CMN 003V Midterm 1
Why is communication important? - answer Essential to your personal and professional
success
Nature of Communication - answer Unavoidable
Strategic
Relational
Instrumental
Identity management - answer How we desire to present ourselves
How is communication irreversible? - answer Once, we said it, we said it
How is communication a process? – answer A message isn't sent or received in
isolation
What is the basic communication model? - answer Interaction model
What does the interaction model include? - answer Sender, channel, noise, feedback
Sender - answer person who transmits the message
Channel - answer method used to deliver the message
Noise - answer factors that interfere with the message
Feedback - answerreceivers response to the message
Transactional model/competent model - answerExpands by recognizing additional types
of contexts that affect communication (social, relational, cultural)
Social context - answerrefers to the social norms that guide communication choices in
certain situations
Relational context - answerrefers to your relationship with those that you are
communicating with/audience
Cultural context - answerrefers to the learned behaviors of a specific culture
Three reasons why we communicate - answerExpress affiliation, maintain relationships,
influence others
,Express affiliation - answerThe feeling of connectedness we have with other people.
Expressing our association with someone by expressing liking, love, respect as well as
dislike, hatred or disrespect.
How do we express affiliation? - answerCan be expressed verbally, nonverbally, or
mediated
Maintain relationships - answerWhat we do and say affects others and what others say
and do affects us
Influence others - answerMost communication is influential in one way or another and
some is intentional
Communication Apprehension - answerSomeone's fear or anxiety associated with real
or anticipated communication. Varies person to person, context to context.
Characteristics of Effective Communication - answerStrategic, professional, adaptable
Being strategic - answerpurposeful , Audience-oriented ,Persuasive
Being professional - answerAppropriate to the situation/context, Clear and concise,
Ethical
Being adaptable - answerCulturally sensitive, Collaborative
What does verbal communication consist of? - answerWords and verbal fillers
Verbal fillers - answerThings like mmmmm
Language - answerSystem of symbols (words) that we use to think about and
communicate
How is language symbolic? - answerwords are symbols that represent people, ideas or
things and agreed upon by a language using community
Example of how language is symbolic - answerWhen the word "dog" is said, you might
picture your own dog or one that you saw on tv or a friends dog
Semantics - answerinvolves the meaning of words and their meaning within sentences
Pragmatics - answertakes the words and meanings but also considers the context in
which the words are used
Denotative meanings - answera word's commonly accepted definition
, Example of denotative meaning - answerdog is commonly accepted as the animal, but
also known as a person who is unpleasant or wicked
Connotative Meaning - answera word's emotional or attitudinal response people have to
the word
Example of connotative meaning - answerthe word school can conjure different images
for different people. If you loved going to school and learning, you would think of school
as a good thing. If you dreaded school and were bullied, you would think of school as a
bad thing.
Abstraction ladder - answerLanguage works on various levels on abstraction that range
from vague to specific
What does the abstraction ladder show? - answerhow a sequence of words can
represent high level abstractions which are general and vague to more specific
What do lower abstractions do? - answerWork to ensure clarity
What do higher abstractions do? - answeroften allow for the following evasion which
allows the speaker to avoid providing specific details
Evasion - answerallows the speaker to avoid providing specific details
Example of evasion - answerHigh school aged teenager telling parents that they are
going out with friends, but leaving out the specifics that they are going to a raging party
with friends
Equivocation - answeruses words that have unclear or misleading definitions and helps
a speaker to maybe avoid uncomfortable situations
Example of equivocation - answerfriend gets bad haircut and said it is "very
fashionable." Even though you don't think it suits them, you don't hurt their feelings
Euphemisms - answerinoffensive words or phrases that substitute for potentially
upsetting terms
Example of euphemisms - answercould say that a loved one has passed away instead
or saying they died
Why do we use strategic ambiguity? - answerTo promote harmony, To soften difficult
messages, To make a point indirectly
Slang - answernon standard language used by a particular group of people during a
specific time and place. It is a high level abstraction and can identify people by group
Why is communication important? - answer Essential to your personal and professional
success
Nature of Communication - answer Unavoidable
Strategic
Relational
Instrumental
Identity management - answer How we desire to present ourselves
How is communication irreversible? - answer Once, we said it, we said it
How is communication a process? – answer A message isn't sent or received in
isolation
What is the basic communication model? - answer Interaction model
What does the interaction model include? - answer Sender, channel, noise, feedback
Sender - answer person who transmits the message
Channel - answer method used to deliver the message
Noise - answer factors that interfere with the message
Feedback - answerreceivers response to the message
Transactional model/competent model - answerExpands by recognizing additional types
of contexts that affect communication (social, relational, cultural)
Social context - answerrefers to the social norms that guide communication choices in
certain situations
Relational context - answerrefers to your relationship with those that you are
communicating with/audience
Cultural context - answerrefers to the learned behaviors of a specific culture
Three reasons why we communicate - answerExpress affiliation, maintain relationships,
influence others
,Express affiliation - answerThe feeling of connectedness we have with other people.
Expressing our association with someone by expressing liking, love, respect as well as
dislike, hatred or disrespect.
How do we express affiliation? - answerCan be expressed verbally, nonverbally, or
mediated
Maintain relationships - answerWhat we do and say affects others and what others say
and do affects us
Influence others - answerMost communication is influential in one way or another and
some is intentional
Communication Apprehension - answerSomeone's fear or anxiety associated with real
or anticipated communication. Varies person to person, context to context.
Characteristics of Effective Communication - answerStrategic, professional, adaptable
Being strategic - answerpurposeful , Audience-oriented ,Persuasive
Being professional - answerAppropriate to the situation/context, Clear and concise,
Ethical
Being adaptable - answerCulturally sensitive, Collaborative
What does verbal communication consist of? - answerWords and verbal fillers
Verbal fillers - answerThings like mmmmm
Language - answerSystem of symbols (words) that we use to think about and
communicate
How is language symbolic? - answerwords are symbols that represent people, ideas or
things and agreed upon by a language using community
Example of how language is symbolic - answerWhen the word "dog" is said, you might
picture your own dog or one that you saw on tv or a friends dog
Semantics - answerinvolves the meaning of words and their meaning within sentences
Pragmatics - answertakes the words and meanings but also considers the context in
which the words are used
Denotative meanings - answera word's commonly accepted definition
, Example of denotative meaning - answerdog is commonly accepted as the animal, but
also known as a person who is unpleasant or wicked
Connotative Meaning - answera word's emotional or attitudinal response people have to
the word
Example of connotative meaning - answerthe word school can conjure different images
for different people. If you loved going to school and learning, you would think of school
as a good thing. If you dreaded school and were bullied, you would think of school as a
bad thing.
Abstraction ladder - answerLanguage works on various levels on abstraction that range
from vague to specific
What does the abstraction ladder show? - answerhow a sequence of words can
represent high level abstractions which are general and vague to more specific
What do lower abstractions do? - answerWork to ensure clarity
What do higher abstractions do? - answeroften allow for the following evasion which
allows the speaker to avoid providing specific details
Evasion - answerallows the speaker to avoid providing specific details
Example of evasion - answerHigh school aged teenager telling parents that they are
going out with friends, but leaving out the specifics that they are going to a raging party
with friends
Equivocation - answeruses words that have unclear or misleading definitions and helps
a speaker to maybe avoid uncomfortable situations
Example of equivocation - answerfriend gets bad haircut and said it is "very
fashionable." Even though you don't think it suits them, you don't hurt their feelings
Euphemisms - answerinoffensive words or phrases that substitute for potentially
upsetting terms
Example of euphemisms - answercould say that a loved one has passed away instead
or saying they died
Why do we use strategic ambiguity? - answerTo promote harmony, To soften difficult
messages, To make a point indirectly
Slang - answernon standard language used by a particular group of people during a
specific time and place. It is a high level abstraction and can identify people by group
