Instructor Wrap Up - Trenholm Chapter 4

Encoding Messages: Spoken Language 

Language gives us the power to affect and persuade others.  But language also exerts power over us.

Yesterday we looked at chapter 3 in the course text:  Decoding Messages:  Listening and Perception.  Today we are going to focus on the Spoken Language.  

The goals of this chapter are as follows:

1). Identify four important characteristics of language.

2). Explain what a symbol is.

3). Explain the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and give examples of ways language affects thought.

4).  Identify and describe the four subsystems of language.

5). Explain the four levels of context described in CMM theory.

6). Describe how private discourses differ from one another.

7). Name the functions of conversational closings.

8). Identify differences between men's and women's communication.

9). Explain how ambiguity, abstraction, and metaphor use affects our interactions.

The chapter starts out by defining language.  According to your text, "language can be defined as a rule-governed symbol system that allows its users to generate meaning and, in the process, to define reality."

Page 68 covers the four important characteristics of language:

1). It is made up of symbols

2). It is a kind of knowledge

3). It is rule governed and productive

4). It affects the way we experience the world

Moving onto the second goal of the chapter - symbol..  The book states it best, so I'll skip over this area of the chapter in this post.  However, it's important that you understand the concepts within this section, so don't skip over it.   I'll wait while you go ahead and read that section.

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I'm waiting for you to finish.

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Good, are you done now?  Perfect, let's move on.  ;)

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, or the linguistic relativity hypothesis, basically says that thoughts and behavior are determined by language. (Do a simple google search for either or both terms, and see what you find.  It's fascinating!!!).  

In short, the book describes it as two correlating ideas:  1). Linguistic determinism, and 2). Linguistic relativity.  Both are very interesting to read about, especially if you have done a 3 minute google search on the idea.  There are a lot of differing opinions surrounding this idea. 

Next we come to the four subsystems of language.  The four subsystems are:

1). Phonology

2). Semantics

3). Syntactics

4). Pragmatics

Table 4.2 on page 75 briefly describes these ideas.  The text, pages 74-78 has great explanation of these ideas.

The text then moves onto something called CMM theory.  CMM theory means Coordinated Management of Meaning Theory.  Basically, this theory "provides a framework for understanding how individuals use context to assign pragmatic meaning.  CMM theorists believe that to communicate successfully, we must take into account four levels of context: episode, relationship, life script, and cultural pattern."  While this theory is interesting, it's not where I want to camp for a few minutes. Between this theory and where I want to camp is the idea of discourse.

The next section covers different forms of discourse, and covers a number of different topics such as:
*Understanding conversation
*Describing classroom interaction
*Dimensions of discourse
*Interactive discourse
*Coordinating conversational moves
*Conversational closings
Very interesting stuff if you ask me.  But go ahead and read it for yourself.  You'll see.  :)


Where I want to camp for a little while is Language and Social Identity.  This section starts on page 85, and covers Gender and Language.  One of your dicsussion questions this week focuses on this area of the chapter.

The question I posed was this: "Do you agree that men and women use language in different ways?  In what areas?


I'm brilliant for posing that question, aren't I?  ;)  Honestly though, isn't this a fascinating idea?  This section covers an introduction to Gender and Language, then moves onto a discussion of The Development of Gender Differences, Research on Gender and Communication, Problems in Interpreting Gender Differences, and finally, Adapting to Gender Differences.  

Gender and Communication (or language and your book states), is fascinating.  Just look at Table 4.5 on page 89.  How cool is the information presented in this table? 


When you are sitting around with your friends, these are the types of things you can whip out in conversation at any moment. 


"Hey Mike, did you know that women tend to talk more about private matters than men do?"


"No Sabrina, I didn't know that.  I mean, I assumed that was the case, but I wasn't sure that was true."


"Yeah, it's true, and I've got the research to prove it.  Let's look at my Comm 105P book together so I can show you.  And by the way, isn't my Comm 10 instructor the coolest?"


Kidding about that last part, but you see where I'm going with this section.  Gender and language, such a cool idea to study.


I hope you liked this chapter as much as I did.  I'm kind of a geek about ideas like this. 


Until tomorrow......
The Blogging Prof.

Instructor Wrap Up - Trenholm Chapter 3

Decoding Messages:  Listening and Perception

Listening is the forgotten part of communication, yet being able to listen well is one of the most essential communication-related skills.

Chapter 3 is an interesting chapter.  It's all about listening and perception, as the title states.  Listening is an interesting concept because as Comm majors, we've probably learned about listening numerous times.  But let's look at some of the more useful and interesting points in this chapter.

Page 42 starts out by explaining the definition of listening, which is "the process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages".  

Let's break this down a little:

Listening is "...the process of receiving..."......  we receive both verbal and nonverbal messages on a continual basis.  This can be in the form of a conversation, lecture, phone conference, etc....  There are many ways one can receive a message, wouldn't you agree?  But for the sake of this conversation, let's use a dyadic interaction as our basis.  When we have an interaction with another person, listening is a crucial part of the conversation.  Not just 'listening', but 'active listening'.  It is an active process.

Have you ever had a conversation with a person when you know they aren't listening to you?  Or better yet, they don't understand what you are trying to convey. This can be incredibly frustrating.

The next part of the definition is "...constructing meaning...".  What can we extrapolate based on these two words?  We construct, or build meaning based on what the other person in the conversation is saying.  How do we do that?  Through filters, through our personal life experience, and through our past interactions with the person we are having an active conversation with.  We actually construct, or build meaning!  The meaning that we build may, or may not be what was intended.  

Have you ever had someone misinterpret what you were saying?

And finally we come to the last part of the definition:  "...and responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages." As we already are aware, communication is not just verbal, rather a combination of verbal and nonverbal messages.  The meaning of a statement can change drastically with tone of voice, facial expression, body language, etc...  So we must take both verbal communication and nonverbal communication into consideration when contemplating the definition of listening.

On page 42, it also talks about the difference between listening and hearing.  The book states that "Hearing is a physiological process that occurs when sound waves are translated into electrical impulses and then processed by the central nervous system.  Listening, on the other hand, is a social cognitive process."

These two are incredibly different. 

I won't reiterate everything the book covers, but there are some great ideas contained within the chapter.

For instance, page 44 starts a conversation about The Listening Process.  It would be incredibly easy to breeze through these pages, but resist the urge to skip through them.  The listening process is easy to grasp, so take some time to really absorb the material that is being given.  

Table 3.1 on page 45 is a great thing to review.  Very useful information.  

The rest of the chapter is fantastic.  It covers ideas like:

Voluntary and Involuntary Attention

Improving Attention

Interpretation

Using Cognitive Schemata

Becoming More Mindful

Improving Interpretation

Evaluation

Just to name a few......

Look out for another post tomorrow.

Until then......

The Blogging Prof.

Grades have been updated in BB

Hello Fabulous Students,

I have entered grade into BB for the following items:

Discussion Week of Sept. 10-16

As a reminder, it is your responsibility to check your grades often (at least once a week), and email me if you have any questions.

Have a great day everyone!
:)
The Blogging Prof.

Week of September 24 - 30

Hello Folks!

Here is what is listed on the Participation Page from BB for this week. The schedule for the entire semester, and the discussion questions for the entire semester are listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages, respectively. In case you do not want to wait for the "Monday Post", you are more than welcome to get started by looking at those two pages on BB.

Due this week:
*Read Chapter 3 - Decoding Messages:  Listening and Perception
*Read Chapter 4 - Encoding Messages:  Spoken Language
*Participate in the discussion (see questions below)
*Public Speech Critique Due: on assignment #1 - Please email me your Public Speech Critique Paper by Sunday, Sept 30th by 11:59pm.  Please submit the paper to the class google email address.
*Write Journal #1:  Please download Journal #1, read through the assignment sheet and write the short essay assignment. (Journal entry #1 is not due this week, however, all journal entries should be completed within the week I assign them).


Discussion Questions:
Answer one question in its entirety in each of your three separate posts, at least 12 hours apart. Please make sure you are creating a NEW POST for each question on your blog. You MUST WAIT at least 12 hours from the first post in order to create a second post. The same is true for the second and third post. I will record dates and time of your posts, so make sure they are at least 12 hours apart. EACH POST MUST BE 150 WORDS OR MORE. Each post is worth a maximum of 5 points.

1). Is it possible to perceive others without in some way judging or categorizing them?  If so, how?  If not, how can we make the judgments we do make more fair?

2). Do you agree that men and women use language differently?  In what areas?  Discuss this in detail.

3). Pick one concept from Chapter 3 or 4, not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

Comments - Remember to post ONE comment ON THREE DIFFERENT BLOGS between 12:01am on Monday and 11:59pm on Sunday. This means that you will log onto MY BLOG at: http://sierracomm10.blogspot.com/ to see a list of your colleagues blogs. Click on those blogs, read what was posted for this week and respond. You need to make sure you are responding to only what was discussed THIS WEEK (starting Monday and ending Sunday of the current week). Comments posted to blogs that were NOT within this week will not be counted for points. Each comment must be a minimum of 100 words and is worth a maximum of 3 points.

Note about comments: When you leave a comment on another blog, make sure you are logged into your blogspot account. In other words, you will need to make sure your "Display Name/Alias Name" shows up on the blog you are commenting on. I record the locations, dates and times of your comments. Please keep record of your posts and comments in case there I have questions about where they are located.

Week of September 17 - 23

Hello Folks!

Here is what is listed on the Participation Page from BB for this week.

NOTE: The schedule for the entire semester, and the discussion questions for the entire semester are listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages, respectively.  In case you do not want to wait for the "Monday Post", you are more than welcome to get started by looking at those two pages on BB.

Due this week:
*Read Chapter 10  - Preparing and Presenting Public Speeches
*There is no discussion this week
*Quiz on BB - Chapters 9 & 10 (the quiz will be available from Tuesday through Saturday).
*Assignment #1 is due by Sunday, September 30th @ 11:59pm.  Please look out for a post to my blog this week with submission instructions.

Reminder:  I hold office hours of Tuesday's and Thursday's from 10am to 11am on Yahoo Messenger.  I can also chat with students over the phone during that time, or at your convenience.  We can always make an appointment to chat over the phone in case you need clarification about something in the class.  And of course, I'm always available through email.

Grades have been updated in Blackboard

Hello Fabulous Students,

I have entered grade into BB for the following items:

Discussion Week of Sept3-9

I normally will not email you individually regarding your grades.  It is your responsibility to check your grades often (at least once a week), and email me if you have any questions.

Have a great day everyone!
:)
The Blogging Prof.

Instructor Wrap Up - Trenholm Chapter 9

Public Communication 

Public communication does not belong to only the famous; - every day, all over the country, average people stand up and speak to audience and, in doing so, make a difference. pg. 234

This phrase is the very basis of the course project you are currently working on.  Public Communication - it's about much more than organizing, writing and presenting a speech.  It is truly about making a difference as the quote about states.  

After reading chapter 9, you should be able to:

1). Explain characteristics and purposes of communication in the public sphere.

2). Know the social functions and personal consequences of public communication.

3). Explain why it is important to understand audience beliefs, attitudes, and values.

4). Understand how credibility, attractiveness, and power enhance speaker effectiveness.

5). Use the Toulmin model to diagram and evaluate an argument.

6). Give examples of authoritative, motivational, and substantive appeals.

7). Distinguish arguments from cause, sign, generalization, and analogy and identify the kinds of fallacies associated with each.

This chapters starts out by defining Public Communication.  It is a one-to-many form of communication wherein a single speaker addresses a large audience.  

Applicability - We may not recognize all of the ways in which we engage in public communication.  However, for the Public Speech critique assignment, I have asked you all to find a public presentation to evaluate.  Chapter 9 will help to inform your essay, based on the speech that you observe, analyze and evaluate.  You will then use Chapter 9, among other chapters in the course text to inform your paper.  (Using quotes from this and other chapters in the text, etc... then draw conclusions).  I will post more about this another day.

The book then moves onto a discussion about Social Functions of Rhetoric.  Here are some examples from the text:

*Discovering Facts

*Testing Ideas

*Persuading Others

*Shaping Knowledge

*Building Community 

*Distributing Power

Applicability - When you write your Public Speech Critique paper, you should consider some of these concepts.  What was the purpose of the speech you observed?  Does it fit into one of these categories?  I won't go into too much detail for fear of being redundant with the course text, but you can read more about these on page 238-239.

Page 240 moves onto a discussion about Evaluating Public Communication.  Does this ring a bell?  If not, it certainly should.  This is what your first paper is all about - evaluating, analyzing, critiquing, observing, etc... a public presentation.  Consider the following sub ideas in the text:

Physical setting

Medium 

Occasion

History as context 

Rhetorical Situation

These ideas can greatly affect a public presentation.  If we were in a f2f (that's face-to-face) classroom setting, we would probably have a lengthy discussion about how each of these can influence the message of a speaker.  

Applicability - If you review the assignment sheet, it asks you to choose concepts to cover in your essay.  The ideas above are all on there.  ;)  

The text then moves to a discussion about The Audience-Speaker Relationship (pg 242).  Wow, this is a cool section.  I'm going to geek out about this for a second........

The Audience-Speaker Relationship, as written in your course text is quite important.  There are a number of different facets that are involved in this.  

Audience Attitudes and Change

Beliefs

Attitudes

Values

Source Characteristics and Audience Response (logos, pathos, ethos)

Internalization, credibility, identification, attractiveness, compliance, power

And on and on and on......  But get this - these are things that can greatly influence an audience.  How do these things relate to the public presentation you are going to observe, or have observed for the coming project? 

The book then moves onto the Toulmin Model on pages 250-251.  You can read a bit about Stephen Toulmin by clicking on his name.  Here is a comprehensive explanation of the Toulmin Model as noted by About.com.  In short, this model has a number of different steps.  Your book outlines these steps as:

1). Claim (what the speaker wishes the audience to accept)

2). Qualifier (indicates the strength of the claim)

3). Data (audience members want data to support claims)

4). Warrant (connecting link between data and claim is called the warrant)

5). Backing (additional evidence)

6). Rebuttal or Reservation (this is a statement of the conditions under which the claim does not hold true)

Page 252 does a great job of explaining how to use the Toulmin Model in everyday argumentation.

Applicability - Can you figure out the steps of the Toulmin Model in the Public Presentation you are observing for the first project?  Since quite a few of you are observing a church service to fulfill the requirements of this assignment, it would be particularly interesting to see if you can break down a church service into a manageable explanation?  This is an interesting observation for a lot of folks when taking on assignment such as the one I have given you.  Public Presentations whether they are in a classroom setting, church, or otherwise, have some common components that we rarely evaluate or pay attention to. 

The text goes on to explain Types of Arguments.  

*Authoritative Argument

*Motivational Argument

*Substantive Argument

Can you classify which type of argument your public observation falls into?

What a cool chapter.  I know I'm a bit geeky about this chapter, but I really do love the idea and purpose of Public Communication.  I can't wait to see how y'all critically analyze your respective presentations.

Week of September 10 - 16

Hello Folks!

Here is what is listed on the Participation Page from BB for this week. The schedule for the entire semester, and the discussion questions for the entire semester are listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages, respectively. In case you do not want to wait for the "Monday Post", you are more than welcome to get started by looking at those two pages on BB.

Due this week:
*Read Chapter 9 - Public Communication
*Participate in the discussion (see questions below)
*Start working on assignment #1 - Public Speech Critique


Discussion Questions:
Answer one question in its entirety in each of your three separate posts, at least 12 hours apart. Please make sure you are creating a NEW POST for each question on your blog. You MUST WAIT at least 12 hours from the first post in order to create a second post. The same is true for the second and third post. I will record dates and time of your posts, so make sure they are at least 12 hours apart. EACH POST MUST BE 150 WORDS OR MORE. Each post is worth a maximum of 5 points.

1). Have you ever been influenced by a speaker?  Think of the best speaker you've ever heard.  What was it about that speaker that made his or her communication memorable?  Think of the worst speaker you've ever heard.  What do you remember about his or her message?

2). Consider a well-known speaker, for example, the current President of the United States.  What is this speakers strongest characteristics as a speaker?  Is it credibility, attractiveness, power, or all three?  In what ways could the speaker build ethos in these areas?

3). Pick one concept from Chapter 9, not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

Comments - Remember to post ONE comment ON THREE DIFFERENT BLOGS between 12:01am on Monday and 11:59pm on Sunday. This means that you will log onto MY BLOG at: http://sierracomm10.blogspot.com/ to see a list of your colleagues blogs. Click on those blogs, read what was posted for this week and respond. You need to make sure you are responding to only what was discussed THIS WEEK (starting Monday and ending Sunday of the current week). Comments posted to blogs that were NOT within this week will not be counted for points. Each comment must be a minimum of 100 words and is worth a maximum of 3 points.

Note about comments: When you leave a comment on another blog, make sure you are logged into your blogspot account. In other words, you will need to make sure your "Display Name/Alias Name" shows up on the blog you are commenting on. I record the locations, dates and times of your comments. Please keep record of your posts and comments in case there I have questions about where they are located.

Public Speech Critique Paper

Hello Brilliant Students,

I have been chatting with a few folks in the class about the Public Speech Critique Paper.  In past semesters I have required that students critique a speech that they attend in person.  However, it seems some folks are having a bit of an issue with finding public presentations to attend.  Therefore, you are permitted to watch a speech online if you'd like.  That means that you can watch the MLK speech, a speech from the Republican or Democratic National Conventions, or any other highly publicized speech that you find online.  A great place to look is the American Rhetoric website. 

No need to send me an email for approval.  With the change in speech types (online versus attending in person), I no longer need to approve your speech topic.

HOWEVER - please make sure that you include a link to the speech that you view on your reference page.

Have a great weekend everyone!
:)
The Blogging Prof.

Grades have been updated in Blackboard

Hello Fabulous Students,

I have entered grade into D2L for the following items:

Created Blog - this means that you created and sent me your information by the due date.  If you have received no credit for this item it is because you did not send me your information by the deadline.

Discussion Week of Aug 27 - Sept. 2 - This will be entered by tomorrow night at the latest.  Check back for an update.

I normally will not email you individually regarding your grades.  It is your responsibility to check your grades often (at least once a week), and email me if you have any questions.

Have a great day everyone!
:)
The Blogging Prof.

Instructor Wrap Up - Trenholm Chapter 2

Definitions, Models and Perspectives - Why do I care??????

 "Communication is a complex process that can be viewed in many ways." Pg. 17

You read through Chapter 1 last week, arguably, an incredibly interesting chapter!!!!  I know most people don't think about where current communication theory began, but being a Comm major (obviously), this chapter was incredibly interesting.  The same can be said for the current chapter in the Trenholm text.  What should you care about Definitions, Models, and Perspectives?

I'll tell you why - - - - in the most simple terms possible, because it provides context for the rest of the semester.  The chapters starts out on page 17 by giving you the origin of the word 'definition'.  It means "to determine, bring to an end, or settle".

We must first define communication in order to understand it.  However, by doing so, we immediately put boundaries on the concept.  The course text talk about how definitions can either be thought of as discoveries or constructions.  The Trenolm book takes the view that definitions are constructions.   This perspective lends itself to creativity.  Definitions as constructions is a definition that is useful - and there can be several definitions for a single phenomenon (see Table 2.1 on page 19).

Another way to understand Communication is to build models of it.  This discussion starts on page 22.  We must remember, however, that while models are useful to aid in our understanding, not all models are perfect.  They can be incomplete, and contain hidden assumptions.

When the assumptions we make about the phenomenon form a coherent set and embody a single philosophy, they are called perspectives.  The Trenholm text discusses four perspectives:
1). Psychological Perspective:  sees communication as message transmission.
2). Social Constructionist Perspective:  sees communication as a process of world building.
3). Pragmatic Perspective:  views communication as patterned interaction.
4). Cultural Studies Perspective: views communication as a tool for creating and maintaining power relations within cultures.

We can learn a great deal from each of these perspectives.  No matter one's perspective, a key to understanding communication is observing interaction, as our book states.



The Blogging Prof.

Week of September 3 - 9

Hello Folks!

Here is what is listed on the Participation Page from BB for this week. The schedule for the entire semester, and the discussion questions for the entire semester are listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages, respectively. In case you do not want to wait for the "Monday Post", you are more than welcome to get started by looking at those two pages on BB.

Due this week:
*Read Chapter 2 - Definitions, Models and Perspectives
*Participate in the discussion (see questions below)
*QUIZ on BB, Chapters 1&2.
*Email instructor for approval of your topic for the first paper:  Public Speech Critique (available for download from BB)


Discussion Questions:
Answer one question in its entirety in each of your three separate posts, at least 12 hours apart. Please make sure you are creating a NEW POST for each question on your blog. You MUST WAIT at least 12 hours from the first post in order to create a second post. The same is true for the second and third post. I will record dates and time of your posts, so make sure they are at least 12 hours apart. EACH POST MUST BE 150 WORDS OR MORE. Each post is worth a maximum of 5 points.

1). Consider the social constructionist perspective.  How do we "build worlds" through communication?  Think of some ideas we talk about in our culture that may not exist in other cultures.  How do these concepts contribute to our happiness or success (or the lack of these) in our culture?

2). Consider the pragmatic perspective.  Does it make sense to think of communication as patterned interaction?  How is communication like a game?  How is it different from a game?

3). Pick one concept from Chapter 2, not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

Comments - Remember to post ONE comment ON THREE DIFFERENT BLOGS between 12:01am on Monday and 11:59pm on Sunday. This means that you will log onto MY BLOG at: http://sierracomm10.blogspot.com/ to see a list of your colleagues blogs. Click on those blogs, read what was posted for this week and respond. You need to make sure you are responding to only what was discussed THIS WEEK (starting Monday and ending Sunday of the current week). Comments posted to blogs that were NOT within this week will not be counted for points. Each comment must be a minimum of 100 words and is worth a maximum of 3 points.

Note about comments: When you leave a comment on another blog, make sure you are logged into your blogspot account. In other words, you will need to make sure your "Display Name/Alias Name" shows up on the blog you are commenting on. I record the locations, dates and times of your comments. Please keep record of your posts and comments in case there I have questions about where they are located.

Trouble Commenting?

Hello Folks,

If you have trouble commenting on posts, please follow these directions:

1). Make sure you are using Firefox as your web-browser (download HERE)
2). Open up Firefox as your web-browser and log into your blog.
3). Open a new tab in the web-browser and link to my blog, and start reading other students blogs (student blog tab is at the top).  Once you have found a blog you want to comment on, click "comment" below the post.
4). Type in your comment and then click on the drop down menu where it says "Comment As".
5). Choose "Google Account"
6). Since you are already logged into your blog in one of the open tabs, you should have no problem seeing your comment.

You can certainly experiment by leaving a message on one of my blog posts if you'd like.
:)
The Blogging Prof.