The 21st century is a century of intensive development of informative technologies, which does not exclude live human communication. His personal destiny and the fate of his business often depend on how well a person can build a dialogue with the outside world: to be able to convince means to be able to win.
Some terminology
Dialogue is not possible if the speakers speak different languages. It is also impossible to understand the essence of the subject, if you do not master the specific words denoting its concepts. That is, terminology. To understand the topic of “communication”, the following should be well understood:
- communication - the process of exchanging information in society;
- communication subject - a person transmitting information;
- communication object - the one to whom it is addressed;
- communication channel - a method of transmitting information: written, using technical means, light or noise signals; information can be transferred from subject to object using another person (for example, a courier);
- forms of communication - a) verbal or verbal; b) non-verbal - movements, eyes, facial expressions.
Other terms requiring a more detailed explanation will be discussed in separate sections of the article.
The concept of levels of communication
This issue is treated differently in the scientific literature. Some authors determine the level of communication by the number of participants in the process: interpersonal, in a small group or mass. Others (V. Konetskaya, 1977) - by methods of communication:
- Sign or semiotic level - the transfer of information using generally accepted conventional signs, perceived visually, by ear. For example, wreaths at the monuments to heroes are a sign of respect and memory of them; the image of the sun in the weather forecast indicates a sunny day; A siren on the move warns of an approaching train.
- Verbal, or linguistic. The word - oral or written - is the main way people communicate.
- Interlanguage, or metalinguistic level of communication. It is characteristic of the scientific field, where the use of special terms that are understandable to a narrow circle of people predominates.
- Near-linguistic, or paralinguistic level. Information is transmitted using non-verbal means and their combinations: gesture, movement, gaze, interjection, pitch, etc. They can be used intentionally and unconsciously for a greater impact on the interlocutor.
- Artificial (synthetic) level. The transfer of expressive information using a variety of visual and non-visual art forms - cinema, graphics, music, etc. Its purpose is the formation of aesthetic and moral feelings, experiences, knowledge.
In practice, there is not an isolated, but a mixed use of these methods, forms of communication with the goal of compact transmission and the most understandable information for the object.
Communication: high and low
A lot of misunderstandings and even human tragedies occur due to the fact that the object does not know how to properly format and transmit information, or its perception by the subject is incomplete or distorted.
The highest level of communication is observed where its object and subject:
- They are able to easily establish interpersonal contacts.
- They have a culture of communication with individuals, with their group or a large mass.
- They are interested in the topic of communication and its results.
- Not indifferent to each other.
The highest level of communication is observed when partners are connected by family, friendly, spiritual ties.
The quality of communication depends, of course, on how a person speaks or hears, on his emotional state. Slurred speech, illiterate, saturated with unfamiliar vocabulary, poor hearing or lack of it at the listener, inability to understand the speaker’s non-verbal signals and their misinterpretation, biased or hostile attitude towards the partner are the reasons for the distortion of information during its transmission or perception. Another reason is the lack of interest in the subject of discussion, when, for example, the listener falls asleep at a boring lecture for him. That is, these are signs of a low level of communication.
Organization of the communication process
Along the entire route from subject to object, information can be distorted, disappear, misunderstood, as a result of which the goal of communication is not achieved. The organizer of the communication process should know when, how and why such a failure can occur.
The levels of organization of communication correspond to the stages of its passage from the object to the subject.
Stage 1 - preparation by the subject, that is, the initiator, of the goals, content, form, means of communication. He must seriously consider how adequately able to perceive his information object. For example, the most striking, emotional, visual presentation of scientific data will be for school students. And more rich scientific terminology, technical facts, diagrams and graphs - for university students.
Stage 2 - the choice of message encoding: oral, written, in the form of a plan, schedule, video, etc., taking into account the number of addressees (for an individual user, for a group or for a large mass of the population) and their level of preparedness. The preparation, for example, of the achievements in medicine for a special journal and for the public in the media will vary significantly.
Stage 3 - the choice of the most effective means of communication. Oral or written communication, order, order using technical means or through intermediaries. The director of the institution issues a written order and at the meeting makes an oral order to the heads of departments to bring it to the attention of staff, to give clarifications in case of questions.
Stage 4 - decoding, decoding, comprehending the information received by the object and making decisions about some actions.
Stage 5 - the return signal from the object to the subject about the reception of information and reaction to it.
The response actions of the object interchange it with the subject: the first now becomes the sender, source, and the second is the receiver of information.
Communication between the levels of enterprise management, the organization the more effective, the less interference ("noise"), distorting its meaning, occurs on the way it follows from the source to the object. This can be non-performance, unauthorized intentional or unintentional actions of performers, technical failures, etc.
Social Communication: Classification Criteria
The sender of information, as well as its recipient, can be not one person, but a group of persons, a collective, organization, society. The communication process can be small (passers-by greeted each other) and large-scale, global, covering many countries (solution of territorial claims).
This defines the following levels of social communication:
- Autocommunication - communication with your "I". A man alone with himself learns, evaluates his own capabilities and abilities.
- Interpersonal - interpersonal interaction of two or more persons.
- Group communication, characterized by the number of participants and the content of communication (business, friendship, etc.) in various ways: an individual with a group, members of the same group among themselves, members of various groups.
- Personal group (lecturer - audience).
- Public - concerns social issues and interests. As a rule, this is communication between representatives of power structures with the people, workers in the sphere of trade, services, education, and culture with clients.
- Interstate - communications between states at the diplomatic level on issues of war and peace, cultural exchange, trade, science, etc.
- Global covers the vast territories of the Earth, provides interethnic communication of its population.
- Mass communication.
- Organizational is carried out between the hierarchical levels of the management pyramid.
Mass communication is aimed at large audiences and comes from various actors having their own goals, means and ways of influencing the consciousness of the population.
Tasks
Information needs of people are satisfied through mass communication - an activity that has its own functions, its own knowledge system, techniques, norms and rules, means.
The main tasks of mass communication are:
- educational;
- regulatory - the formation of public consciousness and relations of the individual and society;
- control - supervision of various processes in society, the promotion of desirable standards of behavior;
- cultural-philosophical, or culturological - familiarization with traditions, heritage, achievements in the field of art, the development of interest in creativity.
Acting at all levels of communication, mass communication through persuasion, enlightenment, suggestion through the media forms public opinion, organizes social activities, both individual and various groups of the population.
Intercultural Communication Levels
In a multinational country, which, for example, is Russia, communication between people of different ethnic groups is inevitable. At the same time, there is a mutual acquaintance with the norms of moral behavior, customs, beliefs, national traditions at the level of both personal and social, business, industrial relations.
The study of these processes has led to the identification of levels of intercultural communication depending on the number of its participants.
- Interpersonal level of communication of people of different ethnic groups. In direct communication, a person voluntarily or involuntarily demonstrates not only linguistic features, but also behavioral ones. A major role in establishing an interpersonal level of communication is played by his gender, age, appearance, education, social status. Willingness to understand and respect the national characteristics of the communication partner causes trust and a desire to maintain business or personal contacts.
- Intercultural communication of members of small groups can be carried out in the framework of business meetings (participation in events, exchange of experience, coordination of production activities) or occurs by chance (trips, travels). Features of speech, behavior, thinking of people of different nationalities have a serious impact on the nature of their communication. They can cause negative reactions if partners demonstrate their exclusivity and are not ready to look for forms of communication acceptable to both sides.
- Intercultural communication at the ethnic level (large groups) contributes to the renewal and mutual enrichment of cultures of neighboring nationalities. But at the same time, it gives rise to a tendency to preserve national self-awareness, household features, beliefs, and traditions. Violent suppression of the culture of any ethnic group by others dominating the common territory leads to its complete or partial destruction.
In multinational states where there is economic and political unity of the peoples inhabiting them, a national level of intercultural communication is possible.
Effective Interaction Conditions
External manifestations of goodwill towards the interlocutor or to the audience, openness, good manners and speech evoke reciprocal feelings of sympathy and willingness to communicate. Establishment of business relations requires from their initiator some special knowledge and skills, and certain preparation. They relate to both speech and non-speech behavior during communication.
If the subject wants to achieve his own goals, then he should be well prepared for the conversation, having previously studied the goals and features of the behavior of the opposite side. This will help to pick up arguments to protect their interests, provide for controversial, conflicting moments and compromise solutions.
Understanding the psychological state of a partner by non-verbal signals, knowledge of manipulative techniques and ways to neutralize them, the ability to restrain or demonstrate their own emotions are a small part of the skills that make up communicative competence.
Conclusion
A war of any scale - for the most part is the result of the inability of opponents to resolve disputed issues in a civilized manner. The success of household, professional - any! - contacts depend on how a person communicates with others, what he demonstrates and what hides deeply in himself.
We can say that the science of communicative communication is the science of winning. A focused study of the psychology of communication should be mandatory if someone wants to learn how to successfully defend their interests. She will reveal in every person a psychologist-practitioner who is internally ready for any life's gifts and surprises.