Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles,

and Ethics

Introduction

In this unit, you will learn about communication processes, principles, and ethics.
In your personal life, in school, in the community and in your workplace later,
take note that effective communication is vital for success. Faced with people of
different beliefs, values, attitudes and backgrounds, communication processes,
principles, and ethics become necessary. In real world scenarios, you need to
engage in group discussions, make presentations and interact with different
people. If you do not have the necessary and purposive communication skills, you
will have a hard time relating with others in different situations. Your goal,
therefore, is to become a fully-developed, thoughtful and persuasive
communicator.
Every time you talk, you present:
 Yourself
 Your purpose
 Your ideas; and
 Information to others
If you:
- Are ambitious and want to move up the ladder of success;
- Wish to have a positive impact on others;
- Want to have your skills and talents recognized and rewarded;
Then strive to be a successful communicator NOW. Now is the time to equip
yourself with the mastery of the communication processes, principles and ethics
so that you will be prepared in your future jobs.

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this unit, you are expected to:

1. discuss the process, principles and ethics of communication
2. demonstrate the communication process in different contexts by applying
its principles and ethics
3. appreciate the principles of communication by actively participating in the
communicative tasks given in class

Activating Prior Knowledge: (Concept map)

What comes into your mind when you hear the word communication? Before
reading the definition of communication from different sources, write as many
words you could associate with the word communication using the concept map
below.

Communication

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

Topic 1. The Communication Process

Learning Objectives
At the end the lesson, you are expected to:
1. discuss the importance of communication in different situations
2. share how communication helped in resolving issues you have
experienced in different situations

Presentation of Content

Importance of Communication

Explain the importance of communication as illustrated by the pictures below:

Family Community

Workplace Academic place

Communication is integrated in all parts of our lives.

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

a. Academics
 Communication skills are tied to academic success.
 Students who are good at writing and speaking perform
better not only in the English classroom but also in the content
areas and all other areas of learning.
b. Professional
 Desired communication skills vary from one career to
another. Being able to communicate leads to a harmonious
relationship within the organization.
c. Personal
 The skills to talk with fluency and write with efficiency
lead to a person’s achievement of his aspirations
d. Civic
 One cannot live alone, so being able to blend with the
community is a satisfying endeavor. This can only be done
when a person can communicate his/her ideas with different
people coming from different backgrounds in the community.

Application

Work in groups and choose one situation which you have already experienced.
Demonstrate how communication helped in resolving the issue in the context
you have chosen.
1. You have overspent your budgeted allowance for the week because of
unexpected expenses. Your mother usually does not give extra allowance.
Demonstrate how communication can help you persuade your mother to give
you additional budget.
2. Your teacher announced that those who have four to five absences in class
are in the brink of failing the subject. You are one of those who have incurred
those numbers of absences, but you think you have plausible reasons for the
absences. Demonstrate how communication will help you persuade your
teacher to excuse you from those absences.
3. The campus cashier has set a date for signing of students’ clearance but you
were not able to come because you were still on vacation. The clearance is a
requirement for your enrolment. Demonstrate how communication will help
you to let the cashier consider you and eventually sign your clearance.
4. Your best friend asks your help in a lesson he cannot understand but, you
cannot attend to him because you need to go home early. Demonstrate how
communication could help you explain your situation without offending him.

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

5. You broke your sister’s/brother’s guitar while cleaning his/her room.

Demonstrate how communication could help you explain what happened
without putting up a quarrel.

Feedback

In 5-7 sentences, relate your experience on how communication have helped

you solve a difficult situation. This may be a situation at home, in school, in
the community, or among your circle of friends. Your output will be graded
using the following rubrics:
4 3 2 1
Features
Expert Accomplished Capable Beginner
 Piece was
 Piece had
 Piece was written in an  Piece had no
little style or
written in an interesting style or voice
voice
extraordinary style and  Gives no new
Quality of style and voice voice  Gives some
information
Writing new
 very  Somewhat and very
information
informative and informative poorly
but poorly
well organized and organized
organized
organized

 Few  So many
 Virtually no spelling  A number of spelling,
spelling, and spelling, punctuation
Grammar, punctuation punctuatio punctuation and
Usage & or ns errors, or grammatical
Mechanics grammatical minor grammatical errors that it
errors grammatic errors interferes with
al errors the meaning

Source: ThoughtCo.com

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

Topic 2: Types of Communication

Learning Objectives

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

1. differentiate verbal from non-verbal communication
2. explain how the combination of verbal and non-verbal makes communication
more effective

Presentation of content
Study the pictures below and determine the type of communication being used.

1. Verbal communication
●It is a form of transmitting messages using word symbols in
representing ideas and objects which comes in two forms – oral and written.
●It includes a face to face interaction with another person, speaking to
someone on the phone, participating in meetings, delivering speeches in
programs and giving lectures or presentations in conferences.

Factors That Affect Verbal Communication

a. Tone of voice
b. Use of descriptive words
c. Emphasis on certain phrases
d. Volume of voice

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

2. Non – Verbal Communication

● It is a form of communication which refers to the sending of messages

to another person using signs, gestures, facial expressions and means
other than the spoken and written language.

Two Categories of Non-Verbal Communication

a. Non-verbal messages produced by the body
b. Non-verbal messages produced by the broad setting such as time, space
and silence

Functions of Non-Verbal Communication

a. It is used to repeat the verbal message.

Example – Point in an object while saying it.

b. It is often used to accent a verbal message.

Example – verbal tone indicates the actual meaning of the words.

c. It often complements the verbal message but also may contradict.

Examples – A nod reinforces a positive message among Americans and
Filipinos.
A wink or a frown may contradict a positive message.
d. It regulates interactions
Example – Hand gestures may signal a person to speak or not.

e. It may substitute for the verbal message, especially if it is blocked by

noise or interruption.
Example – Touch to mean comfort or encouragement
A thumbs-up gesture indicating approval
Consider this:

Communication is a combination of the verbal and non- verbal aspects. Proper

blending of the two types of communication make the message clearer.

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

Application

You form two groups with three members in class. Discuss the topic “Which is
more effective, verbal or non-verbal communication”. One group defends Verbal
communication, while the other defends non-verbal communication. Members of
the class who are not part of the groups will have to listen and will be asked to
share what they have learned from listening to the group discussion. They could
also point out what they like and they do not like about the details presented to
them.

Feedback

In a whole sheet of paper, write a 5-7 sentence paragraph about how both verbal
and non-verbal gestures make a communication more effective. Your output will
be graded using the following rubric.

Features 4 Expert 3 Accomplished 2 Capable 1 Beginner

 Piece was  Piece was
 Piece had
written in an written in an  Piece had no
little style or
extraordinary interesting style or voice
voice
style and style and  Gives no new
Quality of  Gives some
voice voice information
Writing new
 very  Somewhat and very
information
informative informative poorly
but poorly
and well and organized
organized
organized organized
 So many
 Few spelling  A number of spelling,
 Virtually no and spelling, punctuation
Grammar, spelling, punctuations punctuation and
Usage & punctuation or errors, minor or grammatical
Mechanics grammatical grammatical grammatical errors that it
errors errors errors interferes with
the meaning

Source: ThoughtCom.com

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

Topic 3: The Elements and Process of Communication

Learning Objectives

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

1. familiarize yourself with different models of communication
2. identify elements of communication using the different models
3. explain the process of communication using the different models

Presentation of Content

Models of Communication
There are different conceptual models that represent human communication.
These models explain how communication takes place in different situations and
present the elements needed in order to complete the flow of communication. This
module presents at least three of the common models of human communication.
1. Shannon - Weaver model
The original model was designed to mirror the functioning of radio and telephone
technologies. Their initial model consisted of three primary
parts: sender, channel, and receiver. The sender was the part of a telephone a
person who spoke, the channel was the telephone itself, and the receiver was the
part of the phone where one could hear the other person. Shannon and Weaver
also recognized that often there is static that interferes with one listening to a
telephone conversation, which they deemed noise. The noise could also mean the
absence of signal. In a simple model, often referred to as the transmission
model or standard view of communication, information or content (e.g. a message
in natural language) is sent in some form (as spoken language) from an emisor/
sender/ encoder to a destination/ receiver/ decoder. This common conception of
communication views communication as a means of sending and receiving
information.
The strengths of this model are simplicity, generality, and quantifiability. Social
scientists Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver structured this model based on the
following elements: An information source, which produces a message.
A transmitter, which encodes the message into signals. A channel, to which
signals are adapted for transmission. A receiver, which 'decodes' (reconstructs)
the message from the signal. A destination, where the message arrives. Shannon
and Weaver argued that there were three levels of problems for communication

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

within this theory. The technical problem: how accurately can the message be
transmitted? The semantic problem: how precisely is the meaning 'conveyed'?
The effectiveness problem: how effectively does the received meaning affect
behavior?

2. David Berlo Model

In 1960, David Berlo expanded on Shannon and Weaver’s (1949) linear model of
communication and created the SMCR Model of Communication. The Sender-
Message-Channel-Receiver Model of communication separated the model into
clear parts and has been expanded upon by other scholars.

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

3. Osgood Schramm Model

Communication is usually described along a few major dimensions: Message
(what type of things are communicated), source / emisor / sender / encoder (by
whom), form (in which form), channel (through which medium), destination /
receiver / target /decoder (to whom).

Wilbur Schramm (1954) also indicated that we should also examine the impact
that a message has (both desired and undesired) on the target of the
message. Between parties, communication includes acts that confer knowledge
and experiences, give advice and commands, and ask questions. These acts may
take many forms, in one of the various manners of communication. The form
depends on the abilities of the group communicating. Together, communication
content and form make messages that are sent towards a destination. The target
can be oneself, another person or being, another entity (such as a corporation or
group of beings). Communication can be seen as processes of information
transmission governed by three levels of semiotic rules: Syntactic (formal
properties of signs and symbols), Pragmatic (concerned with the relations
between signs/expressions and their users) and Semantic (study of relationships
between signs and symbols and what they represent). Therefore, communication
is social interaction where at least two interacting agents share a common set of
signs and a common set of semiotic rules.

This commonly held rule in some sense ignores autocommunication,

including intrapersonal communication via diaries or self-talk, both secondary
phenomena that followed the primary acquisition of communicative competences
within social interactions.

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

Application

You pair with a classmate and choose an activity to perform through a draw lot.
You are expected to demonstrate successful communication in this activity. You
are given 5 minutes to plan your performance and 2 minutes to perform it. You
are given the freedom to choose your topic in performing one of the following:
a. Telephone/cell phone conversation with a friend
b. Face-face conversation with a classmate
c. Father/mother- Son/daughter conversation
d. Suitor- ladylove conversation
e. Teacher- student conversation
f. Applicant - employer job interview
g. Subordinate-barangay official transaction
h. Friend-friend communication using notes/letters
i. interpreting signages posted in malls
Rubric for Skit or Role Play
weigh

Criteria Exceptional Admirable Acceptable Attempted

t

 Factual  Factual  Factual  Information

information informatio information is inaccurate
is accurate n is mostly is  Presentation
Understand-  Indicates a accurate somewhat is off topic
40%
ing of Topic clear  Good accurate
understandi understand  Fair
ng of topic ing of understandi
topic ng of topic
 Accepts  Accepts  Unwilling  Group does
ideas of most ideas to not work
others; able without compromis together
to negative e  One person
compromis comments;  Few does all the
Cooperation 30% e able to members work
 All compromi contribute
members se
contribute  Some
members
contribute
 Shows  Shows  Unsure of  Portrayal
confidence some responsibili stalls
Presentation 30%  Informativ confidence ty  Lacks
e  Presents  Somewhat information
 Entertainin some informative  Audience
g; engages informatio  Engages bored

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

audience n audience  Mumbles

 Speaks  Engages intermittent  Body
loudly and audience ly language is
clearly  Can be  Hard to lacking;
 Appropriat heard hear inappropriate
e use of  Some use  Some
body of body movement
language language
Source: ThoughtCom.Com

Feedback

Use the Role Play you have performed to answer the worksheet below:

Question Answer
1. In your activity who is the
sender? The receiver?

2. What message did you convey/

get in the process?

3. What channel did you use in

conveying your message?
What channel was used to get
your message?

4. Are you successful in

conveying/getting your
message? Why or why not?

5. Which of the model of

communication did you use in
your activity?

6. How did you feel when you

were able to convey your
message and you got the
desired feedback?

7. What will you do in order to

improve your giving and
getting a message?

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

Topic 4: Communication Principles

Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:
1. explain the seven principles of communication, and
2. point out how these principles of communication can be achieved.

Presentation of Content

Communication is the essence of human life and society. People are engaged in
communication most of the time. It is then important to make communication
effective. Communication becomes more meaningful if it is:

Source: https://expertprogrammanagement.com/2018/04/7-cs-
communication/

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

Application

Read a news and identify at least three qualities of communication contained in

that article. Then, explain how these qualities of communication were achieved.

Feedback

Read the Editorial below and explain how the seven Cs of communication are
achieved:

Editorial:

Giving in to China
from: www.philstar.com

THERE IS certainly no doubt now that China’s invasion of the West Philippine
Sea is unstoppable. The defeatist stance of the Duterte administration fuels and
further emboldens China to occupy the atolls and reefs with the installation of
military facilities that can only be dismantled with might which the Philippines
does not have.

The conflict in South China Sea, in which the Philippines named West Philippine
Sea as within its Exclusive Economic Zone, involves China, the Philippines,
Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia. The impasse had become longstanding and,
worse, is turning into a powder keg, so to speak. The controversial waterway’s
strategic importance cannot be ignored as an international waterway where some
$5.3 trillion worth of goods move through the sea every year, according to the
United States Department of Defense.

Aside from being a strategic maritime territory, the South China Sea is estimated
to hold 10 percent of the total global fisheries, 11 billion barrels of oil reserve,
and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas deposits.

With its booming economy and skyrocketing demand for raw materials for its
industry, China cannot give in to other claimants of the South China Sea other
than declaring war where the victor gets the spoils.

Looking forward to its economic expansion, China declared in 1947 the

demarcation 9-dash line territory of the South China Sea which almost claimed
for itself the 3.5 million square-kilometer total area.

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

In 2012, the standoff between China and the Philippines happened in the
Scarborough Shoal which displayed China’s might and effectively took away the
Philippines’ control over it. With no other way to contest its claim, the Philippine
filed case before the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration. Philippine
won the case in 2016 with the ruling that essentially dismissed as illegal China’s
self-imposed 9-dash demarcation line as illegal.

Two years after the Philippine victory over the declared 9-dash line of China and
then presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte’s theatrics to jet ski to Scarborough
Shoal to plant the Philippine flag there, China has almost completed the
militarization of the area in the West Philippine Sea with its facilities installed.

Todate, China has already occupied the atolls and reefs the Philippines once
claimed before the aggressive invasion of China of the South China Sea using the
9-dash line demarcation.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque tried to put the blame on the previous
administration of President Benigno Aquino III by saying that “the Aquino
administration did nothing” about the creeping invasion of China in the West
Philippine Sea. Roque obviously ignored that the previous Aquino administration
was persistent in pursuing its claims over the West Philippine Sea which resulted
in the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling in our favor.

We cannot go to war with a superpower like China. But being in the international
community of nations, there are other ways to resist invasion and bullying by
more powerful nation. But with the attitude and stance of President Duterte
kowtowing to Chinese officials, like they are his bosses, no diplomatic protest had
been lodged against China.

Contrary to Roque’s putting the blame on the previous Aquino administration, the
Duterte administration is the one giving in to China, backtracking the gains
achieved by the Philippines’ claim over the West Philippine Sea handed by the
Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016. What we can see in the way President
Duterte handles the issue in the West Philippine Sea is his allegedly treasonous
gesture of surrendering a part of our national patrimony without a whimper of
protest while it is being shamelessly being usurped right before our very eyes.

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

Topic 5: Ethics in Communication

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

a. tell what communication ethics is;
b. explain how ethics in communication can be achieved, and
c. enumerate ways of avoiding violations of ethics in communication.

Presentation of Content

Ethics is an integral part of communication. When we communicate, we do not

simply choose words; we choose words for the effect they will have on our
audiences, on ourselves, and ultimately, on society. Also, we choose the manner
of communication because sometimes “what matters is not what you say, but how
you say things.” Thus, when we communicate, we ask ourselves how harmful or
helpful our words and our ways are.

Considerations in Ethical Communication

(Johansen, 16)

1. Ethical Communicators are Respectful of Their Audience.

Communication is a two-way process. The communicator must consider
the audience ideas and feelings during the interaction.

2. Ethical Communicators Consider the Consequences of their Communication.

Every communicator must bear in mind that the ultimate aim of
communication is to promote the common good. Communication must be
set in a way that conflict is reduced or eliminated.

3. Ethical Communicators Respect the Truth.

A great deal of the ethics of communication involves a respect for truth.
Indeed, as one has put it, upholding the truth is the very concept of
communication itself: "an inherent end of speech is the communication of
belief" (Kupfer 118). If we cannot trust the other party, we cannot
accurately judge how to respond. If we cannot accurately judge how to
respond, then our communication becomes increasingly ineffective.

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

4. Ethical Communicators Use Information Properly.

Communicators have the responsibility to give and acquire adequate and
accurate information. As an ethical communicator, a respect for truth
means being informed on a topic before posing as any kind of authority on
the subject. We also need to consider the accuracy of the information and
the accuracy with which we use it. When we communicate, we expect
people to react in some way to what we say and do. When we use
inaccurate information to influence others, we cause difficulty for them
and for ourselves.

5. Ethical Communicators Do Not Falsify Information.

Worse than the distortion of information is falsifying information. Failing
to find information useful to our goals, we make it up. This is a form of
cheating; therefore, it should by all means be avoided.

6. Ethical Communicators Respect the Rights of Others to information.

A respect for truth and an ethical consideration of others also means
respecting the rights of others in regard to information and access to
information. Collecting information is an integral part of the research
process, but stealing information is theft, taking something that does not
belong to us. Beyond the personal act of theft, stealing information is
unethical because it prevents other people from securing information and
unnecessarily makes their lives more difficult.

Application

I. Group yourselves into five and discuss how do you maintain the ethics in
communication in the following situations:

1. Social media posts

2. Academic research
3. Classroom lectures and reports
4. Officers’ meetings
5. News reports

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

Feedback

1. Have you ever violated an ethics of communication? If you had, relate your
experience and tell how are you going to avoid the same mistake in the future.
If you haven’t, then explain what you did in order to avoid ethical issues in
communicating with others.

Summary
In this chapter you have learned the Communication Process, Principles and
Ethics. You have discovered the importance of communication in the different
aspects of your life like in your family, in your community, in your school and in
even in your work place later on. It is also emphasized in this chapter that verbal
and non- verbal communication are both needed in achieving effective
communication. It is very important to note that participants of the
communication process must consider the Seven C’s which are Clarity of
thoughts, Conciseness, Coherence, Completeness, Concreteness, Correctness and
Courtesy. Lastly, this chapter introduced to you the Ethics of communication
which reminds you of the standards that you have to practice when participating
in a communication process.

Reflection

You are done with the first chapter of this module. Kindly go back to the
activities and lessons you have taken in this chapter and answer the following
questions. Limit your answers for each question to 5-7 sentences only.
1.Which of the topics in this chapter you had like/disliked most? Why?
2. Which of the activities in this chapter did you enjoy the most/the least? Why?
3. Which topic/topics in this chapter are you likely to share with others?

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 Unit 1: Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

References
Montano-Harmon M.R. (2014) Developing English for Academic Purposes,
California State University, Fullerton
Manzano, B.A., Arador, MVP and Ladia MAp (2018). Purposive Communication
for College Freshmen. St. Andrews Publishing House, Plaridel, Bulacan
https://www.lanecc.edu/llc/speech/ethical-communication
https://ethiccomm.weebly.com/ethical-communication.html
https://expertprogrammanagement.com/2018/04/7-cs-communication
https://expertprogrammanagement.com/2018/04/7-cs-communication/
www.ThoughtCom.com

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