Have you ever encountered a situation when you needed to convey a message to your audience through the adaptation of an indirect approach to communication? Indirect approaches are deemed as necessary when the subjects involve family members, relatives or loved ones. Furthermore, topics of discussion could comprise of highly sensitive, subjective or critical information whereby direct communication may lead to conflicts, misunderstanding or even strain the relationship between people.
Obliviously for many, effects of “framing a discourse” could be done through non – verbal medium, such as babies, puppies or pets. At times, people may even discharge their intentions through different medium unconsciously without prior planning. This method is known as “ventriloquizing”, in which one party attempts to convey meanings of a message to another party, through a non-speaking third party by animating another’s voice i.e. “baby talk”. Ventriloquizing technique is utilized at times to achieve certain objectives such as (1) Provision of justification or explanation (2) emphasis on the lessons learnt (3) indirect criticism or praising (4) drawing attention from the receiver and others. Whatever the objectives, ventriloquizing makes good use of humour and teasing to “sugar-coat” the messages, removing the element of hostility perceived. Before I proceed further to elaborate on samples of ventriloquizing, I would like readers to have a clear mind on the concept of “framing” and “meta-information”.
Framing and Meta-Information
In a conversation, we can’t simply apply the words based on the meanings explained in dictionaries, it is important to consider the context in which these words are being used. No doubt, we could interpret...
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...terance of reprimanding her. By directly communicating to his wife may result in a more hostile outcome which has been avoided through clever use of “baby talk” which imitates his pet dog to mediate the situation (through a pet). Furthermore, Elvis used the plural form of “us” to highlight his indirectness in conveying the message to Brenda. In a way, Elvis was trying to criticize his wife for the failure to prepare dinner knowing he would be returning home soon. Readers would have taken notice that in this example, Brenda understood the intention and respondedaccordingly. Hence, Elvis’s strategy for an indirect proposition for response was successful. Knowing that the pet dog is being treated as an integral part of the family by his wife, he reinforced the social communications by using it as a non-verbal resource to seek for the wife’s emotions and affections.
In The Rhetorical Situation, Lloyd F. Bitzer argues that what makes a situation rhetorical is similar to that which constitutes a moral action as he writes that, “an act is moral because it is an act performed in a situation of a certain kind; similarly, a work is rhetorical because it is a response to a situation of a certain kind”.(3) By defining the rhetorical situation in this way, Bitzer further contends that rhetoric is a means to altering reality. (4) It is through the use of discourse that one is capable of changing reality through thought and action. (4) Bitzer then elaborates upon the nature of a rhetorical situation by explaining that rhetorical discourse enters a situation when: providing a response to its state of affairs; rhetorical discourse is given significant presence by the situation; the situation exists as a necessary condition for rhetorical discourse to have effect; a rhetorical situation or event may mature or decay over time; the rhetorical situation invites the use of discourse to alter its reality; the rhetorical response given to the situation is appropriate; and the situation controls the response of the discourse. While Bitzer notes that these are parameters for a situation to qualify as being rhetorical, he further discusses three constituents that are present in any rhetorical situation prior to the presence and manipulation of discourse. (6) Exigence, audience, and constraints are seen to be necessary elements in a rhetorical situation for Bitzer. Exegince, “is an imperfection marked by urgency; it is a defect, an obstacle, something waiting to be undone, a thing which is other than it should be”. (6) An audience whose members may function as mediators of change is required, as rhetoric alw...
The traditional method is incredibly contextual, meaning, it looks deeply at the source, message, and audience as they interact within a give time span. Furthermore, this method is a critique of the assumed interaction between a speaker, text, or artifact and its intended audience. In contrast, a narrative criticism examines all facets of any rhetorical artifact for its form, structure, and pattern, treating it as a dramatic story that unfolds and reveals itself for a certain purpose. Additionally, narratives are primarily utilized as a cognitive instrument for comprehending significance.
In part one, Petersen paints a picture of how he became interested in the topic of communication. He also describes major problems that all communicators have in common. Since he grew up in an environment full of communication deficiencies, it drove him to clarify issues that were common to all communicators. One of the foundational concepts to Petersen’s book is the nature of communication. Petersen called communication the lubrication designed to keep functions of stomach, heart, and head working separately and together. The stomach is the source of feeling words, the heart is the source of perspective words, and the head is the source of our perception of facts. Without these three elements working together, communication becomes deficient. In my experience and understanding how this concept of thinking and feeling affects mine and others people relationships goes a long way towards reducing disagreement and disconnection.
Pages 261- 267. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2011.10.006. Cameron, D. (2001). The 'Case Working with spoken discourse and communication. London: Thousand Oaks & Co. Carson, C., & Cupach, W. (2000).
For my video paper I chose to do a Pixar movie called Finding Nemo. Although Pixar movies are more aimed for the younger generations, it is becoming more popular for these movies to be introduced in the classrooms. In our DeVito text it shows and explains all the different forms of communication that can be related back to Finding Nemo. Along with other Pixar movies, they all portray many different aspects of communication. Nonverbal communication is presented in the movie by using gestures/movement. Although cartoon characters are not actually real people in the movie, they are created by real people who have experienced nonverbal communication in their lives.
Communication is a vital skill in all facets of life and all occupations. Before a person begins work, they first interview with the employer, where their communication skills are made apparent. These skills are vital to daily success in the workplace, whether they are used in direct communication or indirectly through the written word. It is crucial that the true meaning of what one person is trying to communicate to another is made perfectly clear the first time to ensure efficiency and success throughout all paths of life. There are also several situations for communication a person may experience. Communication situations can happen at any point in a person’s life, and it is imperative that a person is prepared for these situations when
Family members’ ability to effectively express their emotions, insights, and ideas to each other reflects how well members relate to each other, and how well the family functions as a whole. According to Kirst-Ashman & Hull (2012) assessing communication patterns within a family is crucial to the planned change process that must occur in order to assist families reconcile their problems in the best possible way (p.331). There are various facets of communication in addition to verbal and nonverbal communication. There are at least five different paths of communication, referred to as avenues of communication, which include: consonance, condemnation, submission, intellectualization, and indifference (p. 331-332). An assessment of the various facets of communication used by a family is useful in indicating where change is
In the late 1970's, W. Barnett Pearce and Vernon Cronen introduced their theory of Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM). Their primary findings indicated that talk creates the social environment in which we participate. Prior to Pearce and Cronen, the common method of observing communication was through a transmissional view. This taught theorists and scholars to focus on the pieces of conversation while ignoring the overall effect of the interaction. CMM theory examines interactions from a participants point of view, and is able to get a feel for the interaction as a whole through this process. Outside observation does lead to learning about the interaction, but participating in the interaction leads to more in depth study of communication patterns.
Steve A. Beebe, S. J. (2008). Interpersonal Communication. In A. a. Pearson, Interpersonal Communication, Relating To Others- Fifth Edition. Toronto, Ontario: Pearson Education, Inc.
.... Through the evaluation of reactions from both myself and others, I have realized the significant impact the misuse of a particular listening style may have. These effects reach beyond social and professional environments, and in some cases may produce unintended negative effects with family. I had not realized that the two listening styles I use most commonly could be so incredibly polarized when it comes to employing critical listening. As a result, I have devised appropriate steps which I feel will assist in creating a more balanced conversational environment and improve my overall effectiveness in communication. I was surprised to discover that my listening styles are not always conducive to the environment in which I am listening; however, I am consequently compelled to take the steps necessary to achieve higher-quality communication in every aspect of life.
Dynel, M. (2011). Turning speaker meaning on its head: Non-verbal communication and intended meanings. Pragmatics & Cognition, 1 (3), 422-447.
Communication is an ongoing process in which individuals exchange messages whose meanings are influenced by the history of the relationship and the experiences of the participants. (Adler, p.384) Communication depends on relationships between the people who are communicating, and on common basics between them. Problems in communications between people may arise due to differences in cultures, perceptions, values, and expectations from life.
In conclusion communication plays an important role in people’s personal and professional lives. As much as 70 percent of work time is spent communicating with others. Several barriers to communication exist (Wallace & Roberson, 2009, Chapter 4). They range from emotional feelings to physical obstacles that prevent the free flow of information. Effective listening and feedback is a technique that anyone can learn. Anyone tasked with the job of communicating would need to keep in mind the goal of any communication, specifically, to deliver accurate information. By following the simple strategies of communication, anyone can eliminate the frustration of poor communication.
Effective communication is an important detail in any successful relationship, whether it is between student and teacher or employee and employer or family member and child. (Haynes, 2014) So when deciding which mode of communication their child will be exposed to the parents must consider what will they be able to keep constant in their lives, what support they need,
It’s been said, “you can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family” this quote is so true when it comes to family relationships you can’t choose them but you’re stuck with them for life. Things can often get tough and when family relationships get tense it can only make life a lot more difficult than what is necessary. My communication goal is to better improve my current relationship with my teenage brother, we have both have not been getting along lately as well as I would like (teenagers and their mood swings…) and I want to change that in a more effective way by using the skills I learned in interpersonal speech. In this paper I tried to complete my goal of improving and maintaing a solid relationship with my brother I applied perception checking, listening, and self-disclosure to better communicate and understand my brother. I used the concepts of self-disclosure, perception checking and responsive listening because those three concepts applied the closest to each situation. With each one I felt that I understood how exactly to communicate using them and that they fit in well with what was going on between my brother and I.