Create a two-minute group presentation that reflects
your understanding of what
“communication” is about.
3. Be creative.
4. You have five minutes to prepare.
DEBRIEFING QUESTIONS
1. Which groups effectively communicated their message? Give
reasons why the presentation was
effective.
2. Is effective communication important? Why? Why not?
SELF-AUDIT
After completing Let’s Warm Up, tick the column that determines
how often you practice what the statements say. Do this as
objectively as possible. Bear in mind that there are no wrong
answers. You can use your performance in Let’s Warm Up as a
basis in completing this task.
LET’S WORK AND LEARN
Exercise I
Stand up. Think of one fact that you know about communication
and share it with everyone. Once you have shared something, you
can sit down and listen to what the rest of the class has to share.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Communication is a process of sharing and conveying
messages or information from one person to another
within and across channels, contexts, media, and
cultures (McCornack, 2014). There is a wide variety of
contexts and situations in which communication can be
manifested; it can be a face-to-face interaction, a
phone conversation, a group discussion, a meeting or
interview, a letter correspondence, a class recitation,
and many others.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Communication is a process of sharing and conveying
messages or information from one person to another
within and across channels, contexts, media, and
cultures (McCornack, 2014). There is a wide variety of
contexts and situations in which communication can be
manifested; it can be a face-to-face interaction, a
phone conversation, a group discussion, a meeting or
interview, a letter correspondence, a class recitation,
and many others.
NATURE OF
COMMUNICATION
1. Communication is a process.

2. Communication occurs between two or more people (the

speaker and the receiver).

3. Communication can be expressed through written or spoken

words, actions (nonverbal), or both spoken words and
nonverbal actions at the same time.
ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
Communication is divided into elements which help us better understand its mechanics or
process. These elements are the following:
1. Speaker – the source of information or message
2. Message – the information, ideas, or thoughts conveyed by the speaker in words or in actions
3. Encoding – the process of converting the message into words, actions, or other forms that the
speaker understands
4. Channel – the medium or the means, such as personal or non-personal, verbal or nonverbal,
in which the encoded message is conveyed
5. Decoding – the process of interpreting the encoded message of the speaker by the receiver
6. Receiver – the recipient of the message, or someone who decodes the message
7. Feedback – the reactions, responses, or information provided by the receiver
8. Context – the environment where communication takes place
9. Barrier – the factors that affect the flow of communication
MODELS OF
COMMUNICATION
EXERCISE II (GROUP)
Work with your group mates in the Let’s Warm Up activity. As a group, do the following:
Study the diagram below. It represents the Schramm Model.
Schramm (1954) modified the Shannon-Weaver Model. What has Schramm added to the
Shannon-Weaver Model? Is the new model more comprehensive? Why do you think so?
How is it different from or similar to the Transaction Model?
FUNCTIONS OF
COMMUNICATION
Exercise III
Identify the function of communication in each of the following situations.
1. The teacher reads and discusses classroom policies to her students.
2. Ross greets Rachel; then, they start talking about their plans for the holidays.
3. Phoebe shares her insights on how to live peacefully despite a complicated
life.
4. Monica shares her personal frustrations with Chandler.
5. The geometry teacher lectures about mathematical concepts.
6. Sheila delivers her valedictory speech.
7. The President delivers his last State of the Nation Address.
8. A television personality thanks the supportive moviegoers during an interview.
9. The city mayor presents her strategies to execute the plans in a public forum.
10. A tourist guide orients a group of tourists about a heritage site.
FEATURES OF AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
In their pioneer book Effective Public Relations, Professors Broom, Cutlip, and Center (2012) list
the 7 Cs of Effective Communication. This list is widely used today, especially in public relations
and advertising.
1. Completeness
Complete communication is essential to the quality of the communication process in general.
Hence, communication should include everything that the receiver needs to hear for him/
her to respond, react, or evaluate properly.
2. Conciseness
Conciseness does not mean keeping the message short, but making it direct or straight to the
point. Insignificant or redundant information should be eliminated from the communication
that will be sent to the recipient.
3. Consideration
To be effective, the speaker should always consider relevant information about
his/her receiver such as mood, background, race, preference, education, status,
and needs, among others. By doing so, he/she can easily build rapport with the
audience.
4. Concreteness
Effective communication happens when the message is concrete and supported
by facts, figures, and real-life examples and situations. In this case, the receiver is
more connected to the message conveyed.
5. Courtesy
The speaker shows courtesy in communication by respecting the culture, values,
and beliefs of his/her receivers. Being courteous at all times creates a positive
impact on the audience.
6. Clearness
Clearness in communication implies the use of simple and specific words to express
ideas. It is also achieved when the speaker focuses only on a single objective in
his/her speech so as not to confuse the audience.
7. Correctness
Correctness in grammar eliminates negative impact on the audience and increases
the credibility and effectiveness of the message.
EXERCISE IV (CLASS)
As a class, complete the semantic web below with a word or group of words
relevant to communication. You can assign a representative to gather and/or
consolidate the responses of the class.
 VERBAL
COMMUNICATION AND
NONVERBAL
COMMUNICATION
VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Verbal Communication refers to an interaction in which words are used to relay a
message.
For effective and successful verbal communication, use words to express ideas which can
be easily understood by the person you are talking to. Consider appropriateness, brevity,
clarity, ethics, and vividness when engaging in this type of communication.
1. Appropriateness
The language that you use should be appropriate to the environment or occasion (i.e.,
whether formal or informal).
2. Brevity
Speakers who often use simple yet precise and powerful words are found to be more
credible. Try to achieve brevity by being more direct with your words. Avoid fillers and
insubstantial expressions which do not add to the message, such as “uh,” “you know,” “I
guess,” and others.
3. Clarity
The meanings of words, feelings, or ideas may be interpreted
differently by a listener; hence, it is essential for you to clearly state
your message and express your ideas and feelings.
4. Ethics
Words should be carefully chosen in consideration of the gender,
roles, ethnicity, preferences, and status of the person or people you are
talking to.
5. Vividness
Words that vividly or creatively describe things or feelings usually
add color and spice to communication. Hence, you are encouraged to
find ways to charm your audience through the use of vivid words.
NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
Nonverbal communication refers to an interaction where
behavior is used to convey and represent meanings. All
kinds of human responses that are not expressed in words
are classified as nonverbal communication. Examples of
nonverbal communication are stares, smiles, tone of voice,
movements, manners of walking, standing and sitting,
appearance, style of attire, attitude towards time and space,
personality, gestures, and others.
Mastery of nonverbal communication is important for several reasons:
1. It enhances and emphasizes the message of your speech, thus
making it more meaningful, truthful, and relevant.
2. It can communicate feelings, attitudes, and perceptions without you
saying a word.
3. It can sustain the attention of listeners and keep them engaged in
the speech.
4. It gives the audience a preview to the type of speaker you are.
5. It makes you appear more dynamic and animated in your delivery.
6. It serves as a channel to release tension and nervousness.
7. It helps make your speech more dramatic.
8. It can build a connection with listeners.
9. It makes you a credible speaker.
10. It helps you vary your speaking style and avoid a monotonous
delivery.
Write T before each number if the statement is true and F if the statement is false.
1. Consider ethics in your speech at all times.
2. Effective use of nonverbal communication can strengthen your message.
3. How you communicate reflects who you are as a person.
4. One way to help you build credibility is through effective nonverbal
communication.
5. There are certain words that are only appropriate at certain times and places.
6. To achieve clarity, we must speak the same language as our listeners.
7. The use of too many fillers can distract your listeners.
8. Verbal communication is better than nonverbal communication.
9. When you talk to others, you should not assume too quickly that they understand
the message that you convey.
10. When you communicate, choose what you want to say and how you want to say it.
I. Group Activity.
Your teacher will divide the class into three groups. This activity follows the
format of a charades game, and the objective is to guess unknown words in
the shortest time possible.
Your teacher will assign a category for each group. Assign a timekeeper in
your group and prepare ten pieces of one-fourth-sized paper and a small
empty box or pencil case. Think of words or phrases related to your category
and write each word in a piece of paper. Fold each piece to hide the word.
Remember not to choose words that are very difficult to guess. Follow the
guidelines below.
• At least two members of the group must be familiar with the word’s
meaning.
• A word should only be composed of a maximum of eight letters.
• Proper names are not allowed, but they can be used along with other words.
• Foreign words and technical terms are not allowed.
Each round of the activity proceeds as follows:
• Each group will assign two representatives who will act out or describe the unknown
word. The remaining group members have to guess the word within one minute.
• To start, the representatives from Team A will draw a piece of paper from Team B’s box.
• They have five seconds to view the word, after which Team B’s timekeeper will start the
timer.
• The representatives will then have their teammates guess the word through gestures.
Drawing or writing on the board is not allowed.
• If Team A guesses the word, Team B’s timekeeper has to record the number of seconds it
took
for Team A to get the correct answer.
• If Team A cannot guess the word, Team B’s timekeeper has to record a time of one
minute.
• To proceed, a representative from Team B will draw a piece of paper from Team C’s box.
This round about game will go on until all the words are used.
The score for each group is the total time that the group accumulated for all the rounds.
The group with the shortest time wins.
II. Group Activity.
With the same group, perform a five-minute presentation of
your favorite scene from an English movie, TV series, or
musical or non-musical stage play. The chosen scene should
show how one or more barriers to communication lead to
miscommunication. You have 20 minutes to plan and
organize.
III. Group Activity.
With your group mates, discuss the following:
• Was there a lack of communication or miscommunication within your
group when you organized and performed your tasks? What are these?
• Why do you think this happened?
• What are the barriers to communication that occurred?
• What strategies did you use to avoid the barriers and
miscommunication?
Make sure that each member gives his/her answer. Overall, you have
ten minutes to exchange ideas. Afterwards, assign one person,
preferably the shyest member in your group, to share with the class
the highlights or the most important points of the discussion.
IV. Individual Activity.
Your teacher will randomly ask you a question. Once your
turn comes, you have to stand in front and answer your
teacher’s question, which may range from life goals to
personal favorites.
• After you answer, your teacher will give a follow-up
question which you have to answer as
well.
• Then, he/she will assign two members of the class to
respond to your answers.
V. Individual Activity.
Imagine that you are addressing a group of parents and teachers in an
assembly on understanding your generation known as the “Millennial
Generation.”
• Prepare a two-minute speech that communicates your ideas about the
topic.
• Your speech should highlight who the millennials are and how they
are different from other generations.
• Before the speech deliveries, find a partner.
• Evaluate each other’s speech deliveries using the rubrics on the next
page.
• Write the strong and weak points of the presentation in the
succeeding table.
1. Work in groups of five.
2. Create a fictional country. Discuss for three minutes the general description of your
country using the following guide questions.
a. What is the name of the country? What are its citizens called?
b. Is it an island or is it land-locked?
c. What is its tourist attraction?
d. What is your country famous for?
e. What are its citizens known for?
3. Describe the way these citizens use language, as well as their general traits. Make sure
to have a description for the following:
a. Behavior (Are they reserved? Loud? Generally humorous? Do they smile a lot?)
b. Language use (Are they talkative? Soft-spoken? Do they rarely use polite words?)
c. Nonverbal cues (Do they think shaking hands is distasteful?)
d. Values (What do they find offensive? What positive trait are they known for?)
4. Based on these general traits, create a list of 5 Dos and 5 Don’ts which your
fictional citizens adhere to when they attend a casual dinner party with friends. You
have five minutes to come up with the rules and memorize them.
5. Then, read the following scenario.
You are a citizen of your fictional country, and you are attending a dinner party with
other nationalities. Your goal is to mingle with and introduce yourself and your
fictional country to others.
6. The “party” will be hosted by your teacher. He/she will give the signal for the
“party” to start.
7. Once the “party” starts, each of you has to roam around and talk with people from
other
groups. Keep in mind the following rules.
a. Refrain from speaking with your group mates.
b. Do not talk about the rules which your group created.
8. The “party” will last for 5 minutes.
9. Afterwards, confer with your group mates and discuss the following:
a. Was there a difference between your group’s behavior and others’?
b. How did you handle the differences between your behaviors?
SELF-AUDIT
After completing Let’s Warm Up, tick the column that determines how often
you practice what the statements say. Do this as objectively as possible. Bear
in mind that there are no wrong answers. You can use your performance in
Let’s Warm Up as a basis in completing this task.
LET’S WORK AND
LEARN
EXERCISE I (GROUP)
Form five groups. Each group will represent a particular country
(Japan, France, China, Philippines, and Mexico). Imagine yourselves as
the ambassadors of the country assigned to your group.
You will be provided with some source-based materials like
photographs, newspaper clippings, and letters. Using these pieces of
information, work together and come up with some interesting data
about your country. Write questions (how, what, why, where, when and
who) and provide corresponding answers.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) offers a structure that explores
how people experience cultural differences. According to Bennett and Bennett (2004), it has six
stages. These are the following:
 The individual does not recognize cultural differences.

An individual in the denial stage might be heard saying:

“All cities are the same; they all have tall buildings, fast food chains,
and coffee shops.”
The individual starts to recognize cultural differences and is
intimidated by them, resulting in either a superior view on own culture
or an unjustified high regard for the new one.
An individual in the defense stage might be heard saying:
“This culture does not view life the way we do; our culture is certainly
better.”
“Their ways are better than my own; I wish I were one of them.”
Although individuals see cultural differences, they bank more on the
universality of ideas rather than on cultural differences.
An individual in the minimization stage might be heard saying:
“Once we see through the cultural differences, we really are just the
same!”
The individual begins to appreciate important cultural differences in
behaviors and eventually in values.
An individual in the acceptance stage might be heard saying:
“These people and I have different values and experiences, and I
think we can learn from one
another.”
The individual is very open to world views when accepting new
perspectives.
An individual in the adaptation stage might be heard saying:
“To address our issue, I have to adjust my approach to consider both
my own and my
counterpart’s background.”
Individuals start to go beyond their own cultures and see themselves
and
their actions based on multifarious cultural viewpoints.
An individual in the integration stage might be heard saying:
“I can look at things from the perspective of various cultures.”
Once you understand these stages, you may apply it to 1)
recognize communication behaviors which differ from your
own, 2) take into account what can influence these types of
behaviors, and 3) try to analyze how linguistic and cultural
communities differ in terms of communication behavior and
influencing factors (Allwood, 1985).
Note that in addition to culture, other elements such as gender, age, social status, and religion
must also be taken into consideration when communicating with others. Refrain from showing
bias when talking to someone by following the tips below.
1. Avoid stereotypes, i.e., generalizations about a certain group.
2. Challenge gender norms; avoid using “he” and “man” to refer to a general group of people.
To remedy this, you may use plural pronouns or rewrite a sentence to avoid using pronouns.
The use of his/her is also acceptable.
3. Do not talk down on younger people and the elderly.
4. Be sensitive to the religious practices of others.
5. Be polite at all times; do not belittle people you perceive to be on a lower social class than
you.
Note that in addition to culture, other elements such as gender, age, social status, and religion
must also be taken into consideration when communicating with others. Refrain from showing
bias when talking to someone by following the tips below.
1. Avoid stereotypes, i.e., generalizations about a certain group.
2. Challenge gender norms; avoid using “he” and “man” to refer to a general group of people.
To remedy this, you may use plural pronouns or rewrite a sentence to avoid using pronouns.
The use of his/her is also acceptable.
3. Do not talk down on younger people and the elderly.
4. Be sensitive to the religious practices of others.
5. Be polite at all times; do not belittle people you perceive to be on a lower social class than
you.
Exercise II (Individual-Pair)
Read each statement. If it displays bias or insensitivity, write the
group/element being misrepresented (gender, social status, age,
religion, culture). If not, write “OK.” Once done, compare and discuss
your answers with a partner.
1. “Each employee must wear his ID at all times.”
2. “You won’t understand if I explain; you’re too young.”
3. “Japanese people are so rigid and stoic!”
4. “Don’t buy those shades; only low-class people wear those.”
5. “Lolo, this is an iPhone. ‘i-Phone.’ It is a very complicated device, but
I’ll explain it to you simply. It is used to talk to people from other
places.”
6. “All staff members have to submit their leave requests before the
day ends.”
7. “My belief is the absolute truth. Other religions simply got it wrong.”
8. “Manang, let’s go, I’ll treat you. I bet you haven’t eaten sushi in your
entire life.”
9. “Catholics and Protestants do have big differences, but we must
respect each other’s beliefs.”
10. “You’re the youngest person in the family, but I trust that you can
handle the situation well.”
Exercise III (Individual)
Write T before each number if the statement is true and F if the statement is
false.
1. Intercultural communication occurs when there is interaction and
negotiation between or among individuals from different cultural
backgrounds.
2. Intercultural communication refers only to communication that happens
between or among individuals from different nations.
3. Communication that exists between or among individuals from different
ethnic, religious, and regional backgrounds and sexual orientations is not
considered as intercultural.
4. The DMIS by Bennett and Bennett (2004) can be used to understand those
who do not recognize other cultures and cannot communicate
interculturally.
5. The denial stage could be interpreted as distrust towards other cultures.
6. The acceptance stage refers to recognition of cultural
differences.
7. In the adaptation stage, individuals begin to integrate with
other cultures.
8. Cultural sensitivity matters in intercultural communication.
9. One character trait of a competent communicator is
sensitivity to nonverbal cues in
other cultures.
10. A competent communicator is a person who is effective in
intercultural
communication.
B. Divide the students into groups of five. Let them do
the following:
1. Create an INFOMERCIAL VIDEO that shows
communication as an INCLUSIVE task.
2. Make the infomercial creative and entertaining.
4. The video MUST be at least 3 mins and maximum
of 5 minutes.
 RUBRICS FOR PRESENTATION
Content of the presentation 30 points

Participation of group members 30 points

Creativity and entertainment value 30 points

Use of required time in the presentation 10 points

Total 100 points

 RUBRICS FOR PRESENTATION
Content of the presentation 30 points

Participation of group members 30 points

Creativity and entertainment value 30 points

Use of required time in the presentation 10 points

Total 100 points