Communication: Goals, Means, Types, and Styles of Human Communication

Lecture



THE ESSENCE OF THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS.

Communication – a complex process of interaction between people, consisting in the exchange of information, as well as in the perception and understanding of partners by each other ; the exchange of information by means of language or gestures ; the process of establishing and developing contacts between living organisms, generated by the needs of joint activity, including the exchange of information, possessing mutual perception and attempts to influence each other. The subjects of communication are living beings, people.

COMPONENT ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION:

  • Message
  • Conversation
  • Rapport
  • Point of view
  • Compliments
  • Interests

MEANS OF COMMUNICATION.

Means of communication – ways of encoding, transmitting, processing and decoding information that is transmitted in the process of communication from one being to another. Information between people can be transmitted with the help of the sense organs, speech and other sign systems, writing, technical means of recording and storing information.

  • Facial expressions
  • Gesticulation
  • Visual contact
  • Para- and extralinguistics
  • Proxemics (an area of social psychology and semiotics engaged in the study of the spatial and temporal sign system of communication.)

THE PURPOSE OF COMMUNICATION.

The purpose of communication – the communicator must answer the question: «What is he entering the act of communication for?». Here the same principle applies as already mentioned in the section on the content of communication. In humans, these purposes can be quite varied among themselves, being means of satisfying social, cultural, creative, cognitive, aesthetic, and other needs.

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

Every individual performs many functions related to social roles: professional (boss, subordinate, student, doctor, teacher, etc.), family (mother, father, husband, wife, sister, etc.), which determines different types of communication. Communication determined by social functions, regulated both in content and form, is called formal.

A person has an inherent striving for informal communication, for the revelation of the inner makeup of the personality. Informal communication is filled with subjective personal meaning, determined by the personal relationships that have been established between partners. The highest forms of informal communication – love and friendship.

The ability to establish informal communication depends on personality traits (orientation toward communication, trust, openness) and possession of the «technique» of communication (establishing contact, the ability to see and understand another) etc.

By content, communication can be material, cognitive, conditioning, motivational and activity-based. In material communication, subjects, being engaged in individual activity, exchange its products, which, in turn, serve as a means of satisfying their current needs. In conditioning communication, people exert influence on each other, aimed at bringing each other into a certain physical or mental state. Motivational communication has as its content the transmission to each other of certain motives, attitudes or readiness for action in a certain direction. Cognitive communication – the exchange of knowledge, activity-based communication – the exchange of actions, operations, skills and abilities. An illustration of these types can be communication related to cognitive or educational activity.

By purpose, communication is divided into biological and social. Biological communication – this is communication necessary for the maintenance, preservation and development of the organism, connected with the satisfaction of basic organic needs. Social communication pursues the goals of expanding and strengthening interpersonal contacts, establishing and developing interpersonal relationships, and the personal growth of the individual.

By meanscommunication can be direct and mediated, immediate and indirect.Direct communicationis carried out with the help of natural organs given to a living being by nature (organs of hearing, sight, speech, etc.).Mediated communicationis connected with the use of special means and instruments for organizing communication and exchanging information (sign systems, print, radio, television).Direct communicationpresupposes personal contacts and the immediate perception of each other by the people communicating in the very act of communication.Indirect communicationis carried out through intermediaries, who may be other people.

By durationone distinguishesshort-term and long-term communication. The time during which communication takes place affects its character.Short-term communication– communication within a single topic and a period of a few hours. Short-term communication with an unfamiliar person unfolds on two levels: on the one hand, it is aimed at solving the task at hand, and on the other – at getting to know that person. It is not possible to get to know a person in detail in a short time, but there is a gradual attempt to grasp the basic personal qualities.Long-term communication(within one or several topics, intermittent or continuous) presupposes not only solving the tasks at hand, but also the self-disclosure of each side and, thus, getting to know one another. A long period of communication creates a precondition either for the emergence and strengthening of positive business and friendly relationships and, consequently, psychological compatibility, or for the emergence of confrontation, opposition, i.e. psychological incompatibility.

Among the types of communication one can also distinguish business and personal,instrumental and target-oriented.Business communication– a type of communication whose defining content is the joint activity of people, their common cause.Personal communicationis focused mainly on psychological problems of an inner nature, those interests and needs that deeply and intimately affect a person's personality (the search for the meaning of life, the resolution of some inner conflict, etc.).Instrumental communication– this is communication that is not an end in itself, is not stimulated by an independent need, but pursues some other goal besides deriving satisfaction from the act of communication itself.Target-oriented communication– this is communication that in itself serves as a means of satisfying a specific need – the need for communication.

The means of communication change and improve along with the development of human society. Their use depends on the conditions in which the activity is carried out, on the degree of mastery of the corresponding means. The main means of communication in human society is speech. However, alongside speech, non-verbal means are widely used (facial expressions, pantomime, gestures, etc.). Sign systems can be used as means of communication (mathematical symbols, musical notation, Morse code, etc.).

The transmission of any information is possible only by means of signs (sign systems). In this connection, one distinguishes: verbal communication(speech is used as the sign system) andnon-verbal (various non-speech sign systems are used – gestures, facial expressions, pantomime).

In socio-psychological research, various classifications of non-verbal means of communication have been developed, which include:

1) kinesic means – visually perceived movements of another person that perform an expressive-regulatory function in communication. These includeexpressive movements, manifested in facial expression, posture, gesture, gaze, gait;

2) prosodic and extralinguistic means, which regulate the flow of speech and economize linguistic means of communication; they supplement, replace and anticipate speech utterances, express emotional states (intonation, loudness, timbre, pause, sigh, laughter, crying, coughing);

3) tactile means include dynamic touches in the form of a handshake, a kiss, a pat;

4) proxemic means include the orientation of partners at the moment of communication and the distance between them.

Communication style

Communication style is a system of principles, norms, methods, and techniques of an individual's interaction and behavior. Style is closely related to the psychological features of one's thinking, communicative properties, etc.; Communication style is not an innate quality; The description and classification of communication styles to a certain degree reproduce the content of the characteristics of the business sphere; Socioeconomic, political, socio-psychological and other external factors influence the character of the formation of communication style; Communication style is conditioned by the cultural values of the immediate environment, its traditions, and established norms of behavior, etc.

Communication: Goals, Means, Types, and Styles of Human Communication

Contact of masks is formal communication, when there is no desire to understand and take into account the personal characteristics of the interlocutor. Familiar masks are used (of politeness, courtesy, indifference, modesty, sympathy, etc.) a set of facial expressions, gestures, standard phrases, allowing one to hide true emotions and attitude toward the interlocutor.

Spiritual interpersonal communication (intimate-personal) the deep structures of the personality are revealed.

. There are distinguished:

  • authoritarian,
  • democratic,
  • liberal,
  • ritual,
  • manipulative,
  • humanistic.

In professional communication the following styles are distinguished:

  • democraticmembers of the team participate in discussing the tasks facing the team, decisions are made jointly; Democratic communication is characterized by collegial decision-making Encouragement of the activity of participants. Taking into account the interests, needs, and wishes of the participants in the communicative process. 18. Liberal communication A liberal, or yielding, person in communication «goes with the flow». Often resorts to persuading the interlocutor. Shows little initiative in communication.
  • authoritarianin the relations of the leader with subordinates strictness and rigid methods of leadership predominate, subordinates act as executors who do not participate in decision-making; Authoritarian communication is the power of one person in the process of communication. Sole decision-making, orders, instructions. People who profess an authoritarian style of interaction have dogmatic thinking. The initiative of other people is not encouraged.
  • liberalthe leader limits himself to persuasion and cajoling, while lacking a unified line and proper demandingness. Everyone is left to themselves in their work. Studies show that the democratic style turns out to be the most optimal, in which the creative activity, initiative of team members and their responsibility for decisions made increase.
  • Ritual communication The main task is maintaining a connection with society, reinforcing the idea of oneself as a member of society. The partner is, as it were, a necessary attribute for performing the ritual. These rituals require from participants only one thing – knowledge of the rules of the game. For example, we greet acquaintances and strangers, talk about the weather, laugh, complain about everyday difficulties – these are all elements of ritual communication.
  • Manipulative communication In manipulative communication, only what will help achieve the goal is demonstrated to the interlocutor. In this type of communication we, in essence, «slip» the partner a stereotype that we consider most advantageous. A large number of professional tasks involve precisely manipulative communication. Any teaching, persuasion, management always includes manipulative communication. Imagine that you are sitting in the office of a mid-level manager who is often called on the phone. The style of conversation keeps changing all the time. If the opponent's status is higher – one tone, if lower – another.
  • Humanistic communication This is the most personal form of communication. It allows human needs to be satisfied (understanding, sympathy, empathy). Goals are neither fixed nor planned

The following types of everyday communication can be distinguished

  1. Aggressive communication style: A person using an aggressive communication style displays hostility, assertiveness, and disrespect toward others. They often violate the rights and boundaries of other people and strive to dominate the communication.

  2. Assertive communication style: A person using an assertive communication style expresses their needs, opinions, and feelings clearly and confidently while maintaining respect for others. They actively listen and take other people's points of view into account.

  3. Passive-aggressive communication style: A person using a passive-aggressive communication style expresses their dissatisfaction or denial of their needs indirectly, often through sarcasm, passive resistance, or veiled messages.

Every person has their own preferences and communication style, which may be used in various situations. It is important to develop effective communication skills and the ability to adapt to different styles and types of communication in order to achieve successful interaction and mutual understanding with others.

See also

  • [[b3188]]
  • [[b7346]]
  • [[b3076]]
  • [[b7140]]
  • [[b6971]]
  • [[b4887]]

See also

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Lectures and tutorial on "Communication theory"

Terms: Communication theory