Communication 100 Test #1
Lecture 1: Symbols
Symbol
: A symbol is arbitrary and represents something else
Object
Idea
Person or place
Relationship
A symbol can be a word, movement, sound, picture, logo, and more
Communication and its Meaning:
Particular meanings are not tied to a single symbol
Can be conveyed in multiple ways
Social Construction of Meaning:
Symbols take on meaning in social context or society as they are used over time
Meanings are recognized by those who have used them over time
Denotative Meaning:
Commonly understood, widely accepted primary meaning of a
verbal or nonverbal symbol
Connotative Meaning:
Provided by the secondary associations of a verbal or
nonverbal symbol
Verbal and Nonverbal Influence on Meaning:
Delivery influences the message sent
Determining meaning is more complex
Medium:
The means through which a message is conveyed
Medium impacts the meaning
Face-to-face
Electronic
Social Media
Communication is Relational
: Relationships are assumed any time we communicate
with someone
Communication contains content (message) and relational levels
Frames:
Frames are basic forms of knowledge that provide a definition of a scenario
Draw boundaries around conversation and pull attention to and away from things
Frames help people understand their role in the conversation as well as what is
expected of them
Shared understandings of these frames enable people to make sense of what is
occurring so they can coordinate their symbolic activities
People use frames to make decisions about what symbols to use and how the
symbols should be interpreted
Symbols need a background of knowledge built into the interpretation of the
words themselves
Shared knowledge of background reduces need for explanation of terms
Perspectives
o
Frames are partly based on a person’s perspectives of situations and
relationships
Influence the coordinating of interactions and assigning meaning
Frames also explain why people do not always agree on what is
occurring
Presentational and Representational
Describing facts or conveying information is
representational
Presenting a particular version of facts or events is
presentational
o
Present other with a way of looking at the world based on how you would
prefer them to see it
We can take in a message as face value-representational notion or we can
choose to regard it as presentational which opens up all kinds of possibilities of
the description, motives, why those words, why those descriptions, why this is
mention and that isn’t. Leads to a conflict, discomfort, lack of identity and so
