Worksheet 1 - the Communication Process

WORKSHEET 1

Question 1
Read the following scenario and respond to the questions that follow:

Sandra’s youth group has asked her to give them a presentation on her recent stint as a volunteer worker on the children’s ward of the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital in Kingstown. She will make the presentation this Friday evening at the group’s weekly meeting, which takes place in a concrete hut near the Cane End playing field in Marriaqua. The playing field is being used on this date by the Emmanuel High School Mesopotamia, for their annual fair and dance.

(a) What factors must Sandra consider when coming up with her presentation?
(b) Draw a graphic representation of Sandra’s communication process.

Question 2
Using T to represent true and F to represent false, respond to the following statements:
(a) The receiver of a message is responsible for its conceptualisation. __
(b) The communication process is incomplete unless feedback is given to the sender. __
(c) The first major advance in mass communication was the invention of Gutenberg’s press. _
(d) Human beings are the only animals that communicate. __
(e) Communication apprehension refers to any instance of nervousness or shyness while communicating. __
(f) Communication is inevitable. __
(g) Feedback can also be called interference or noise. __
(h) Audio/visual aids facilitate communication. __
(i) When delivering a presentation it is always best to be casual. __
(j) Internal noise refers to physical sounds that may distract an audience. __

Question 3
What are the three most important aspects of the communication process?
Why are these three things so important?

Question 4
Based on your reading, list five settings where communication regularly takes place, and briefly explain each setting.

Question 5
Using examples, explain how improving your communication skills will benefit your academic life.

The following reading will assist you to ansewer.

Zeuschner, Raymond. Communicating Today, Pearson Education, Inc., 2003. Chapters 1 & 2.

Various authors, CAPE Self Study and Distance Learning for Communication Studies, CAPE 2004. Study guides 1 & 2

The Communication Process

THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

Observe a newborn baby. When she’s hungry or uncomfortable, she cries; when she likes something, she smiles or coos. Communication begins at birth and is an intrinsic part of human development and interaction. As we grow older and begin interacting with the world around us, and the other people in that world, the efficiency, complexity and competence of our communication increases. Without effective communication skills, we are at a disadvantage in situations that involve other people.

Ultimately, communication is the process whereby people interact using messages. Because communication is a process, there are certain elements of this process that are present in every communication act.

Message:
This is the content of the communication process. Before the communication process begins, there must be an idea or body of knowledge that needs to be communicated.

Sender (also called source or encoder):
As the word suggests, the sender is the person/group with whom the message originates. The sender conceptualises the message. That is, she determines what the content of the message will be, the best form for the message to take and the best way of getting the message across.

Medium:
This is the method that someone chooses to convey her message. Will you use e-mail? Speech? Gestures? A poster?

Channel:
Channel is closely associated with medium. This is the means by which your message is conveyed. For example, an e-mail is a medium, whereas the internet is a channel; speech is a medium, but radios and loudspeakers are channels; gestures are a medium, your hands act as their channel; finally, a poster may be your medium, but the poster-board and ink are your channel.

Receiver (also called decoder):
Eventually your message arrives at the receiver. This is the person responsible for interpreting your message and taking some sort of meaning form it. The receiver is the main goal of any communication act.

Feedback:
After the receiver interprets the sender’s message, she then provides feedback to the sender. This is the receiver’s response to the message and is essential in that it alerts the sender to whether or not the message has been accurately/effectively received and interpreted.

Context:
Communication does not take place in a vacuum. The context of any communication act is the environment surrounding it. This includes, among other things, place, time, event, and attitudes of sender and receiver.

Noise (also called interference):
This is any factor that inhibits the conveyance of a message. That is, anything that gets in the way of the message being accurately received, interpreted and responded to. Noise may be internal or external. A student worrying about an incomplete assignment may not be attentive in class (internal noise) or the sounds of heavy rain on a galvanized roof may inhibit the reading of a storybook to second graders (external noise).

More about conceptualisation

When a sender decides to encode a message, she must take two main things into consideration during her conceptualisation stage – her context and her audience (receiver). These factors influence both choice of medium and choice of channel. The key word here is appropriateness. Choice of medium and channel are directly influenced by the purpose of the message and the intended audience. Ask yourself the following questions when determining levels of appropriateness:

i. Who is my receiver?
ii. How best can my message be conveyed?
iii. Where is the communication act taking place?
iv. What is the situation surrounding the communication act?
v. Is my audience one person or several?
vi. What medium should I use, oral or written?
vii. Should I use technology? If so, which technology would most appropriate?

In addition to all this, there are factors that may influence the effective conveyance of messages positively or negatively. Anything that helps ensure en effective transfer of messages is called a facilitator to communication. Anything that hinders this effectiveness is a barrier to communication.

Some common facilitators to communication are:
i. Choosing a familiar language
ii. Using an accessible channel
iii. Ensuring that the medium is appropriate to the message
iv. Using audio/visual aids to enhance the encoding of the message

Some common barriers to communication are:
i. A language barrier
ii. A channel that is inaccessible to the receiver
iii. The message is ineffectively encoded or the meaning is ambiguous
iv. The medium is inappropriate to the message

REQUIRED READING

Zeuschner, Raymond. Communicating Today, Pearson Education, Inc., 2003. Chapters 1 & 2.

Communication Studies Department - Rules and Regulations.

Department Rules & Regulations

Academic
1. Students must have a 50% passing grade in the first term in order to sign up for CAPE Communication Studies.

2. Students who are NOT achieving a passing grade at the end of the first half term will be given an academic warning and telephone contact will be made with parents. (See consequences below)

3. Students are not allowed to sign up for CAPE without written authorization from the instructor.

4. All homework must be submitted by its due date. The penalty for the submission of late homework assignments will be a reduction on the assignment of 5% per day.

5. If a student misses any end of term exam due to an excused absence, (s)he must sit the exam upon return to the classroom. Upon realizing that they are not able to take exam, students will call the school as soon as possible and leave message for the instructor.

6. Portfolio final drafts must be submitted by the due date or students run the risk of being denied the opportunity to sign up for the CAPE exam.


Punctuality & Attendance
8. Students must attend at least 90% of all classes in order to be allowed to sign
up for the CAPE exam.

9. Students who are absent for more than 5 class sessions without a written
excuse will be automatically removed from the course.

10. Students who arrive late to the classroom must enter quietly and be seated
without distracting the instructor or other students.

11. Students who arrive to class late by 15 minutes or more will be allowed in,
but will be recorded as late (this affects attendance percentage).

Failure after one year's study

7. (a) Students who fail the CAPE Communication Studies examination outright, or who fail to register for the examination in the year that they have been alotted, will not be allowed to re-sit the exam through the college.
(b) Such students will, instead, be permitted to take the Cambridge General Paper examination in their second year IF their Communication Studies Lecturer recommends this course of action.
(c) The General Paper classes will be in the evening and will be paid for by the student him/herself.

Examination entrance
The following requirements must be met in order for students sign up for the
CAPE exam:
1. Portfolio must be submitted by the exam sign-up date
2. Students must have attended at least 90% of all classes
3. Students must have their lecturer’s written approval


Important Note
Consequences for non-compliance with rules & regulations
The following consequences exist, in order of severity, with 1 being the least severe and 5 the most severe:
1. Verbal warning
2. Official letter of academic warning
3. Telephone contact with parent/guardian
4. Parent/teacher conference
5. Recommendation for suspension from school


Remember: respect for self and others is key to maintaining a secure atmosphere for peaceful, productive learning!

Book list and suggested reading

Required Reading

1. Roberts, Peter. West Indians & their language. Cambridge University Press,
1998.
2. Simmons-McDonald, Hazel et al. Writing in English: A Course Book for Caribbean Students. Ian Randle Publishers, 1997.
3. Zeuschner, Raymond. Communicating Today: The Essentials. Pearson
Education, Inc., 2003.

Suggested/Supplemental Reading

CAPE Self Study or Distance Learning Guide - Communication Studies
Chaffee John, Thinking Critically, Houghton Mifflin 2003
Evans Desmond, People, Communication and Organisations, Prentice Hall 1990

Other readings will be supplied by the lecturer.

There are also many texts in the libary which are helpful and useful. Please use the catalogue system or ask the Library staff how to identify them.

Texts approved for book reports

1. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
2. The Mystic Masseur by V. S. Naipaul
3. Crick Crack, Monkey by Merle Hodge
4. Baby Father by Patrick Augustus

Supplemental texts for book reports (if you cannot read any of the above)
1. Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson
2. Loot by Joe Orton
3. Moon on a Rainbow Shawl by Errol John
4. The Children of Sisyphus by Orlando Patterson
5. Cricket in the Road by Michael Anthony
6. The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller
7. Dream on Monkey Mountain by Derek Walcott
8. A State of Independence by Caryl Phillips

The book report format will be supplied by your lecturer.

A summary of the CAPE Communication Studies Syllabus (from the Communications Studies Rules and Regulations handbook)

CAPE Communication Studies Syllabus -A Summary


The qualification will give students a chance to demonstrate their ability to communicate thoughts, emotions, ideas and attitudes effectively. A good grade in this subject will show that a student also understands how people communicate, theories of communication and the relationship of language and communication particularly within the Caribbean context.



A central expectation of the syllabus is that students will be able to “use the structures of English correctly and appropriately, as well as with a degree of elegance” (CAPE Communication Studies syllabus). Developing high levels of competence in English, both in speaking and writing, is at the heart of this the course.


Module 1: Gathering and Processing Information
The main areas covered are
(a) General study skills.
(b) Listening skills.
(b) Comprehension skills for wide range of oral and written material.
(c) Oral summary presentations and summary writing
(d) Critical thinking skills - evaluating arguments and assessing concepts
(e) Using sources and research including data collection methods


Module 2: Language and Community


The main areas covered are
(a) The concept of language
(b) Creole and Creole-influenced languages in the Caribbean
(c) Language and the Caribbean identity and attitudes towards language.
(d) Language in society – development, social, psychological and political
models for language analysis
(e) Communication and technology


Module 3: Speaking and writing


The main areas covered are
(a) Communication theories
(b) Contexts of communication and using the appropriate methods
(c) Organising speaking and writing
(d) Producing a variety of forms of speech and written communication



A full copy of the syllabus can be purchased at Gaymes Book Store. You can get a copy of an extract from the syllabus which gives details of the content of the modules from the Business Copy Centre at College.



We recommend that you have and read the syllabus.

Welcome from the Communication Studies Team (from the Communciation Studies Rules and Regulations handbook)

Dear Student,

Welcome to Communication Studies!

"Communication studies" is the academic discipline that studies communication. Seems quite obvious, doesn’t it? But why does anyone need to study communication? The answer to that question might not be obvious to you now, but that is about to change.

As we become increasingly aware of our place within this ‘global village’ we also become acutely conscious of the need to communicate within ourselves, with others in our immediate sphere and with those beyond our regional borders. Whether we like it or not, people still judge us by our ability to communicate effectively. This is where Communication Studies fits into the picture.

Whether you plan to be a teacher, lawyer, doctor, sales clerk, politician, airline pilot, sports personality or media worker, or if you have not even figured out yet what you want to be, the Communication Studies course will work for you.

The examining body (CXC) says that CAPE Communication Studies ‘integrates, enhances, deepens and broadens language skills already developed in the CSEC English A course.’ However, many of the linguistic concepts to which you will be exposed in Communication Studies will be new material. Having said that, though, this new material will both stimulate you and challenge you to do more with the language skills you have already acquired.

The portfolio, for instance, will definitely expose your creativity. And even though Standard English might not be a spontaneous aspect of your speech repertoire at present, it will become easier by the time we have prepared you for your oral expository presentation.

In addition, we will have you gathering and processing information in a more structured context. We will also have you examining the social, cultural and other factors which have influenced the way we speak. And we will definitely seek to have you investigate, and possibly change, your attitude to language.

The course is assessed internally and externally, with the former accounting for a whopping 20% of your final grade!

And here’s the really great news: should you decide to go to the world-rated University of the West Indies, a good grade in Communication will exempt you from the English course requirement, without which you do not get that certificate. So, need we say more? Welcome, once again, to Communication Studies! We look forward to helping you become a more conscious
communicator; if you do your part you should find this an enjoyable experience.

The Communication Studies Team
Miss Paulette Williams
Miss Jannis Deane
Mrs Clare John
Mr Elsworth Abrams