Module 1

The Human
Communication Process in
Context
Basically, most of any person’s waking hours entail a lot of oral communication
transactions, be it formal or informal, verbal or nonverbal or written, intentional or
unintentional or at a given communication context or situation purposively, slimly purposive,
or at times or at times even non-purposively. The human communication process may involve
intrapersonal, interpersonal, organized communication, public communication, or mass
communication, which certainly observes the basic principles and ethics of communication.
In this respect, communicators ought to observe ethical implications in the process of having
communication activities in the perspectives of the society, locally and globally, carefully
observing language varieties and registers of spoken and written communication, especially
in the context of visual communication and the multimedia for intelligibility and
understanding.

Key Terms
Communication. It focuses on how people use messages to generate meanings within and
across various contexts, and is the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media, and
 consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific, and aesthetic
inquiry.

Elements. A part or aspect of something abstract, especially one that is essential or

characteristic.

Characteristic. A feature or quality belonging typically to a person, place, or thing and

serving to identify it.

Model. A system or process is a theoretical description that can help you understand how the
system or process works, or how it might work.

Context. The situation within which something exists or happens, and that can help explain
it.

Verbal Communication. The use of words to share information with other people. It can
therefore include both spoken and written communication.

Nonverbal Communication. The transfer of information through the use of body language
including eye contact, facial expressions, gestures and more.

Intentional Communication. Intentional communication means that one person is sending a

message to another person in a purposeful way. Lots of communication happens this
way; intentional communication can be either language based or non-verbal (e.g.,
gestures, body language, facial expression, tone of voice, etc.).

Unintentional Communication. Refers to situations when one person does something that is
interpreted by another person as a message, even if the first person didn’t knowingly
mean for it to be. Unintentional communication is always non-verbal; it often comes
in forms that are demonstrated unconsciously.

Formal Communication. The flow of official information through proper, predefined

channels and routes. It follows a hierarchical structure and chain of command. The
structure is typically top down, from leaders in various departments and senior staff in
the organization, which funnel down to lower-level employees.

Informal Communication. The casual and unofficial form of communication wherein the
information is exchanged spontaneously between two or more persons without
conforming the prescribed official rules, processes, system, formalities and chain of
command.

Principle. A fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of
belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.

Ethics. Moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity.
Globalization. The spread of products, technology, information, and jobs across national
borders and cultures. In economic terms, it describes an interdependence of nations
around the globe fostered through free trade.

Multimedia. The use of a computer to present and combine text, graphics, audio, and video
with links and tools that let the user navigate, interact, create, and communicate.

Multimodality. The use of more than one semiotic mode in meaning-making,

communication, and representation generally, or in a specific situation. Such modes
include all forms of verbal, nonverbal, and contextual communication.

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of this section, the learner must be able to:

 Explain the nature, elements, functions and characteristics of verbal and

nonverbal communication processes in various functional and multicultural
settings.
 Elucidate the principles of communication.
 Applies critical skills of reason and analysis to ethical problems.
 Illustrate in a diagram or poster the role of communication in society or
implications of globalization in communication.
 Conveys ideas through oral, audio-visual and/or web-based presentations for
different target audiences in local and global setting using appropriate
registers.

Lesson 1
Elements of Communication

Communication is an integral aspect of living – of being human. It occupies a large

chunk of your day. Making you learn to communicate effectively by exposing you to the
nature of communication – its process and elements – and the various contexts by which
communication and communication difficulties can occur is the major focus of this lesson.

Let’s start!
As we proceed to the lesson proper, watch the presentation video for Communication
- Basics and Importance on YouTube by clicking this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=2Lkb7OSRdGE.

Think and Reflect

For this part, fill in the follow-up questions:

1. How is communication defined in the video?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

2. What types of communication are mentioned? How do they differ?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

3. What can you conclude about the nature and process of communication from the
video?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Let’s Level-UP!
1.1.a. Elements of Communication
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETVyZoN9-r4

1.1.b. Characteristics of Communication

 https://www.everstudy.co.in/blog/meaning-of-communication
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/evolutionhumancommunication/chapte
r/chapter-1/ or https://helpfulprofessor.com/communication-models/

1.1.c. Barriers to Effective Communication

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ZzuYQfszCKE&list=RDQMjydNAZgvk78&start_radio=1

Let’s do IT!
Based on what you have learned from the videos and readings, answer the
following questions:

Activity 1.1.
1. Watch two local television newscasts on a similar current event. The newscasts
may be live or taken from a particular website. Provide a copy or the link of the
newscasts you’ve watched.
Link 1: _____________________________________________________________
Link 2: _____________________________________________________________

2.
3. Compare the newscasters’ presentations using a Venn Diagram. Observe the
following signals:
a. physical appearance and posture
b. gestures and body movement
c. facial expressions
d. quality, tone, and pitch of voice

physical
physical appearance
appearance and
and gestures
gestures and
and body
body movement
movement
posture
posture

facial expressions
facial expressions quality,
quality, tone, and pitch
tone, and of voice
pitch of voice
 4. Explain how the newscasters’ nonverbal behaviors and signals affect you as the
audience.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

5. Identify two or three problems in the overall presentations and propose solutions
to correct such.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

6. Write your answers to the last two questions in paragraph form.

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Lesson 2
Principles of Communication

Communication having a utilitarian purpose is a “weapon for all seasons” in all of our
day-to-day transactions with others, the society, the community, the country, and the world.
Systematically, communication as a process is to be understood. The activities that you will
have to accomplish later will usher you to embrace the concepts and basics, or the
communication requisites for us to get the meaning across the interlocutors.

Let’s start!
As we proceed to the lesson proper, choose a “lottery ticket” for your
individual performance showcase (a short 1-minute video). Consider the given context
for your video presentation or dramatizations.

a
j b
i c

h d
g e
f
Think and Reflect
Based on the concept map that you have created, what does this activity have
to say about the nature and characteristics of communication?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Let’s Level-UP!
1.2.a. Principles of Communication
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=948CzNqHjJk or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTsC5R9f50Y

Let’s do IT!
Activity 1.2.
Synthesizing Information. This is an individual/differential activity. Based on
your interest or preference, do any of the following choices:
a. A three-paragraph essay to interpret the basic principles of
communication.
b. A pictograph or pictorial collage projecting different communication
concept/principles.
c. A non-sense rhyme/a short free verse focusing on the principles.
d. A short video presentation actualizing key communication principles.
e. Others (You may kindly coordinate with your subject instructor/professor).
Lesson 3
Communication Ethics

Communication in the digital age has resulted in current transformations raising

interrelated questions about ethics. Upon knowing your social media account, you are
unlikely to encounter immature contents and misleading judgments expressed ubiquitously
without any corroboration. Displays of fake news currently proliferate the Internet, ignoring
all communication ethics.

Let’s start!
Read the prompt below:

Wanda is new at the company where she works. She talks to you during breaks and
seems very friendly. She tells everyone at work how she loves not only her job but also
everyone there. Lately, however, Wanda has been gossiping and badmouthing the same
employees when they are not around. She’s also revealed some personal information about
several colleagues and asked you some very personal questions.

Think and Reflect

Based on the excerpt above, answer the following briefly:

1. Ignore the gossip, questions and comments. After all, it’s not bothering you, and
you get to hear a lot of dirt!
Possible result of this decision: ________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

2. Start gossiping about her to other people. What goes around comes around.
Possible result of this decision: ________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

3. Tell the boss what jerk Wanda is.

Possible result of this decision: ________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

4. Politely tell Wanda you are uncomfortable with gossip and personal issues that
have no place at work. Distance yourself from her if she continues.
Possible result of this decision: ________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Let’s Level-UP!
1.3.a. Why is Ethical Communication Important?
https://sg.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/119643/10/10_chapter%206.pdf

1.3.b. Characteristics of Ethical Communication

https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/three-levels-ethical-standards- business-
organization-15897.html

1.3.c. Factors Affecting Ethical Communication

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjtsWvqniRg

1.3.d. Ethical Dilemmas in Communication and How to Handle Them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSLiwT0vNmM or
https://www.slideshare.net/mehrotraayush/8ethical-issues-in-communication

Let’s do IT!
Activity 1.3. Putting things together.
Directions: Individually decide what you would do in the following situations
and why. The steps of this activity follow the RESOLVEDD Strategy by Pfiffer and
Forsberg. It is as follows:

1. You shot a video of the latest campus riot, which involved some of your friends.
The police want to see it to identify who started the chaos. Would you turn it over
to them? Justify your answer.
Solution #1: _________________________________________________________
Outcomes –
Likely Impact –
 Values –
Solution #2: _________________________________________________________
Outcomes –
Likely Impact –
Values -
Solution #3: _________________________________________________________
Outcomes –
Likely Impact –
Values –

2. You saw some status updates on Facebook that are perfect for the research paper
you are working on. Since they are just someone people’s opinion, do you need to
reference them in your paper?
Solution #1: _________________________________________________________
Outcomes –
Likely Impact –
Values –
Solution #2: _________________________________________________________
Outcomes –
Likely Impact –
Values -
Solution #3: _________________________________________________________
Outcomes –
Likely Impact –
Values –

3. Do you think journalist/media outfits should reveal their sources when exposing a
controversy?
Solution #1: _________________________________________________________
Outcomes –
Likely Impact –
Values –
Solution #2: _________________________________________________________
Outcomes –
Likely Impact –
Values -
Solution #3: _________________________________________________________
Outcomes –
Likely Impact –
Values –

4. What ethical ideals(s) can explain why governments must keep anti-terrorist
tactics a secret?
Solution #1: _________________________________________________________
Outcomes –
Likely Impact –
Values –
Solution #2: _________________________________________________________
Outcomes –
Likely Impact –
 Values -
Solution #3: _________________________________________________________
Outcomes –
Likely Impact –
Values –

5. Using any principle/ideal of your choice, decide if business owners could justify
using hidden cameras in their establishments.
Solution #1: _________________________________________________________
Outcomes –
Likely Impact –
Values –
Solution #2: _________________________________________________________
Outcomes –
Likely Impact –
Values -
Solution #3: _________________________________________________________
Outcomes –
Likely Impact –
Values –

Lesson 4
Communication and Globalization

Globalization is defined as the “unity in economic, political, and cultural aspects”

(Shokina & Nishchev, 2009). To facilitate or achieve this “unity”, the definition implies that
communication performs a significant role in the process. However, global communication
poses a challenging task since there can be “misunderstandings resulting from ethical and
cultural differences” (Matthews & Thakkar, 2012). Hence, there is a need to develop
effective communication skills in both local and global settings.

Let’s start!
Form a cluster by writing words or phrases that relate to the given topic.

GLOBALIZATION

Think and Reflect

Discuss your answer to the following questions, briefly:

Using the words or phrases from the clustering, discuss your insights or thoughts
about globalization.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

What do you like best about globalization? What do you like least?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

What do you think are the good and bad effects of globalization?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
 Let’s Level-UP!
1.4.a. The Flight Conversation
https://www.saddleback.edu/faculty/agordon/documents/TheFlightFromConversation.
pdf

Let’s do IT!
Activity 1.4. Individual Output (Poster Presentation)
Directions:
a. From the information gathered as specified in the Let’s Level-Up activities,
illustrate your understanding via a poster presentation highlighting the relationship
between local and global communication or communication strategies in multi-
culture/varied settings.
b. E-mail or send through FB Messenger your poster (draft output to your
instructor/professor for refinement).
c. Be guided of the following criteria.

Criteria Set Rating Actual Rating

1. Creativity /Artistry 10 pts.
2. Comprehensibility 15 pts.
3. Visual effect/Message relayed 15 pts.
4. Technicality (Layout/Color blending) 10 pts.

Lesson 5
Visual Communication and the Multi-media

Nowadays, communication and technology are inseparable. It is a phenomenon that

the 21st century learners are certainly visual. Our audiences is likely to expect us to use
presentational aids to provide a visual components to our speech. To Verderber, Verderber
and Sellnow (2010), presentational aids are any visual, audio, audio-visual, or multimodal
materials used in a speech for the purposes of helping the audience understand some points of
your speech.

Let’s start!
Evaluate the pictures below.
Think and Reflect
Based on your picture evaluation, answer the following questions briefly:
1. Describe what you see in the pictures.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

2. What do you think is the purpose of the artists?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

3. How is the message conveyed by the text and/or images?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

4. Do you think the message is informative or persuasive? Explain.

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

5. Who is the target audience of the message?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

6. Are there any other better ways in presenting this message?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

7. Synthesize or summarize your answer.

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Let’s Level-UP!
1.5.a. Multimodality
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mymp7Ep72Ho and
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtK6ElIaxt4

Let’s do IT!
Activity 1.5. Oral Video Presentation
In a group of 3, prepare an oral presentation through a 2-minute video about
any one of the following topics:
a. The process of transmitting and perceiving, with communication elements
in action
b. Definitions of communication and characteristics of the communication
process
c. Communication models in different situations
d. Communication principles and ethics
e. Context/perspectives of communication
f. Purposes/functions of communication
g. Overcoming communication barriers
h. International communication
i. Intercultural communication
j. Global communication and world Englishes
k. Varieties and registers of spoken and written languages
l. (other related topics you desire)

Note: Without any duplication on the use of presentational aids, each triad
needs to coordinate with the other groups and your instructor.

Refer to the evaluation rubric for the group rating:

Criteria Set rating Actual Rating

Effective use of instructional aids/visual, etc. 15 pts.
Team coordination and organization 10 pts.
Clarity and comprehensibility of presentation 15 pts.
Proficiency of spoken Englishes 10 pts.
 Post Test
As the definitive barometer of how much you, the student, have fully understood the
lessons encapsulated within this module. You are hereby directed to honestly undertake a
brief and comprehensive quiz by visiting the link below:

https://quizlet.com/321954771/test?funnelUUID=bb09433d-9a96-4c78-ba53-
2131f0d6e689

Further, you are required to send a screen shot to your instructor of the result from the
test which you have taken from the link mentioned above.

Module Summary
Think about communication in your daily life. When you make a phone call, send a
text message, or like a post on Facebook, what is the purpose of that activity? Have you ever
felt confused by what someone is telling you or argued over a misunderstood email? The
underlying issue may very well be a communication deficiency.

There are many current models and theories that explain, plan, and predict
communication processes and their successes or failures. In the workplace, we might be more
concerned about practical knowledge and skills than theory. However, good practice is built
on a solid foundation of understanding and skill. For this reason, this module will help you
develop foundational skills in key areas of communication, with a focus on applying theory
and providing opportunities for practice.
 Now that we have defined communication and described a communication process,
let’s consider communication skills that are foundational to communicating effectively.

Learning highlights:
1. The goal of the communication process is to share meaning between a source and
a receiver.
2. There are eight essential elements in the communication process: source, message,
channel, receiver, feedback, environment, context, and interference.

What is communication?
https://www.natcom.org/about-nca/what-communication

What is an element?
https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/

Definition of Characteristics
https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/

What is a model?
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/model

Definition of Context
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/context

Definition of Context
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/context

Module Summary
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/profcommsontario/chapter/module-overview-2/