NEHRU ARTS ANS SCIENCE COLLEGE
DEPARTMENT OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION
INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION
UNIT -I Communication – definitions, scope, forms and purpose; Intra-personal ,
Interpersonal, mass, organizational, non-verbal and verbal. Communication – socio
economic changes and the emerging trend in Communication.
UNIT -II Communication process – sources, message, channel, receiver, feedback,
Noise: types of noise - encoding and decoding process. informal and formal channels –
Berlo, Lasswell, Shannon and Weaver models.
UNIT -III Advertising: Definition- need and significance - overview of advertising
industry- advertiser, agency and media ; Public Relations: Definition, goals and
functions, Publicity and Propaganda; PR and media.
UNIT -IV : Characteristics of mass communication- Functions of mass
communication: information, education and entertainment – Dysfunctions of mass
communication; Communication and public opinion : nature, meaning and process.
UNIT –V. Communication and Culture: Global media – multi cultural content - impact
on developing countries; Cross-cultural communication: problems and challenges.
Policies and implications.
REFERENCES :
Blake et al. “ A Taxonomy of concepts of in Communication”. Hasting House, NY, 1979.
McQuail Dennis, “Communication Models”, Longman, London, 1981.
John R. Bitner “Mass Communication – An introduction”. Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 1980.
Seetharam K.S. “Communication and culture – A world view”. McGraw Hill, New
Delhi, 1991.
Shukla,SK. ‘ Mass media and Communication’. Cybertech Publishing, New Delhi. 2006.
Keval J. Kumar “Introduction to Mass Communication”, Vipul Prakashan, Bombay. 1994.
Kleppner, Otto. “Fundamentals of Advertising”, Prentice Hall, 1980.
Cutlip, Center and Broom. “Effective Public Relations”. Prentice Hall; NJ; 1982
SECTION-A
1.Communication is a _______ process. (psychological,neurological)
2. Communication is _______ information. (sharing)
3.Aristotle’s model had _______, ________, _______.(Speaker,Speech ,Audience)
4. Intrapersonal communication is speaking to _______. (oneself)
5.Non Verbal form of communication includes________. (signs, symbols,actions).
SECTION-B
1.Write about the characteristics of communication.
CHARACTERISTICS OR ATTRIBUTES OF COMMUNICATION AS A PROCESS
1. DYNAMIC
Communication has an ever changing character. It fluctuates constantly, has no clear
beginning and ending.
2. SYSTEMIC
Communication should be recognized as a system that consists of a group of elements
which interact to influence each other and the system as a whole.
3. INTERACTION THROUGH SYSMBOLS
What is essential to communication is that symbols should arouse in one what it arouses
in another The language or symbol we select and the way in which we organize them
affect how others will interpret our messages.
2.What are the basic elements of a communication
BASIC ELEMENTS OF THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
1. Communication/source/sender
2. Message
3. Treatment
4. Channel
5. Communicatee/Recevier/audience
6. Response
7. Feed back
Noise/Distortion
3.What are the scopes of communication
SCOPE OF COMMUNICATION
1. Intrapersonal is talking with self as in thinking.
2. Interpersonal is Face to Face communication between two or more people.
3. Mass communication: Refers to the use of print, Radio, TV and other forms of media in
addressing a public mass.
4. Non-Verbal communication: refers to use of gestures. Social expressions etc.
4.What are the four basic functions of communication?
BASIC FUNCTIONS
Communication has four basic functions
1. Information function- The basic requirement of adopting and adjusting oneself to the
environment is information.
2. Command or Instructive function- Those who are hierarchically superior, in the family,
society or organization, often initiate communication for the purpose of information their
subordinates.
3. Influence or persuasive function – The sole purpose of communication is to influence
people, which is extremely important for extension in changing their behavior in the
desirable direction.
4. Integrative at the interpersonal or at the organizational level helps to maintain individual
or organizational stability and identity.
SECTION-C
1.Discuss briefly about the advances in communication technology:
ADVANCES IN COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
1. Satellite Communication
2. Information Management
3. Information Technology
4. Information Technology : Extensions Future
5. Micro Computers
6. Expert System
7. Multimedia / Interactive System
8. Interactive Computer Video Technology
9. Interactive Video Disk
10. CD-ROM Technology
11. Audio Conferencing
12. Computer Conferencing
13. Video Conferencing
14. Electronic Mail
15. Electronic Transactions
16. Desk Top Publishing
17. Personal Computers
18. Information Shops
19. Integrated Information System.
2.Write about the nature and purpose of communication:
NATURE OF COMMUNICATION
Communication is a process
A process is any phenomenon which shows a continuous change in time or any
continuous operation or treatment. In this context communication is a process where in
the act of communication is constantly changing as the communication proceeds.
1. Communication employs many means
Communication employs many means, at many levels, for many reasons with people, in
many ways.
(eg) written communication with authority structure. Telephone communication with the
task structure face to face communication with the personal touch.
2. Communication involves interdependence
Interdependence may be defined as a reciprocal and mutual dependence. Communication
is usually a two-may process involving stimulus and response and hence is both
reciprocal and alternating.
3. Communication process comprise a number of distinguishable parts:
It involves at least three simplest phases, ie, expression, interpretation and res-ponse
4. Communication take place within participants: like learning communication also takes
place with in participants as well as between them.
5. Communication takes place at many levels: According to Thayer(1986), there are at least
four different levels of analysis or points of focus from which communication may be
viewed.
These levels are intro-personal, interpersonal, organizational and inter organizational
communication. Fidelity varies from one communication situation to another perfect
communication is seldom. If ever, achieved communication effectiveness varies from one
communication situation to another.
PURPOSE OF COMMUNICATION
Schramm (1964) described the purpose of
communication as a immediate reward and a delayed reward. He suggested that
individuals are reward immediately on receiving or producing some kind of message.
Both these are consummatory purposes. Festinger (1957) described the purpose of
communication as consummatory and instrumental.
According to Berlo (1960), the sole purposed of communication is to influence.
According to him we communicate to influence to effect with intent.
3.Write about the major perspective of the human communication
Human Communication must be viewed within at least five major perspectives:
1. Communication is a semantic process it is dependent upon symbols and rules for their use
that have been selected by a given language community.
2. It is neurobiological process in which meaning for particular symbols are recorded in the
memory functions of individuals. Thus the central nervous system plays a key role in the
storage and retrieval of internals meaning experiences.
3. It is psychological process the meaning of words on other symbols to a given individual
is acquired through learning. Such meaning play a central part in perceiving the word and
responding to it.
4. Human communication is a cultural process langu8cage is a set of cultural conventions
i.e. the language of any society is a set of postures, gesture, symbols and their
arrangements that have shared or agreed upon interpretations.
5. Communication is a social process it is the principal means, by which human beings are
able to interact in meaningful ways. Thus through symbolic interchange, human beings
can play roles, understand the norms of a group, apply social sanctions and appraise each
others actions within a system of shared values. This integration of perspectives shows
once again how indispensable communication is to human beings;
IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
1. Communication established a favorable climate in which development can takes place.
2. Communication has multiplier effect.
3. Communication raises the aspirations of the people.
4. Communication is essential for all human activities.
5. Communication is essential for good leadership.
Important points to remember
The model of communication was developed only in 1947 by Claude Shannon, a mathematician
in Bell Telephone Laboratory in the USA and explained to the non-mathematician audience by
Warren Weaver. The model was picked up by the behavioral scientists who found the ShannonWeaver model useful in describing human communication.
Communication has its origin in the Latin word communis, which means ‘common’. In
communication we are trying to establish commonness with someone. In order words we are
trying to share information an idea or an attitude. Communication, thus, is a process of
establishing commonness with another person or a group of person.
The process was presented by Shannon & Weaver in the following model.
Source-Encoder-Signal-Decoder-Destination
What happens when the source tries to build up commonness with his intended receiver? First
the source encodes the message. He takes the information or the feeling he wants to share and
puts it into a form that can be transmitted easily and effectively. In order to complete the act of
communication the message must be decoded. It is like a telephone or radio circuit.
If you consider the source and encoder as one person and the decoder and destination as another
with the signal as language, you have the picture of a human communication situation.
How can the sender and the receiver be in tune with each other? How does a human receiver
understand a human transmitter? Dr. Wilbur Schramn supplements the Shannon Weaver model
with other modes, which has attracted wide notice.
Field of Experience
Source/Encoder
Field of Experience
Signal
Decoder/ Destination
In the above said the source can encode and the destination can decode only in terms of the
experience each has had. The conclusion in terms of communication that we can draw from this
model is that.
1. If both the encoder and the decoder belong to unknown language i.e they do not know
each others language they cannot communicate. The code must be familiar.
2. 2. A tribal who has not seen an aero plane will not be able to decode the sight of an aero
plane. It may appear to him as a bird.
If the circle have a large area in common, communication is easy. If the experience of source and
destination have been strikingly dissimilar it is difficult to get an intended meaning across from
one to the other. If the fields of experience of the sender and the receiver are similar the message
becomes the focal point of congruence establishing total communication.
CHARACTERISTICS OR ATTRIBUTES OF COMMUNICATION AS A PROCESS
1. DYNAMIC
Communication has an ever changing character. It fluctuates constantly, has no clear
beginning and ending
SYSTEMIC
2. Communication should be recognized as a system that consists of a group of elements
which interact to influence each other and the system as a whole.
3. INTERACTION THROUGH SYSMBOLS
What is essential to communication is that symbols should arouse in one what it arouses in
another The language or symbol we select and the way in which we organize them affect how
others will interpret our messages.
4. MEANING IS PERSONALLY CONSTUCTED
Each of us generates an individual meaning from communication on the basis of our past
experience and our ways of interpreting others. No two people construct the same meaning even
if they hear or see the same thing. We must interpret another persons message before we can
respond and our interpretations are bound by our experience thoughts feeling needs expectations
self concepts goals and knowledge of these with whom we communicates. Each of us is unique
ways. This is why we say that meanings are in people now in words.