•Refers to the number of communicators and the setting in which the communication process happens.
Types of Speech Context
1. Intrapersonal – This refers to communication that centers on one person where the speaker acts both as the sender and the receiver of message. “The message is made up of your thoughts and feelings. The channel is your brain, which processes what you are thinking and feeling. There is feedback in the sense that as you talk to yourself, you discard certain ideas and replace them with others.” (Hybels & Weaver, 2012, p 16)
Examples:
You spent the night thinking and analyzing why a student from the other class talked to you on the way home and you decided it probably meant nothing.
You felt happy while thinking about how your teacher appreciated you for submitting your project before the due date and you reflected on why this was so.
2. Interpersonal – This refers to communication between and among people and establishes personal relationship between and among them. Solomon and Theiss (2013) state that “the inter part of the word highlights how interpersonal communication connects people… when you engage in interpersonal communication, you and another person become linked together… The personal part means that your unique qualities as a person matter during interpersonal communication…” (p. 5)
Types of Interpersonal Context
1. Dyad Communication – communication that occurs between two people
Example: You offered feedback on the speech performance of your classmate.
You provided comfort to a friend who was feeling down.
2. Small Group – This refers to communication that involves at least three but not more than twelve people engaging in a face-to-face interaction to achieve a desired goal. In this type of communication, all participants can freely share ideas in a loose and open discussion.
Example: You are participating in an organizational meeting which aims to address the concerns of your fellow students.
You are having a discussion with your group mates on how to finish the assigned tasks.
3. Public – This type refers to communication that requires you to deliver or send the message before or in front of a group. The message can be driven by informational or persuasive purposes. “In public communication, unlike in interpersonal and small group, the channels are more exaggerated. The voice is louder and the gestures are more expansive because the audience is bigger. The speaker might use additional visual channels such as slides or a Power Point presentation.” (Hybels & Weaver, 2012, p 19)
Example: You deliver a graduation speech to your batch.
You participate in a declamation, oratorical, or debate contest watched by a number of people.
4. Mass Communication – This refers to communication that takes place through television, radio, newspapers, magazines, books, billboards, internet, and other types of media.
Example: You are a student journalist articulating your stand on current issues through the school’s newspaper.
Addendum....
Example: You deliver a graduation speech to your batch.
You participate in a declamation, oratorical, or debate contest watched by a number of people.
4. Mass Communication – This refers to communication that takes place through television, radio, newspapers, magazines, books, billboards, internet, and other types of media.
Example: You are a student journalist articulating your stand on current issues through the school’s newspaper.
Addendum....
Intrapersonal communication involves one person; it is often called “self-talk.”Wood, J. (1997).Communication in Our Lives. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, p.22. Donna Vocate’sVocate, D. (Ed.). (1994).Intrapersonal Communication: Different Voices, Different Minds. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.book on intrapersonal communication explains how, as we use language to reflect on our own experiences, we talk ourselves through situations. For example, the voice within you that tells you, “Keep on Going! I can DO IT!” when you are putting your all into completing a five-mile race; or that says, “This report I’ve written is pretty good.” Your intrapersonal communication can be positive or negative, and directly influences how you perceive and react to situations and communication with others.
What you perceive in communication with others is also influenced by your culture, native language, and your world view. As the German philosopher Jürgen Habermas said, “Every process of reaching understanding takes place against the background of a culturally ingrained preunderstanding. ”Habermas, J. (1984). The Theory of Communicative Action (Vol. 1). Boston: Beacon Press, p. 100.
For example, you may have certain expectations of time and punctuality. You weren’t born with them, so where did you learn them? From those around you as you grew up. You learned from your family, or the group of people who raised you. What was normal for them became normal for you, but not everyone’s idea of normal, is the same.
When your supervisor invites you to a meeting and says it will start at 7 p.m., does that mean 7:00 sharp, 7-ish, or even 7:30? In the business context, when a meeting is supposed to start at 9 a.m., is it promptly a 9 a.m.? Variations in time expectations depend on regional and national culture as well as individual corporate cultures. In some companies, everyone may be expected to arrive 10-15 minutes before the announced start time to take their seats and be ready to commence business at 9:00 sharp. In other companies, “meeting and greeting” from about 9 to 9:05 or even 9:10 is the norm. When you are unfamiliar with the expectations for a business event, it is always wise to err on the side of being punctual, regardless of what your own internal assumptions about time and punctuality may be.
Interpersonal Communication
The second major context within the field of communication is interpersonal communication.Interpersonal communication normally involves two people, and can range from intimate and very personal to formal and impersonal. You may carry on a conversation with a loved one, sharing a serious concern. Later, at work, you may have a brief conversation about plans for the weekend with the security guard on your way home. What’s the difference? Both scenarios involve interpersonal communication, but are different in levels of intimacy. The first example implies a trusting relationship established over time between two caring individuals. The second example level implies some previous familiarity, and is really more about acknowledging each other than any actual exchange of information, much like saying hello or goodbye.
Group Communication
Have you ever noticed how a small group of people in class sit near each other? Perhaps they are members of the same sports program, or just friends, but no doubt they often engage in group communication.
“Group communication is a dynamic process where a small number of people engage in a conversation.”McLean, S. (2005). The Basics of Interpersonal Communication. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, p. 14. Group communication is generally defined as involving three to eight people. The larger the group, the more likely it is to break down into smaller groups.
To take a page from marketing, does your audience have segments or any points of convergence/divergence? We could consider factors like age, education, sex, and location to learn more about groups and their general preferences as well as dislikes. You may find several groups within the larger audience, such as specific areas of education, and use this knowledge to increase your effectiveness as a communicator.
Public Communication
In public communication, one person speaks to a group of people; the same is true of public written communication, where one person writes a message to be read by a small or large group. The speaker or writer may ask questions, and engage the audience in a discussion (in writing, examples are an email discussion or a point-counter-point series of letters to the editor), but the dynamics of the conversation are distinct from group communication, where different rules apply. In a public speaking situation, the group normally defers to the speaker. For example, the boss speaks to everyone, and the sales team quietly listens without interruption.
This generalization is changing as norms and expectations change, and many cultures have a tradition of “call outs” or interjections that are not to be interpreted as interruptions or competition for the floor, but instead as affirmations. The boss may say, as part of a charged-up motivational speech, “Do you hear me?” and the sales team is expected to call back “Yes Sir!” The boss, as a public speaker, recognizes that intrapersonal communication (thoughts of the individual members) or interpersonal communication (communication between team members) may interfere with this classic public speaking dynamic of all to one, or the audience devoting all its attention to the speaker, and incorporate attention getting and engagement strategies to keep the sales team focused on the message.
Mass Communication
How do you tell everyone on campus where and when all the classes are held? Would a speech from the front steps work? Perhaps it might meet the need if your school is a very small one. A written schedule that lists all classes would be a better alternative. How do you let everyone know there is a sale on in your store, or that your new product will meet their needs, or that your position on a political issue is the same as your constituents? You send a message to as many people as you can through mass communication. Does everyone receive mass communication the same way they might receive a personal phone call? Not likely. Some people who receive mass mailings assume that they are “junk mail” (i.e., that they do not meet the recipients’ needs) and throw them away unopened. People may tune out a television advertisement with a click of the mute button, delete tweets or ignore friend requests on Facebook by the hundreds, or send all unsolicited email straight to the spam folder unread.
Mass media is a powerful force in modern society and our daily lives, and is adapting rapidly to new technologies. Mass communication involves sending a single message to a group. It allows us to communicate our message to a large number of people, but we are limited in our ability to tailor our message to specific audiences, groups, or individuals. As a business communicator, you can use multimedia as a visual aid or reference common programs, films or other images that your audience finds familiar yet engaging. You can tweet a picture that is worth far more than 140 characters, and are just as likely to elicit a significant response. By choosing messages or references that many audience members will recognize or can identify with, you can develop common ground and increase the appeal of your message.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Communication contexts include intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, public, and mass communication.
EXERCISES
1. Please recall a time when you gave a speech in front of a group. How did you feel? What was your experience? What did you learn from your experience? If given a second opportunity, how would you approach the group differently?
2. If you were asked to get the attention of your peers, what image or word would you choose and why?
3. If you were asked to get the attention of someone like yourself, what image or word would you choose and why?
4. Make a list of mass communication messages you observe for a one hour period of time. Share your list with classmates.
G11 copy this.
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