Purposive Communication

Purposive Communication
Is about writing, speaking, and presenting to different audiences
and for various purposes. (CMO 20 s 2013). It is a three-unit course
that develops students’ communicative competence and enhances
their cultural and intercultural awareness through multimodal tasks that
provide them opportunities for communicating effectively and
appropriately to a multicultural audience in a local or global context

Components of Communication
Those components include encoding, medium of transmission,
decoding, and feedback. There are also two other factors in the
process, and those two factors are present in the form of the sender
and the receiver.

Communication Process

Mian Elements of Communication

 Sender – is the person who initiates the conversation and has
conceptualized the idea that he intends to convey it to others.

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  Message – the message can be written, oral, symbolic or non-
verbal such as body gestures, silence, sighs, sounds, etc. or
any other signal that triggers the response of receiver
 Channel – Oral, virtual, written, sound, gesture, etc. are some
of the commonly used communication mediums
 Receiver – is the person for whom the message is intended or
targeted. He tries to comprehend it in the best possible manner
such that the communication objective is attained
 Feedback – the feedback is the final step of the process that
ensures the receiver has received the message and interpreted
it correctly as it was intended by the sender.

Communication Process
Non-Verbal Communication
Involves the use of the following to convey or emphasize a
message of information
- Voice – includes tone, speech, rate, pitch, pauses and volume
- Body Language – includes facial expression, gestures,
postures, and eye contact
- Personal Space or Distance – refers to an area of space and
distance that a person from a different culture, personality, age,
sex, and status adopts and puts for another person.
- Personal Appearance – refers how a person present
himself/herself to a particular situation, whether formal or
informal
- Visuals – involves the use of images, graphs, charts, logos,
and maps

Intended Communication
Refers to planning what and how you communicate your ideas to
the people who are older than you or who occupy a higher social or

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professional position such as your parents, teachers, and supervisors,
among others

Unintended Communication
Happens when you unintentionally send non-verbal messages to
people you are communicating with, or when you suddenly make
negative remarks our of frustration or anger

Is a complex process that requires you to:

- Know you audience
- Determine your purpose
- Identify your topic
- Expect objections
- Establish credibility with your target audience
- Present information clearly and objectively, and
- Develop a practical, useful way to seek for feedback

Communication Processes
Involves elements such as:
 Source – the speaker or sender of a message
 Message – the message, information, or ideas from the
sources or speaker
 Encoding – the process of transferring the message
 Channel – the means to deliver a message such as face-to-
face conversations, telephone calls, e-mails, and memos,
among others
 Decoding – the process of interpreting an encoded message
 Receiver – the recipient of the message
 Feedback – the reactions or responses of the receiver to the
message from the sender

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  Barriers – the factors which may affect the communication
process, e.g., culture, individual differences, language use,
noise, past experiences, status

It can be one-way or two way process

Transactional Model of Communication

Communication Ethics
Effective communicators observe ethics
- Deal with values, righteousness, and behavior appropriate for
human communication particularly in multicultural situation

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 Considerations:
 Uphold integrity
– Be truthful with your opinion and be accurate with your
judgement

 Respect diversity of perspective and privacy

– Show compassion and consideration with the beliefs, status,
affiliations, and privacy of others

 Observe freedom of expression effectively

– Be careful of what and how you say your words depending
on the types of people you are communicating with

 Promote access to communication

– Give others an opportunity to express what they feel and
think about the message being communicated

 Be open-minded
– Accept that others have different views or opinions, which
may conflict with yours. So, listen and process the views of
other people, learn how to reconcile their opinions with your
own.

 Develop your sense of accountability

– Acknowledge responsibility for all your actions, good or bad

Guidelines for Effective Communication

Plays a crucial role in your personal and professional success
- Be clear with your purpose
- Support your message with facts
- Be concise

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 - Provide specific information in your feedback
- Adjust to the needs, interests, values, and beliefs of your
audience
- Observe communication ethics
- Be your natural self and appear very confident

Types of Communication
Interpretive Communication
It is a one-way mode of communication. It relates to information
that has been relayed by the sender and interpreted by the receiver in
its original and most basic form. The receiver must understand the
message in both spoken and written forms while making considerations
for general aspects of the information being provided

The main characteristics of interpretive communication are the

reading, listening to, and viewing of an authentic work followed by
open personal interpretation. The meaning of a specific topic will
differ between individuals, but an understanding and analysis of the
topic is required for the receiver to successfully participate in this one-
way mode of communication

Presentational Communication
It is another mode of one-way communication that pertains to a
speaker (the sender) speaking to an audience or making a
presentation. The communication takes place either verbally or through
written means and no other forms of interaction with the audience (the
receiver) exist. There is no opportunity for feedback from the audience

Presentational Speakers can prepare for this one-way mode of

communication through rehearsal or scripting, though it is most
important that the speaker has some knowledge or understanding of
their audience before they present a piece of information

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 Since an exchange of information and interaction with the audience
does not take place, the information must be presented in a way that
holds meaning for the audience and allows them to interpret it most
appropriately

Presentational Knowledge often includes considerations for the

knowledge-level or culture of the intended audience through both
writing and speech

Interpersonal Communication
It involves the information, ideas, and feelings, being exchanged
verbally or non-verbally between two or more people. Face-to-face
communication often involves hearing, seeing, and feeling body
language, facial expressions, and gestures

Types of Interpersonal Communication

1. Verbal
2. Listening
3. The written word
4. Non-verbal

Elements of Interpersonal Communication

1. The Communicating Parties – the sender and the receiver
2. The Message Itself, -
3. Extraneous Noise, - barrier
4. Feedback, -
5. Context, -
6. Channel. – medium of transmission

According to Mode
 Written Communication
 Verbal Communication

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  Non-Verbal Communication
 Listening
 Visuals

According to Purpose and Style

1. Passive
- Usually fail to express their feelings or needs, allowing others to
express themselves
- A passive communicator’s lack of outward communication can
lead to misunderstanding, anger build-up or resentment
- These communicators can be safer to speak with when a
conflict arises, because they most likely will avoid a
confrontation or defer to others
- Often display a lack of eye contact, poor body posture and a
inability to say “no” or “people never consider my feelings”
- Easy to get along with; “go with the flow”

2. Aggressive
- It’s often apparent when someone communicates in an
aggressive manner. You’ll hear it. You’ll see it. You may even
feel it
- Is emphasized by speaking in a loud and demanding voice,
maintaining intense eye contact and dominating or controlling
others by blaming, intimidating, criticizing, threatening or
attacking them, among other traits.
- Often issues commands, ask questions rudely and fail to listen
to others. But they can also be considered leaders and
command respect from those around them

3. Passive-Aggressive
- Users appear passive on the surface, but within he or she may
feel powerless or stuck, building up a resentment that leads to
seething or acting out in subtle, indirect or secret ways

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 - Will mutter to themselves rather than confront a person or
issue. they have difficulty acknowledging their anger, use facial
expressions that don’t correlate with how they feel and even
deny there is a problem
- Are mostly likely to communicate with body language or a lack
of open communication to another person, such as giving
someone the silent treatment, spreading rumors behind
people’s backs or sabotaging other’s efforts

4. Passive-Aggressive
- Users appear passive on the surface, but within he or she may
feel powerless or stuck, building up a resentment that leads to
seething or acting out in subtle, indirect or secret ways
- Will mutter to themselves rather than confront a person or
issue. They have difficulty acknowledging their anger, use facial
expressions that don’t correlate with how they feel and even
deny there is a problem.
- Are most likely to communicate with body language or a lack of
open communication to another person, such as giving
someone the silent treatment, spreading rumors behind
people’s backs or sabotaging others’ efforts
- May also appear cooperative, but may silently be doing the
opposite

5. Assertive
- Thought to be the most effective forms of communication
- Features an open communication link while not being
overbearing
- Can express their own needs, desires, ideas and feelings, while
also considering the needs of others
- Aim for both sides to win in a situation, balancing one’s rights
with the rights of others

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 - One of the keys to assertive communication is using “I’
statements, such as ‘I feel frustrated when you are late for a
meeting,” or, “I don’t like having to explain this over and over.”
- It indicates ownership of feelings and behaviors without blaming
the other person.

How to Become an Assertive Communicator

Understanding how others communicate can be key to getting
your message across to them. In order to develop a more assertive
communication style, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
 Take ownership (use “I” statements)
 Maintain eye contact
 Learn to say “No”
 Voice your needs and desires confidently

What type of communicator am I?

1. “It’s all your fault” – Aggressive
2. “I just want to keep the peace” – Passive
3. “Sure, we can do things your way” (then mutters to self that
“your way” is stupid) – Passive-Aggressive
4. “I realize I have choices in my life, and I consider my options” –
Assertive
5. “We are equally entitled to express ourselves respectfully to
one another.” – Assertive

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