INTRODUCTION TO
COMMUNICATION
irfan erdogan
2001/2011
Copyright © 2001 irfan erdogan
all rights reserved
Knowing:
Definition
what do we do by defining?
We’ve never met;
how come you
know me?
Can any definition in social
sicences be impartial?
Knowing:
What comes after definition?
Knowing:
Categorization
classification
can we combine apples and
oranges within a group?
Knowing:
Establishing relations
Establishing causal relations
Is uneducation the
cause of poverty?
Is there a causal relation
between environmental
destruction and uneducated
people?
Knowing:
Prediction
How is prediction possible?
Definition can/may:
1. reflect the true nature of the explained
2. be right/wrong to varying degree
3. create images that take the place of
reality
What is intersubjectivity?
Concept of communication:
Can we define what
communication is?
Communication:
necessary condition of
all kinds of life on
earth
Communication
Necessary condition of
biological existence,
survival, maintenance
and change
Communication is
necessary condition
of societal life
No communication
means
no biological life
no human being
no society
Reproduction of life thtough
communication requires:
1. existence of a need
2. sensing/feeling
3. Thinking about the need
Needs:
. Natural
. Artificial
Self-communication:
. Biological
. Socio-psycological
Needs
Natural/Real and
artificial
4. Choosing proper action for
meeting a need
Activity/action to meet a need:
. Communicative action
. Non-communicative action
5. Engaging in an activity to meet a
need
Doing an activity: having means, tools,
facilities, rights etc.
Example 1: need = water
Example 2: need = to reply or start a
commnctn
4. Activity and meeting a need
Gratifying a need
. Totally
satisfied
. Partially satisfied
. Not satisfied
4. Probable outcomes of an activity :
• Gratifying more than a need from an
activity
Same activity can be a subject of more than
one communicative action
•
4. Probable outcomes of an activity :
•The value of an activity can be transformed
• An activity can be devaluated and abandoned
4. Probable outcomes of an activity :
•Replacement of a natural/social activity with
parasocial activity.
• Unexpected desirable/undesirable outcomes
may emerge
prevailing/dominant
definitions of
communication
Does prevailing
definition indicate
the truth?
Everyone says the earth is flat,
I say no and I am outcasted!
Communication as message
sending and receiving.
Communication as transmission
and reception of information.
Communication as the process of
transmitting and receiving messages
Aren’t they
comunicative action?
Mesage sending and receiving: Linear
one way flow of communication
Speaker
(Coding)
Message
Listeners
(decoding)
Message sending an receiving:
Two way Interaction Model
Gürültü
Sender
Codes a
message
Message
Medium
Feedback
Receiver
Decodes it
Message sending an receiving:
Two way Interaction Model
Sender
Receiver
Codes a
message
Decodes it
Feedback
Now, we have a
democratic communication!?
Communication is interaction of
turn taking in conversation
It is the manner
of communicating
My
turn!
Transactional Model
Feed
back
Listener encodes
Speaker
decodes
noise
Listener decodes
Frame of
refrence
noice
Message
Context
Speaker
encodes
Frame of
reference
Communication as transaction
is a relationship that allows sharing
our realities with others
Here is my reality:
I want to throw up!
Let’s share it so that
communication happens.
Otherwise communication
does not happen
Communication is ability to expressing
wants and needs by using verbal and
nonverbal language and technological
tools.
Sorry, I can not communicate
with you, because I am too drunk
to have ability to think straight!
Who, what and
where is sender?
Gone fishing!
?
What is “message”?
What is not?
Damn it!
How could I know?
Where is the message?
What is the message?
what is medium
and media?
Camera never
blinks
Function?
Agent/actor?
Message
•Necessary means of communication
• Constructed for a goal attainment
• Constructed for luring
• A valuable commodity
• An integral part of the power and
property relations
Examples:
Technologically mediated:
via sms, tv, cellphone
Technologically Unmediated:
by word of mouth
Messages carry
expressed content
And relational factors
Here is the
message!
Take it!
Oh yeah!
Here is the
feedback!
digest it!
Why is
“message”?
!
Why not?
Message is much more than
what is said, written or shown.
Who
cares?
He
cares?
Things you do not want to know may heart you
İf message is not received, then
communication does not happen.
We sent it
I told you!
I did not
Get it!
Things you do not want to know may heart you
I am sender!
You are receiver!
No way!
I am sender!
you are receiver!
Who is
“receiver”?
!
Why am I
always a receiver?
Feedback and
no feedback
Any kind of reaction is feedback
How about
Saying nothing?
Doing nothing?
Identify
sender
Message
medium
Receiver
feedback
Functions of feedback
Functions
of
feedback
Communication is
to say
to show
to write
Communication is
generation of meaning
He is generating
a meaning!
For what?
Communication is:
transmission
speaking
gesture
body language
writing
establishing connection.
It seems like
you are disturbed!
Communication is:
gesture, body language
writing
establishing connection.
What are you doing?
Establishing connection!
Communication
The creation of shared understanding
through interaction among two or more
agents.
The creation of shared understanding?
Shared understanding between chicken and fox?
What is the shared understanding
between chicken and fox?
between robber and robbed?
between cheater and cheated?
between attacher and attached?
Between owner and owned/serf?
What is the shared
understanding here?
Communication:
sharing the common language,
common culture, common
heritage, cultural symbols,
rituels.
Common language and common
culture?
Language is a
medium of
communication
Are they fighting
because they have no common
language
and because they
misunderstand each other?
Uncommon language:
No communication?
Who shares or
don’t share what,
why and how?
Communication
is construction
of personal and
social realities.
Who constructs your reality?
You?
Whose
reality can
you
construct
via
communica
tion?
Who
constructs
whose
reality
Who
constructs
whose
reality
And
how?
Who
constructs
whose
reality
And
how?
Who
constructs
whose
reality
And
how?
Who
constructs
whose
reality
And how?
Who
constructs
whose
reality
And how?
Who
constructs
whose
reality
And how?
Who
constructs
whose
reality
And how?
Communication
Problems
Communication
Problems
1. Anything that hinders
communicating
2. Anything that orients
com in a specific way
with undesirable
outcomes
Communication
Problems
a. Because of
biological
deficiency
Communication
Problems
b. Induced by
psychological condition
Communication
Problems
c. Induced by power
relations (whose problem?)
Communication
Problems
d. Induced by
personal interest
misconceived intrst
identified group intrst
Communication
Problems
e. Induced by many
environmental and
other relational
conditions
Leading explanations
of
Communication
Problems
Example
What is
the
problem?
Communication
Problems as problems
of effective
communication:
1. Improper or complex word selection in
message. Problem: mesaj prep and packaging.
Solution: language ability and effective message
prep
2. Improper channel selection.
3. Improper message prep. Content problem.
They are not my problems!
Are they your problems?
4. Information hiding. Solution: Transperancy
Under or over load of information: Does too many
junk mean information overlaod?
5. Disinterest of receiver.
6. Different attitude, belief and values of receivers
7. Different perception of receiver
Are they marketing, advertising,
Propaganda-making problems?
8. Selective perception, attention of receiver
9. Different culture of receiver
10. Wrong timing
11. Lack of empathy of receiver
Aren’t they for effective marketing,
advertising,
and propaganda
12. The
leading problem:
Misunderstanding
that creates conflict
Problems:
Communication gap
and communication breakdown
Communication breakdown?
Communicationlessness?
Communication problems
in being together
Question:
Connect com
with activity
and
problem(s)
Solutions to Communication
problems
Is this a
Solution
or not?
Solution to Communication
breakdown and
communicationlessness
Empathy
understanding
Tolerance
Peace
Crisis
management
Solution: Effective communication
Look at the first
frame:
What is the
problem
Now, look at the
2nd frame:
what is the
solution
and why?
The best
popularized
solution
for what
problem?
Communication
problem: Noice
Sources of noice:
• Sender? No.
•On message before receiving: physical, tech
• On message during receiving
• Receiver’s biological and psychological state
Why is sender not a source
of noice?
Legitimization of power,
domination or coercion?
Other definitions
You cannot not
communicate
Communication
can not be reversed
We can be
Producer
Distributor
Carrier
medium
Consumer
Goal
Of a communication
Means
Communication
Communication
is done by
Natural and Artificial
means
Natural means:
(a) Body and organs
eye, ear, hand,
human voice system,
akciger gibi
and
(b) Nature
(c) other phenomens in
the nature
Air, water, space,
humans, horse,
peagons, humans,
peagons, donkey, stone
Artificial means
Technological extentions
Artificial means of
communication:
Cell phone, computer,
film, vcd, usb, satellites,
paper, pen, gun, bombs
GOALS OF
COMMUNİCATİON
Communication is a
goal oriented activity
Goals in
communication
can be overt
or
covert
Is a communication without a
goal possible?
If a human activity has a
goal, then commmunication
has a goal too. Why?
What does
“no common goals”
mean?
Can communication
happen by itself?
Normality appearance
Normalized necessity
would you do
this job?
Unintentionally sent
messages
AA, merhaba,
buradan
geçiyordum da….
Planned
coincidence
and
invasion
Context of
communicati
on
Every communication has
more than one context
Is communication without
a context possible?
Forging
a context.
Why?
Bir kilo peynir al
Bizim yağdan al
Beş şise kola al
Bir de sana al
Bizim sıpa….
lira göz yüz olma
soluk iki çay
kuru dere açık
Different contexts divide
the communication
space
Present context:
includes
the place and time
goals
interests
feelings, thoughts
and power relations
Past context
Everything that is brought to the present
relations and communication:
Accumulated feelings, thoughts,
perceptions, evaluations,
expriences, understanding of time
and place
Present context
exists with the past context
is shaped by the past context
Questions:
1. Can present context conflict with the
past context?
2. Can present context override the past?
Technological context
is mediated by the technological
means
Tech context are structured
according to dominant
policies and interests
Example: divergence vs
convergence
Why
Convergence?
Emotional Context :
İs no emotion in
communication possible?
Space context:
Place of communication:
Private space
Public space
Time context:
Unorganized Time
Organized time
In sum, a context means:
Who can and cannot do
what, where, how
and Under what conditions.
(conditions: e.g., formed
structures of relations, roles,
goals and expectations)
What is produced via
communication?
İn general, life itself is
reproduced by communication
1. a. The first product (a
communication product):
word/söz, a behavior that says
something, a tv program, a
cinema film, a music dvd, a
video clip
b. Thought content/messsages
2. Other products: Communication
products are to produce intended
(and unintendent) outcomes:
İdeas, thoughts, beliefs, behaviors
Customers, viewers, readers, users
Voters, followers, fans,
enemies, friends, us and them
Messages are produced via
communication
When is the aim message
production?
Is this man’s basic problem
to produce message?
Meanings are
produced via
Communication
Is the goal to produce meaning?
When did you tell some one “let’s
produce a meaning?
Whose goal is to produce
meaning and why?
Is main goal to produce
meaining or thought and
behavior management via
production of certain meaning?
Why do we never see ads or media
messages indicating that cigaret
companies are resposible for the
dead of over 20 million people on
earth?
Meanings are produced by people in actual
relations by using language .
Language is the primary means of
oroduction of meaining.
Language is one of the main means of
communication.
We express ourselves and interact by using
language.
There is a reality outside the language,
because reality is not created by language.
Existence of realities like water, air,
mountain, moon, sun are not created by the
language: They exist outside the language.
Some realities in our minds are shaped by
those people who shape our world and our
minds by using language and creating
images of reality. Some images are false, but
we believe that they are not.
Su veya dağ veya taş kavramları olmasaydı,
su, dağ veya taş olmaz mıydı? Su veya water
kendini mi yaratmakta yoksa var olanı
isimlendirmekte mi?
BASIC TYPES OF
COMMUNICATION
SELFCOMMUNİCATİON
Self-communication is the
communication of a person with
himself/herself.
In self-communication, a person
thinks,
talks with himself/herself,
talks with others in his mind
discusses, dreams, makes plans,
makes decides
He/she
thinks and feels happy or unhappy,
thinks and smiles or swears
thinks over problems,
Make decisions and change
decisions
He/she makes evaluations
about himself/herself
about other people
about relations
about conditions
about life
A person has a social self
Social self has an
invisible system;
has complex brain/mind
and sennse and feeling
systems.
Social self exists in social
relations.
In self communicaton:
1. A person collects and keeps
information, recalls them, process
information and make decisions
2. Humanbeings do not only think
but also feels. Hence, selfcommunication includes feelings
and emotions
3. Self-communication is not
independent
from
the
life
processes,
experiences
and
conditions of life. A person is never
alone
even
if
he/she
is
communicating by himself/herself.
He/she carries all cultural,
political, economical, ethical, and
other values of society.
Hence, when we say “I”, “I” is an
actor/subject that carries structural
characters of the world.
A person is free or slave only in
society.
There is no thing like “outside the
society”: We can not be outside the
society even if we are all alone in a
mountain.
Self-perception
A person’s way of seeing
himself/herself.
Self-perception inmflurences a
person’s psychology and mode of
relations
Self-perception includes
(a) Self-image
(b) Self-esteem
İn developing self-concept, web
evaluate information by means
of direct, meta and meta-meta
perception.
Our aesthetic, teological,
relational, intellectual and
material values are
constructed via perceptual and
conceptual processes.
We carry opions and attitudes
Beside attitudes, web carry
beliefs that are closed to
questioning.
Person diferentiate
himself/herself from others
and outside; and thus
becomes “I”.
“I” connects himself/herself
via “you”, “us” and “them”
Person’s Understanding
of outside
Self-commnction includes
(a) social construction of self
and others (undersatnding of
himself/herself and others)
(b) social construction of
realities of life
Interpersonal
communication