SPEECH AND THE SPEECH COMMUNICATION PROCESS: AN OVERVIEW
NATURE OF THE SPEECH COMMUNICATION
SPEECH – ITS NATURE AND FUNCTIONS
- Is a God given faculty which sets apart human beings from animals.
- Were able to communicate our thoughts, ideas, desires and feelings.
- Is the vehicle for personality development.
- Is a way of self-expression without brush or pen.
SPEECH COMMUNICATION
- is the process of sharing meaning through audible and visual codes such as voice, facial expression, gestures, movement, posture.
STEPS IN THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
External noise
Internal noise
sights, sounds and any other distractions in the environment like passing of an attractive man or woman, nonstop catcalls or cigarette smoke in a crowded room;
Semantic noise
unintentional meanings caused by certain symbols, ethnic slurs, profanity and vulgar speech like “his woman” where “woman” is misinterpreted as ‘mistress’.
distractions within the communicators such as physiological or biological noise like hearing loss or illness and psychological noise daydreaming or worrying; and/or
- The communication process begins with the presence of a stimuli like a idea, a news item or a positive or negative remark or comment that activates the sensory processes of a person.
- The stimulus is forwarded to the brain`s nerve fibers which recognize the event and whose perception is affected by the senders experience, environment and culture
ELEMENTS OF SPEECH COMMUNICATION
SPEECH COMMUNICATION AS A PROCESS
As a process, communication exists in time and changes constantly.
PARTICIPANTS - are the communication who are both senders and receivers. As senders, they encode their thoughts and feelings into messages through verbal symbols and nonverbal behavior. As receivers, they decode the received messages and behavior and react to them.
CONTEXT - refers to the interrelated conditions of communication.
It consists of such factors:
Physical Milieu Social Milieu
Psychological Milieu Cultural Milieu Historical Milieu
MESSAGES
are meanings or ideas and feelings that are enclosed and sent by means of verbal and nonverbal symbols then received and decoded into one`s own ideas and feelings.
Noise
CHANNELS
are the means of accessing the messages whether via the VISUAL CHANNEL (which refers to light-the light waves that carry the nonverbal symbols such as facial expressions, gestures, movements) or via the AUDITORY CHANNEL (which refers to sound - the sound waves that carry the verbal symbols such as words and vocal cues like tone, rate, pitch, volume).
Feedback
Physical Milieu
Historical Milieu
where the communication takes place, the time of day, the environmental conditions (like temperature, lightning, and noise level), distance between or among communicators and setting arrangements;
The background provided by previous communication incidents between or among the communicators and which affects understandings in the current exchange.
Social Milieu
the nature of relationships existing between or among the communicators (what and how messages are formed, shared and understood would depend on whether the interaction takes place among members, friends, work associates and strangers);
signifies verbal and/or verbal responses to messages like murmurings or asides, nods and/or facial expressions.
Psychological Milieu
Cultural Milieu
Beliefs, values and norms shared by a large group of people (interaction is very much easier with someone of your own race and with one who has adapted to imbibed your culture); and
Communicators’ moods and feelings (the same joke that amuses you when in a bantering mood makes you explode angrily when in a hostile mood);
Means distractions that interfere with the accurate transmission and reception of a message.
These obstructions can be any or all the following:
- External Noise
- Internal Noise
- Semantic Noise
- The speaker speaks in proper sequence to transmit the message. Pressure waves are created and muscles either tighten or relax which causes the hands to move.
- The message is heard and the speaker`s gestures are seen by the receiver who acts and senses. The visual and auditory nerves are triggered by the speaker`s message and this evaluation will determine his or her response.
- The receiver decodes the received message from sound to language and encodes own message from thoughts to words. The language that the receiver will use must be comprehended by the sender. The receiver then becomes the sender.
- The senders thoughts are being encoded into words or language symbols. These words should be the same language the listeners knows and understands. But if the sender perceives that the receiver wil not understand his or her language and will find it offensive, then it must be rephrased or the words must be rearranged into a more appropriate language.
- The speaker is now ready to say aloud what he or she thinks by "externalizing" thoughts through channels.
- The receiver`s response is carried by wave lengths to the first speaker.
- The first sender receives the receiver`s response, evaluates and reacts to the message using the same channel and the same manner of interchange. This is feedback and this goes o until both parties fell that the purpose of communication is fulfilled.