COM 321_Rivera-Williams_Wk 5 Final paper
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Ashford University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
321
Subject
Communications
Date
Apr 3, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
8
Uploaded by prprincess1426
Running head: IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
1
IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
By: Frances Rivera-Williams
COM 321: Communication Theory
Duvan Arsola, Professor
June 5, 2016
IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
2
Every man, woman, and child learns to communicate at an early age. We never once think about how important communication is to our everyday lives. To be successful, in every aspect of our lives, we must learn the history behind communication. As you continue to read this essay, it is going to give you an understanding of how studying communication in the areas of interpersonal, group, and organizational communication is important and how it can help you get a better understanding of what it means to be an effective communicator.
Let’s begin by first getting a lesson on the history of communication. In ancient times, the study of language was known as rhetoric. In order to learn, you would have to find a teacher that was known as rhetoricians. 3oo years before the birth of Christ, In Athens, Greece, communication was as popular a subject as it is today. (Trenholm, 2013, pg. 3. Para 1) In those days, it was common for people to do a lot of public speaking and lectures. Not like in today’s society, where communication has fallen to the wayside with the creation of the internet and modern technology. In olden times, it was important to be able to express yourself with good communication skills. It showed that you were intelligent and thus made a person more favored for higher positions. In classical times, before Aristotle, two Sicilian Greeks, Corax and Tisias believed that the study of communication was prompted by practical problems. (Thonssen, Baird, & Braden, 1970). In other words, they felt that people who could not organize their thoughts properly could not put up an effective argument. In lieu of this problem, teachers known as Sophists. Sophists “were professional speech teachers who advertised their services by
posting notices in public places where they could find an audience.” (Trenholm, 2013, pg. 5. Para 4) Sophists wanted the public people to be able to use the persuasive speaking to make their
points. This bothered philosophers, Aristotle and Plato because they believed that
IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
3
communication was the key to finding truth in what is said, and also it was more important than just winning an argument. (Trenholm, 2013). If you think of communication styles from those days and compare it to the communication of today, you can see the importance of how far communication has come.
Before I began studying communication, I never once thought of the importance of what was being communicated every day because I just thought it was normal. It was not until I learned that interpersonal communication is much more. Interpersonal communication is communication that we have on a daily basis. It is interpersonal because it is face to face communication. It is like telling your friend a funny story, to responding to a discussion post in your college or university classes. I never understood that when we communicate that there are three sets of rules that we must follow to make our communication interpersonal, 1.
Cultural-level rules are general and apply to all of the members of a particular culture. 2.
Sociological-level rules, rules that are tied to group membership. And
3.
psychological-level rules.
Cultural-level rules
are reserved for people we do not know. For example, when we meet a stranger, we do not walk up to them and hug them. Instead, we shake their hands or we say things like “Nice to meet you”. With Sociological-level rules it shows our interaction between people who relate to the same group. For instance, the interaction between two athletes, where the interaction does not need to be as formal as with the cultural rules. Lastly, we have the Psychological-level rules. These rules are not important because we make them up as we go
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
4
along. In other words, it can be the interaction between two best friends, there is no need for formalities. This makes me a bit better prepared as I continue with my education as well, it prepares me for the competitive employment options that await me in the future. The skill of listening is important because it is an important part of communication. Effective listening is actively absorbing the information given to you by a speaker, showing that you are listening and interested, and providing feedback to the speaker so that he or she knows the message was received. (Williams, S., 2000). Learning the importance of effective listening has made me become a better communicator, because it allows me the opportunity to add an intelligent insight into the conversation being had. As stated by Lawrence Robinson, Jeanne Segal, Ph. D., and Melinda Smith, M.A.,
Communication is about more than just exchanging information. It's about understanding
the emotion and intentions behind the information. Effective communication is also a two-way street. It’s not only how you convey a message so that it is received and understood by someone in exactly the way you intended, it’s also how you listen to gain the full meaning of what’s being said and to make the other person feel heard and understood.” (Robinson, Segal, & Smith, 2016)
Not only is studying communication important to our way of life, it is also important for how we view others. Personal constructs are another important part of communication because it shows us how to treat and deal with others. “Personal constructs are characteristics that we notice on a daily basis about others.” (Trenholm, 2014). Learning how to control one’s personal construct allows us to see a person for who they are. Since learning this pertinent information, I believe that I have to view people from a humanistic view. To make it clearer,
IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
5
“Humanism is a psychological perspective that emphasizes the study of the whole person. Humanistic psychologists look at human behavior not only through the eyes of the observer, but through the eyes of the person doing the behaving.” (McLeod, S., 2007). Communication is not just important to our friends and family; it is also important in building a successful relationship. When I was asked to do an assignment that had me look back on my first interaction with my husband, it was interesting to learn how far I have come with our communication. As I did research on how important communication is to relationships, I learned
that communication is important in a relationship because it helps to avoid misunderstandings that may cause hurt, anger or confusion. I learned that not only effectively communicating makes a relationship successful, but also so does effective listening. Learning the importance of how communication helps a relationship blossom, gives me hope that we can keep our lines of communication open. When I first thought about group communication,
I thought that it only pertained to employment or education. After reading chapter 13 of the book “A Primer on Communication Studies” (v. 1.0), a group can also consist of family and friends. When we look at group communication pertaining to employment, we see that it is important because small groups, served a central purpose in human history and evolution. Groups make it easier for us to complete a wide variety of tasks; help us establish meaningful social bonds; and help us create, maintain, and change our sense of self. (Sorensen, S., 1980). Understanding how to communicate within a group setting helps reduce conflict, it gives us a sense of identity, and it gives us support. If and when I become a member of a group in my career choice, the traits that best describe who and what I am are optimistic, energetic, encouraging, trusting, and reliable. I now believe that when you are skilled with your communication, you are a valuable asset. To be
IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
6
honest, I am not sure that I am quite sure what role I would play in a group setting. At this present moment, my small group consists of my husband and children. The role that I assume on
a day to day basis is provider, protector, caregiver, and lover. Learning how important communication is in a group setting will better prepare me for when I graduate and begin my career. When a career path is discovered, I would like for me to be territorial. I say this because I have a small “personal space” area. It is important to have order. Without it, not only does your area look like it is in a disarray, it gives people the impression that your work ethics are the same as well. It is important that people see that you have no fear and that you stand for something. As a pastor once said in a sermon, “If you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything.” (Whitney, A.J., 1945)
Lastly, we are going to discuss the importance of organizational communication.
Organizational communication is important because it informs, persuades, and promotes goodwill. This area of communication is still a work in progress for me. There are many different facets of this type of communication. For instance, you have to know when to use an informal or formal structure. You have to learn when to use an upward or downward form of communication. This step is key because it will demonstrate whether you can be a leader. Organizational communication also helps you become better equipped in a very competitive employment market because it gives you the skills needed to stand out from the rest.
In conclusion, communication has many forms of definitions and interpretations. Many believe that there is only one form of communication. It is important that we learn the different forms of communication, as well as, how to incorporate what we have learned into our everyday
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
7
lives. Unless we learn how to effectively communicate, we will never know the importance of communication.
IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
8
References
Harper, N. (1979). Human communication theory: The history of a paradigm. Rochelle Park, NJ:
Hayden Book Company.
McLeod, S., (2007) Humanism.
Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/humanistic.html
Robinson, L., Segal, J. Ph.D., & Smith, M., M.A., (2016) Effective Communication. Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships/effective-communication.htm
Sorensen, S.M., (1981) “Group-Hate: A Negative Reaction to Group Work” (paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Minneapolis, MN, May, 1981). Retrieved from http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-communication-
studies/s13-small-group-communication.html
Thonssen, L., Baird, C.A., & Braden, W. (1970). Speech criticism (2nd ed.). New York: The Ronald Press.
Trenholm, Sarah. (2013). Thinking Through Communication, 7th Edition. [VitalSource Bookshelf Online]. Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781323123904/
Whitney, A.J., (1945 November 30), The Otsego Farmer, Section: Miscellaneous, (Short notice/announcement), Quote Page 9, Column 6, Cooperstown, New York. (Old Fulton)
Williams, S., M.D. (2000) “
Listening Effectively”
. Retrieved from http://www.wright.edu/~scott.williams/skills/listening.htm#What Effective Listening