PURPOSIVE

2. Communication inspires
COMMUNICATION
 Have you ever been inspired by a speech? Did
Communication Changes the World you ever see a movie that left you feeling full of
BY JEFF GOINS MAKING A DIFFERENCE life and excitement? Maybe you had a song’s
lyrics touch your heart?
I’m a believer in the effectiveness of communication
for social change. But I wasn’t always.  That’s communication at work. The artful,
I used to think that talk was cheap, but now I know dynamic power of a message sent and received
better. Words do, indeed, matter. with success.

In fact, I’ve come to believe a radical

truth: Communication changes the world like little  When tragedy befalls a country, what do we
else can expect? We look to our leaders for consolation,
for comfort, for inspiration. And how does that
Talk is… cheap?
come?
Correction: Talk can be cheap. But it doesn’t have to
be.  Through communication:
 A radio broadcast.
Talk is just talk.
 A TV announcement.
It’s our actions that make them cheap. Not the  A speech.
words. Words are symbols of the lives we choose to
lead.  There is something about the written or spoken
word that inspires us to be better than we could
I’m compelled to use this gift of communication to be on our own, something that unites us and
change lives. It’s happened before, and it can connects us to ideas in extraordinary ways.
happen again. Here are three ways that
communication changes the world: 3. Communication teaches the communicator

1. Communication breaks down barriers  When you’re delivering a speech, writing a

book, or even crafting a blog post, there is
 Learning a second language in college has an implicit requirement: You have to
taught me a lot about cultural barriers and understand the message yourself.
language. It turns out that translation is a
myth, that there is no such thing as fluency,  If you don’t, the message makes no sense.
and that all communication is interpretation. You can only fake so much. (Very little, in
(Each of those are a blog post or conversation fact.)
in and of themselves.)
 So what do you do if you don’t know the
 When you are communicating with someone
subject? How do you prepare for your
in their own language and style, there is
message?
understanding. And with understanding,
there is empathy. There is connection.
 You do research. You study. You learn.
  Even if you have thorough knowledge of  is a communication applied in a specific
your subject (which is a good idea before setting, environment, scene, social relations
attempting to deliver a message), you and culture.
should still deepen your knowledge.

CONTEXT
 It may be a quote or a series of historical
events or a fun fact that you commit to  affects the process of sending and receiving of
memory, but professional communicators messages; semantics or meanings, choice of
are always learning new things. channels, words and methods of delivery.

 You learn a lot just through the process of  Contributes with the message we want to
putting together the message, because as impart
a communicator, you’re positioning
yourself as a teacher.  Context includes:
1.Settings or environment
 And everyone knows that teachers make (family, school, workplace, religious
the best students communities)

2.Social relationships
COMMUNICATION PROCESS (friends, husband and wife, parent child,
colleagues/boss-subordinate in the office)
COMMUNICATION
 Is a human act of sending (verbal or 3.Scenes which include place, time and
nonverbal; online of offline) and receiving of occasion
messages where interpretations are normally (business meeting, job interview, social
constructed in the process. gathering parties, weddings, etc.)

 Is a process whereby people create and 4. Culture

transmit meaning through the exchange of (history, tradition, beliefs, norms, values)
verbal and nonverbal messages in particular Elements of Communication
context (Oetzel, 2009:11).
1. Sender - source of idea (from WHOM)
 A natural activity of people
- the message will only be as good and valid as
its source
 Everything revolves around communication
- Must be able to use the language that the
receiver understands.
PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION
- Correct grammar: we should be aware of our
 is an intentional communication that happens grammar
within the bounds of specific contexts.
- Phonetics

- Choice of words or jargons: we should choose

words appropriate to the audience.
 - Sentence structure: How idea should be - Messages which are unclear oftentimes do
presented, we should have organized not achieve their desired effect
thoughts
 Conciseness
- Discourse competence: Be mindful of what u
- is saying what needs to be said in as few
share, be competent
words as possible.
- Delivery - Avoid flowery words.
- Remember:
> Good voice projection - “Our goal is to communicate and not to
> Use of appropriate eye contact impress.”

> Proper articulation of words and emphasis  Concreteness

on important words - This refers to being specific. -providing
2. Message -the idea being communicated (WHAT) example when necessary makes a message
more comprehensible
3. Channel - is the medium (HOW)
 Completeness
4. Receiver - where the message is going (to
- To avoid ambiguity, messages should not
WHOM) leave out important details that a receiver
expects to know.
The 5 C’s in Communication - Answer: What, Who, When, Where, Why
and How
Courtesy
also known as politeness. Ways to demonstrate
 Channels
courtesy:
- The choice of channel may depend on the
 using polite words and tone to show respect
availability, practicality, and its impact on
to the receiver of the message.
the receiver. Channels: Telephone, Radio,
Television, Printed texts (books,
 applying tact and diplomacy
newspapers, magazines, journals, posters,
etc.), Communication technologies (smart
 developing the “WE” attitude using positive
phones, tablets, computers)
words instead of negative

 Receiver
 being considerate of the feelings of the
- Must have good listening and
receiver
comprehension skills
- Eliminate all possible distractions or noises
 selecting gender-free terms
- Types of noise (physical, environmental,
psychological, emotional)
 responding promptly to important messages
- Sharpness of cognition through continuous
studies and acquisition of information and
 Clarity
knowledge
- may involve correct word usage, grammar,
pronunciation, sentence construction and
delivery.
 Nonverbal communication is the use of body
language, gestures and facial expressions to convey
information to others. It can be used both
TYPES OF COMMUNICATION intentionally and unintentionally. Is also helpful
and ways how to use them when trying to understand others’ thoughts and
feelings.

 Notice how your emotions feel physically.

Developing self-awareness around how
your emotions affect your body can give
you greater mastery over your external
presentation.
 Be intentional about your nonverbal
communications. Use body language
alongside verbal communication such as
asking follow up questions or pulling the
presenter aside to give feedback.
 Mimic nonverbal communications you find
effective. If you find certain facial
expressions or body language beneficial to a
certain setting, use it as a guide when
improving your own nonverbal
communications.

1. Verbal 3. Written
Verbal communication is the use of language to Written communication is the act of writing, typing
transfer information through speaking or sign or printing symbols like letters and numbers to
language. convey information. It is helpful because it provides
 Use a strong, confident speaking voice. be a record of information for reference.
sure to use a strong voice so that everyone  Strive for simplicity. Written
can easily hear you. Be confident when communications should be as simple and
speaking so that your ideas are clear and clear as possible. While it might be helpful
easy for others to understand. to include lots of detail in instructional
 Use active listening. The other side of using communications
verbal communication is intently listening  Don’t rely on tone. Because you do not
to and hearing others. Doing so will help have the nuance of verbal and nonverbal
you grow as a communicator. communications, be careful when you are
 Avoid filler words. filler words such as trying to communicate a certain tone when
“um,” “like,” “so” or “yeah.” it can also be writing. For example, attempting to
distracting for your audience.\ communicate a joke, sarcasm or excitement
might be translated differently depending
2. Nonverbal on the audience. Instead, try to keep your
writing as simple and plain as possible and
 follow up with verbal communications
where you can add more personality.
COMMUNICATION IN
 Take time to review your written MULTI CULTURAL
communications. Setting time aside to re-
read your emails, letters or memos can help
CONTEXT
you identify mistakes or opportunities to MULTICULTURAL COMMUNICATION 
say something differently.
 Keep a file of writing you find effective or - concentration focuses on the dynamics
enjoyable. If you receive a certain of communication across cultures. It explores
pamphlet, email or memo that you find not only what happens when people of two
particularly helpful or interesting, save it for different cultures meet, but also what happens
reference when writing your own when people from a variety of cultures and
communications. Incorporating methods or ethnicities come together in one organization,
styles you like can help you to improve over community or country.
time.
o VERBAL COMMUNICATION
- Also called spoken communication, is the
4. Visual process or act of conveying one's thoughts or
Visual communication is the act of using ideas using speech. Sounds and language are
photographs, art, drawings, sketches, charts and used for relaying the message that one needs
graphs to convey information. Visuals are often others to know
used as an aid during presentations to provide Examples: Telephone conversations, Job interviews
helpful context alongside written and/or verbal
communication. Because people have different o NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
learning styles, visual communication might be - Refers to the use of wordless cues in order to
more helpful for some to consume ideas and convey a message. These cues include facial
information. expressions, hand gestures, body language,
and the tone, pitch, and volume of voice. Even
 Ask others before including visuals. Adding when one is using words, there is also
visuals can sometimes make concepts nonverbal communication involved.
confusing or muddled. Getting a third-party
perspective can help you decide whether Examples: shaking your head, smiling
the visual adds value to your
communications. FUNCTIONS OF VERBAL
 Consider your audience. Be sure to include
visuals that are easily understood by your
COMMUNICATION
audience. You should never use sensitive, Our existence is intimately tied to the
offensive, violent or graphic visuals in any communication we use, and verbal communication
form. serves many functions in our daily lives. We use
verbal communication to define reality, organize,
think, and shape attitudes.

 VERBAL COMMUNICATION HELPS US

DEFINE REALITY. lives. We use verbal
 communication to define reality, organize, People who speak different languages, or
think, and shape attitudes. Verbal use language differently, think differently
communication is how we label and define (Whorf; Sapir; Mandelbaum; Maxwell;
what we experience in our lives. These Perlovsky; Lucy; Simpson; Hussein). The
definitions are not only descriptive, but argument suggests that if a native English
evaluative. speaker had the exact same experiences in
their life, but grew up speaking Chinese
 VERBAL COMMUNICATION HELPS US instead of English, their worldview would
ORGANIZE COMPLEX IDEAS AND be different because of the different
EXPERIENCES INTO MEANINGFUL symbols used to make sense of the world.
CATEGORIES.  Consider the number of When you label, describe, or evaluate
things you experience with your five events in your life, you use the symbols of
primary senses every day. It is impossible to the language you speak. Your use of these
comprehend everything we encounter. We symbols to represent your reality influences
use verbal communication to organize your perspective and attitude about the
seemingly random events into world. While the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is
understandable categories to make sense of highly respected, there have been many
our experiences. For example, we all scholarly and philosophical challenges to
organize the people in our lives into the viewpoint that language is what shapes
categories. We label these people with our worldview
terms like, friends, acquaintances, romantic
partners, family, peers, colleagues, and
strangers. We highlight certain qualities,
5 Key Elements to Successful Non-Verbal
traits, or scripts to organize outwardly Communication:
haphazard events into meaningful
categories to establish meaning for our 1. Eye contact - indicates interest, attention
world. and involvement.  Research indicates that
people rely on visual clues to help them
 VERBAL COMMUNICATION HELPS US decide on whether to attend to a message
THINK. The ability most often used to or not. It is essential that you engage every
distinguish humans from other animals is member of the audience by looking at them
our ability to reason and communicate.
With language, we are able to reflect on the 2. Gesture - is a non-facial body movement
past, consider the present, and ponder the intended to express meaning.  Gestures
future. We develop our memories using may be articulated with hands, arms or
language. body, and also include movements of the
head, face and eyes such as winking,
 VERBAL COMMUNICATION HELPS US nodding or rolling your eyes.
SHAPE OUR ATTITUDES ABOUT OUR -In the business setting, consumers
WORLD. The way you use language shapes rely heavily upon your face and hands to
your attitude about the world around you. draw conclusions about the passion and
Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf conviction you have toward your products
developed the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis to and services.
explain that language determines thought.
 3. Posture - tells a powerful, non-verbal story.  Cultural diversity is the main heritage of humanity.
Positive body posture transmits a message It is the product of thousands of years of history and
of authority, confidence, trust and power. the fruit of collective contributions by all peoples
Studies indicate that a person who displays through their languages, ideas, techniques,
a forward lean or a decrease in backwards practices and creations. Diversity should not be just
lean signifies positive sentiment during about “the other”; it has multiple dimensions and
communication. forms part of the unique identity of every
individual. Cultural diversity allows identities and
4. Smile and Laughter - People who laugh and differences to be continuously redefined. It is an
smile, even when they don’t feel especially essential component of social harmony, citizenship
happy, make their brain’s left hemisphere and the creation of a peaceful society.’
surge with electrical activity.  When you
Culture 21: Actions. Commitments on the role of
laugh, every organ in your body is affected
culture in sustainable cities. 21 February 2015
in a positive way.  As with smiling, when
laughter is incorporated as a permanent In multicultural societies, one of the major
part of who you are, it attracts friends, challenges facing lifelong education involves our
improves health and extends life. capacities for learning to live together. […] Arts and
humanities education, multimedia activities,
5. The power of the touch - whether it be museums and travel help to develop the critical
your handshake, touch on the elbow, a high capacities indispensable to combating unilateral
five or pat on the back demonstrates viewpoints, adapting to culturally diverse social
positive impact. environments and responding to the challenges of
intercultural dialogue. Sensitizing people to cultural
Cultural and Inter Cultural diversity is more a matter of approaches, methods
and attitudes than of the assimilation of content.
Awareness Before tolerance can become a skill, it must be
Intercultural dialogue practiced. […] The arts are a strong and universal
tool for promoting mutual understanding and
Cultural diversity refers to the manifold ways in peace, and practicing the arts is a powerful way of
which the cultures of groups and societies find socializing with others. The teaching of arts helps to
expression. These expressions are passed on within reconnect scientific and emotional processes with
and among groups and societies. Cultural diversity intuition – a key component for the cultivation of
is made manifest not only through the varied ways attitudes favoring intercultural openness. Arts
in which the cultural heritage of humanity is education can also help to address ethnocentrism,
expressed, augmented and transmitted through the cultural bias, stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination
variety of cultural expressions, but also through and racism.’
diverse modes of artistic creation, production,
dissemination, distribution and enjoyment, UNESCO World Report. Investing in Cultural
whatever the means and technologies used.’ > Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue. 2009. Part 2.
Chapter 4 ‘Cultural knowledge […] is essential to
UNESCO Convention on the Protection and understand the cultural and linguistic
Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
2005. Article 4.1  Essential knowledge, skills and attitudes
related to Cultural Awareness
 - Cultural knowledge includes an awareness of - to observe cultural differences and use the
local, national and international cultural resultant knowledge to enrich one’s own life
heritage and their place in the world. It covers and to improve communication with other
a basic knowledge of major cultural works,
including popular contemporary culture. It is - to perceive objects, habits and forms as
essential to understand the cultural and creative solutions for different cultural tasks
linguistic diversity locally and in and other in specific contexts;
regions of the world, the need to preserve it
and the importance of aesthetic factors in - to compare cultures, appreciate diversity as a
daily life. value in itself, and explore and shape
individual spaces of experience;
- Skills relate to both appreciation and
*to be able to evaluate and select
expression: the appreciation and enjoyment
of works of art and performances as well as  In the intercultural context, cultural
self-expression through a variety of media education can foster the following skills:
using one’s innate capacities. Skills also
include the ability to relate one’s own - to understand culture as a construct and to
creative and expressive points of view to the relate and link cultural concepts;
opinions of others and to identify and realize
social and economic opportunities in cultural - to interpret and evaluate cultural
activity. Cultural expression is essential to the phenomena with regard to individual, group
development of creative skills, which can be and
transferred to a variety of professional - universal criteria;
contexts
- to initiate and create ways of dialogue and
- A solid understanding of one’s own culture interaction;
and a sense of identity can provide the basis
for an open attitude towards and respect for - to detect, understand and estimate conflict
diversity of cultural expression. A positive potential;
attitude also covers creativity, and the
willingness to cultivate aesthetic capacity - to develop forms of cultural interaction
through artistic self-expression and within the framework of human rights
participation in cultural life
 A transcultural approach will emphasize
 Cultural education in the context of the following aspects:
multiculturalism offers specific possibilities, - to discover overarching or universal processes
e.g.: in developing culture;

- to experience and appreciate different,

- to decode specific cultural phenomena as
unfamiliar cultural forms of expression and to
transcultural phenomena;
evaluate their relevance in respect of oneself;
- to gauge intentions and consequences

- to experience and create hybridity;

 - to act in the public space.

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