Communication Paper Stefanie Gonzalez University of Phoenix Communication paper No matter what we do, we are communicating whether we intend to or not. Communication goes far beyond talking, nonverbal communication, in its many forms, gives off certain messages to people of different genders and cultures.
When communicating, one must understand the importance of effective communication in diverse environments. People communicate in various ways but it comes down to two forms verbal and nonverbal communication. Verbal communication is spoken words among individuals.Verbal communication has three functions, task ordering, process orientation, and narrative.
Task ordering ‘involves cognitive meaning that focuses on either/or choices and creates an understanding about the groups purposes and processes’ (Harris, Thomas E, & Sherblom, John C. , 2008). Process orientation allows us to address successfully conflicts that arise in the group and last but not least, narrative refers to the way we speak of our group. Our verbal expressions of the group will reflect in the way we act and feel towards the group.Nonverbal communication includes facial expressions, body language, paralanguage, proxemics, and chronemics, along with many other things. Facial expressions refer to eye contact or a smile on ones face.
Body language is the message we send with the movement of body parts. Paralanguage is the meaning perceived with the words used to express the message. Proxemics is the individual boundaries people draw. Chronemics is the study of the use of time. Research estimates that between 65% (Birdwhistell, 1970) and 93% (Mehrabian, 1981) of communication is nonverbal.
When communicating between genders there is always some sort of challenges. Sociolinguist Deborah Tannen, who has written a book called You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation, shows that the differences between the communication styles of men and women go far beyond mere socialization, and appear to be inherent in the basic make up of each sex. Tannen observed that, "For males, conversation is the way you negotiate your status in the group and keep people from pushing you around; you use talk to preserve your independence.Females, on the other hand, use conversation to negotiate closeness and intimacy; talk is the essence of intimacy, so being best friends means sitting and talking. For boys, activities, doing things together, are central. Just sitting and talking is not an essential part of friendship.
They're friends with the boys they do things with. " When a woman is expressing her feelings about a particular situation the male will try to provide a solution because of their instinct to fix things, but the women just wants him to listen which causes her to think he is brushing her off.Every country has its own way of saying things. The important thing is that which lies behind people’s words. - Freya Stark, The Journey's Echo.
Communicating across cultures can be very difficult due to the different meanings of one’s actions and words In the Hispanic culture one greets with a hug and in America the standard greeting is the handshake. Depending on cultural backgrounds one will set standards for appropriate communication. When communicating in different cultures put aside personal feelings and perspectives, certain remarks can offend someone.Understanding different cultures can be imperative to travelers to communicate effectively and conduct business. When in diverse environments effective communication can be to listen and interact with people in a manner that you just don’t know the answer.
When speaking to other cultures people say ‘oh I know how they are or I know how that is’ and so they don’t take the time to listen to the message. They already have it set in their mind that they have the right answer and they completely miss the important part of the message.People must put aside all opinions and listen to the meaning of the message being expressed. A person must take into consideration a person’s background, religious beliefs, and morals. All solutions or suggestion must represent the many different perspectives and come to a compromise. In conclusion, verbal and nonverbal communication, communication between genders and across cultures, and communicating effectively in diverse environments are all important aspects of communication one must develop to successfully conduct business, at any level.
Reference Harris, Thomas E. & Sherblom, John C. (2008). Small Group and Team Communication (4th ed. ).
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Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Mehrabian, A. (1981). Silent messages: Implicit communication of emotions and attitudes (2nd ed. ).
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth (1990). You just dont understand. Retrieved October 12, 2009, from http://www. homestar.
org/bryannan/tannen. html (). Communicating Across Cultures. Retrieved October 13, 2009, from http://www.
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