Elements of Professional Communication

Professional
Communication
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
(FOR NOW)

SLH1013 - Professional English

Friday, October 05, 2012

Quote, Unquote

You can’t give what you don’t have.”
- Anonymous

By anonymous



It’s Not What You Say
 Why this course is important
 What you may know: What you want to say.
 What you may not know: How to say it in the most effective way
 Effectiveness 1: The attention that you want
 “Communication is about content and delivery, fifty-fifty. But
when it comes to leadership, it's all about the delivery. Of course
what you say matters, but how you say it, how you relate to folks,
is what differentiates great leaders from the pack.” (Tobak, 2011)
 Effectiveness 2: The results that you want
 “That means you can have innovative ideas, indeed you must, but
if you can't deliver them in a way that connects with people and
relates to them in a meaningful way, you won't get results.”
(Ibid.)
Practical example and explanation are at www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-28247949/its-not-what-you-say-but-how-you-say-it/ . This is related to writing effectiveness ("The entire point of communication
Friday, October
is toSLH1013 - Professional English
communicate. This point seems frequently forgotten... Remember: Write for your audience.... the method that works is to be tactful about it, not blunt.) at www.critters.org/whathow.html . 05, 2012

THE PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION PROCESS
8 ELEMENTS

1

40 COMPONENTS
7
28

DETERMINERS

6

STEPS

4 QUESTIONS

RESPOND

SENDER
or SOURCE

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

ACTIVE PURPOSE:
MOTIVE, INTENTION
PASSIVE CONTAINER:
DATA, INFORMATION

FEEDBACK

NEED  IMPORTANCE  URGENCY
TRANSLATE  CREATE
MEANING  RELATE to NEEDS
 TEXT  SUBTEX T CONTEXT

2
5

MINDSET  ABILITY  FORM  ACCESS

LANGUAGE
LETTERS
VOCABULARY
NUMBERS
CHARACTERS SPELLING
GRAMMAR
GRAPHICS
PUNCTUATION
SPACES
SYNTAX

MEANING
CONFIRM

CONFIRMATION
4

PARTS
STRUCTURES
HIERARCHY
MARGINS
ALIGNMENT
INDENTIONS

CLARITY  ACCEPTABILITY 
STANDARDIZATION

RECEIVE

INK, on PAPER

RECEIVER

MEDIUM
3

 SPEED of TRANSFER  PRESERVATION of CONTENT
 TIMELINESS or TIMING  CONFIRMATION of
TRANSFER  CONFIDENTIALITY  SECURITY

2

 SYMBOLS  CODES  FORMATS

or MEANING

7

TO ENTERTAIN
TO PERSUADE
TO PRESERVE
TO PUSH TO ACTION
TO INFORM
TO INFLUENCE
TO EDUCATE

ENCODE

MESSAGE

DECODE

 NOISE  INTERVENING
VARIABLE  INTERFERENCE

 TARGET  NON-TARGET
NUMBER: INTRAPERSONAL 
INTER PERSONAL PUBLIC 
MASS COMMUNICATION

DESIRE

SEND

CHANNEL

SOUND on TAPE
MOTION on FILM

UNI- or MULTIMEDIA on DATA STORAGE DEVICE
 PRINT  AUDIO 
ELECTRONIC 
MULTICHANNEL

 SPOKEN  PRINTED or
DRAWN  PERFORMED or
ENACTED  LIVE or RECORDED

3

4
ARE - Professional English
SLH1013THE TARGET RECEIVER’S

 NEEDS  POSITION or functions  and EXPECTATIONS determiners or not?

1

ELEMENTS
 The eight elements of professional

communication are your guide to
understanding the complete process.
 Missing a required element can result
in unprofessional communication, in
miscommunication, or in partial or
complete communication failure.


COMPONENTS
 The forty components of professional

communication determine whether the
receiver understands and believes your
message.
 Missing a required component can
result in misunderstanding, in nonbelief, or in both, and therefore in
communication failure.


STEPS
 The seven steps of professional

communication determine the success
of transferring your message to your
target receiver.
 Missing a step can result in nondelivery, and therefore result in
communication failure.


DETERMINERS
 Determiners are elements that affect the

elements, the components, and the steps of
communication.
 Determiners determine whether your
communication is of an professional or
unprofessional quality.
 Failure to consider a determiner can affect
the receiver’s decoding, thus resulting in
miscommunication.


QUESTIONS
 The four questions can help you save

time and effort.
 These questions help you decide where
to focus on your target audience.
 Creating a message that focuses on a
target receiver’s needs is not required
in all of the seven steps.


Step One: DESIRE

1. ORIGIN: SENDERS AND SOURCES
2. ACTIVE PURPOSE: MOTIVE, AND INTENTION
3. PASSIVE CONTAINER: DATA, AND INFORMATION
4. DETERMINERS: THE SEVEN PURPOSES OF

COMMUNICATION



Origin of the Message
SENDER

SOURCE

 Active

 Passive

 With intention

 Repository only

 Sender sends

 Receiver seeks

 Sender makes

 Receiver finds

meaning for receiver


meaning for self


A Sender’s Active Purpose
MOTIVE

INTENTION

 Hidden or implied

 Clearly stated

purpose or reason
 May be different
from intention
 Receiver may guess
the hidden motive

purpose or reason
 May be different
from motive
 Receiver can
understand the
stated intention



Types of Messages
DATA

INFORMATION

 Not structured

 Code is structured

 Needs to be

 No need for

translated
 Not understood by
receiver
 Meaning created by
receiver

translation
 Understood by
receiver
 Meaning created by
sender



THE SEVEN FUNCTIONS OF
COMMUNICATION

7 Reasons for Communicating
1.
2.

3.
4.

5.
6.

7.

Entertaining To elicit a receiver’s willing suspension of
disbelief; to help the receiver forget reality for a while
Persuasive - To convince a receiver to change a belief or
mind-set
Preservative - To record an event, information, or data
for posterity
Quantifying - To elicit and measure a receiver's reaction
or output
Informative - To effectively transfer information to a
receiver
Affective - To modify or change a receiver’s attitude,
tendency, or feeling about something
Educative - To transfer information and skills, at the
same time creating positive affect



1. TO ENTERTAIN
To elicit a receiver’s willing suspension of disbelief; to forget reality for a while

Entertaining

Not Entertaining

 A dramatic movie

 A documentary film

 A soap opera on

 A weather report on

radio
 A romantic novel
 A joke about life on
campus

radio
 A math textbook
 A speech about
campus safety



2. TO PERSUADE
To convince a receiver to change a belief or mind-set

Persuasive

Not Persuasive

 Advertisement

 Advertisement

showing white teeth
 Receiver’s
mindset is
different
 Receiver’s belief is
modified or
changed


showing toothpaste
 Receiver’s
mindset is the
same
 Receiver’s belief is
the same

3. TO PRESERVE
To record an event, information, or data for posterity

Preservative

Not Preservative

 Taking a picture of

 Giving a lecture

native costumes
 The data is
preserved for
others to access in
the future

about native dress
 The data is
presented for
access at present


4. TO MEASURE REACTION
To elicit and measure a receiver's reaction or output

Quantifying

Non-quantifying

 Asking a patient to

 Telling a patient to

open his mouth for
a thermometer
 The receiver must
react
 The output can be
measured

go to stop worrying
 The receiver may
or may not react
 The output cannot
be measured

5. TO INFORM
To effectively transfer information to a receiver

Informative function

Non-informative

 Telephone directory

 Fiction novel

 News broadcast

 Joke book

 Menu

 An abstract

 Recipe

painting
 A speech in an
unknown language

 Road signs
 Free samples


6. TO MODIFY AFFECT
To modify or change a receiver’s attitude, tendency, or feeling about something

Affective

Non-affective

 A low grade for a

 Making a funny

low quiz score
 Improving the taste
of food
 Endlessly repeating
an advertisement
 Punishing a crime

joke
 Recording an event
on camera
 A series of tests
with the same level
of difficulty



7. TO EDUCATE
To transfer information and skills, at the same time creating positive affect.

Educative

Non-educative

 Teaching essay

 Memorizing past

writing and praising
a well-written final
essay
 Increasing the
difficulty of
succeeding lessons

historical events for
a quiz
 A series of tests
with the same level
of difficulty



FINAL NOTE
A message that
entertains while, at the
same time, delivering
information is more
effective than a message
that delivers only
information.


Communication is
more professional
when a message can
effectively deliver
more functions.


Step Two: ENCODE

1.
2.

3.

4.
5.
6.
7.

ENCODING, DECODING, AND SYMBOLS
SYMBOLS: LETTERS, NUMBERS, CHARACTERS, AND
SPACES
CODES: LANGUAGE, VOCABULARY, SPELLING,
GRAMMAR, PUNCTUATION, AND SYNTAX
FORMATS: PARTS, STRUCTURES, HIERARCHY,
MARGINS, ALIGNMENT, AND INDENTIONS
MEDIA: PAPER, TAPE, FILM, DATA STORAGE DEVICE
DETERMINERS: CLARITY, ACCEPTABILITY,
STANDARDIZATION
DETERMINERS: SPOKEN, PERFORMED OR ENACTED,
LIVE OR RECORDED



Encoding, Decoding, and Symbols
 To encode is to translate an idea into a

physical form while to decode is to
translate symbols into meaningful
ideas.
 Symbols are characters that are used to
record meaning; codes refer to the
arrangement of symbols in order to
create meaning


ENCODING
The use of symbols to translate an idea or concept into physical form

Symbols
 Characters
 Letters

(a, Z, y)
 Numbers (3, 1, 0)
 Signs ($, {}, =, !)
 Spaces

Codes
 Spelling
 Grammar
 Syntax
 Punctuation
 Spacing
 Indention



CODES
 Language – Formal, informal
 Vocabulary - Academic, technical, business
 Spelling – The arrangement of letters to form

words that have meaning.
 Grammar - The arrangement of words to
form sentences that have meaning.
 Syntax - The correct arrangement of words to
create well-formed sentences.
 Punctuation – Signs and conventions to start,
end, pause, join, separate, or identify ideas.


FORMATS
 To format is to arrange symbols in codes in

order to clarify or emphasize meaning.
 Formats are conventions that guide the
arrangement of the parts of a message; the
purpose is to clarify the meaning of the
message.
 The use of professional formats indicate
the sender’s level of education.


Definitions: FORMATS
 Alignment – Arranging the first letters of each

line of text to form a straight line
 Left-align – The first letter of each line are all
in a straight line on the left side of the paper.
 Justified – The first and last letters of each
line are all in a straight line on both sides of
the paper.
 Indention – The number of spaces between
the margin and the first line of the paragraph


BLOCK
FORMAT
All lines are
begin on the left
side
All paragraphs
are aligned on
the left and right
sides



MODIFIED
BLOCK
FORMAT
All lines are
begin on the left
side, except for
date and
signature.

All paragraphs
are aligned on
the left and right
sides


INDENTED
FORMAT
All lines are
begin on the left
side, except for
date and
signature, and
the first line of
each paragraph.
All paragraphs
are aligned on
the left and right
sides


MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY
 Media are materials on which symbols can

be recorded (medium is singular while
media is plural).
 Another meaning of media: a technology
that is used for transmitting messages.
 Paper, for instance, is a medium that can
be used for recording as well as a
technology for transmitting messages.
 Technology refers to any human invention
that can be used for any practical purpose.


TYPES OF MEDIA
1. Paper medium – uses ink on paper to
record ideas
2. Tape medium – records sound on sound
tapes
3. Film medium - records motion, lights,
shadows, and sound on video tape or
movie film
4. Data storage device – records data,
information, or multimedia in digital
format on flash drives (USBs) or disk
drives.


DETERMINERS
 Determiners are elements that affect the

elements of communication.
 For instance, your choice of a medium
depends if the message is live or recorded;
spoken, performed or enacted.
 Professionalism depends on how these
determiners affect the effectiveness of a
message.
 For instance, the clarity, acceptability, and
use of standard codes and formats in a letter
make the message more effective.


Determiners of Media and Channel
 Live presentation – electronic media,

projector; speech on amplifier
 Recorded presentation – voice or
action on tape
 Spoken message – voice on amplifier
 Written message – ink on paper
 Enacted or performed message – same
as live presentation


Determiners of Professionalism
 Clarity – simplicity, zero ambiguity, clear

and understandable to the target receiver
 Acceptability – codes and formats are
acceptable according to the target reader’s
culture, position or function
 Standard codes and formats – codes and
formats are standard in the profession,
among people with formal education


Step Three: SEND
CONFUSING: SEND, RECEIVE, TRANSFER
2. CONFUSING: CHANNEL, MEDIUM, AND
MEDIA
3. MEDIA: PRINT MEDIA, AUDIO MEDIA,
ELECTRONIC MEDIA
4. DETERMINERS: SPEED, CONTENT
FIDELITY, TIMELINESS, CONFIRMATION
OF DELIVERY, CONFIDENTIALITY,
SECURITY
1.



SEND, TRANSMIT, and TRANSFER
 To send is to move a message in physical

format (letter, roll of film, or photos) from
Point A to Point B.
 To transmit is to move a message in
electronic (email, SMS) or sound (voice
tape, voice mail) format from Point A to
Point B.
 To transfer is to move meaning or skill
from sender to receiver.


RECEIVE and DECODE
 To receive is to take, accept, experience

(read, hear, see) or welcome something.
 To decode is to create meaning by
translating a set of symbols in codes.
 In formal communication, the next step
is to find relevance by relating to
personal needs or context.


CHANNEL, MEDIUM, and MEDIA
 Media are materials that can be use to

record symbols or technology that can be
used to transmit messages. The word
medium is singular; media is plural
 A channel is a person, procedure, or
technology that can be used to move a
message from Point A to Point B.
 Person:

secretary, messenger, assistant
 Procedure: application procedure
 Technology: email, telephone, electronic


Print, Audio, & Electronic media
 Media can refer to technology for recording

and/or for transmitting messages.
 Print media refers to books, magazines, and
newspapers.
 Audio or sound media refers to radio stations,
telephones, sound recorders and players
 Electronic media refers to electronic mail,
SMS (short message service), and phone calls
via computer (i.e., Skype)


Determiners of Professionalism:

DELIVERY

1. SPEED, TIMELINESS, & CONFIRMATION

2. CONTENT FIDELITY AND SECURITY
3. CONFIDENTIALITY



Speed and Timeliness
 Speed of Delivery – When a message is

time-sensitive, delayed delivery can
result in communication failure.
 Timeliness or timing – When a
message arrives at a time when it brings
the answer to a receiver’s need, then it
is timely. When a message comes at a
time when it is not needed, that is bad
timing.


Confirmation and Content Fidelity
 Confirmation of Delivery – When

delivery is confirmed by the receiver or
a representative, it serves as proof of
delivery, although not of decoding by
the target receiver.
 Fidelity of Content – When the delivery
process does not affect the message,
then content fidelity is preserved.


Security and Confidentiality
 Security of Content – When the message is

delivered to the target receiver without
being seen by non-target receivers, then
the delivery is secure.
 Confidentiality – When unwelcome effects
can result from non-target receivers who
see the message content, then the message
should be kept confidential. (See security.)


Step Four: RECEIVE

CONFUSING: RECEIVE, UNDERSTAND
2. RECEIVER: TARGET OR NON-TARGET
3. NUMBER = TYPE: INTRAPERSONAL,
INTERPERSONAL, PUBLIC, OR MASS
COMMUNICATION
4. DETERMINERS OF DELIVERY –PHYSICAL OR
ELECTRONIC FORM
5. DETERMINERS OF ACCESS – AVAILABILITY OR
CONNECTIVITY OF RECEIVER
1.



Target and Non-target Receivers
 A target receiver is the person or group

that the sender expects to see the
message.
 A non-target receiver is any person or
group that the sender does not expect
to see the message.



Types of Communication by Number
 Intrapersonal Communication– when a

person communicates with the self.
 Interpersonal Communication– when a
person communicates with a very small
group.
 Public Communication - when a person
communicates with a larger group.
 Mass Communication - when a person
communicates with an extremely large group
whose members are located in various places.


Determiners of Delivery
 Physical Form
 Printed

messages may be more secure than
electronic or voice messages.
 However, electronic messages can be
transmitted faster and cheaper than print
messages.
 Electronic Form
 Electronic

and voice messages can be
transmitted faster printed messages.
 However, anyone with the appropriate skills
can access any electronic message.


Determiners of Receiver Access
 Availability
 A receiver may be present but too busy to receive a
printed message, or to answer a phone or an email.
 A receiver’s phone or computer may be connected,
but the receiver is not available for
communication.
 Connectivity
A receiver’s phone may be unreachable or the
receiver’s computer may not be connected.
• A professional communicator anticipates such
problems to ensure successful message transfer.


Step Five: DECODE

MESSAGE VS MEANING
2. NEED, IMPORTANCE AND URGENCY
3. TRANSLATE, CREATE MEANING, RELATE TO NEEDS
4. NOISE, INTERVENING VARIABLE, & INTERFERENCE
5. TEXT, SUBTEXT, AND CONTEXT
1.



Message VS Meaning
 Message – A message is a set symbols

that is arranged into a code to record
meaning on a medium.
 Medium – A medium is used to carry
meaning from sender to receiver
 Meaning – The sense (ideas that are
revealed) when the code is decoded
(understood) by the receiver


Text, Subtext, and Context
 Text – are the words that are used to

create meaning.
 Subtext – are meanings that are not
stated but are implied enough to be
understood by the reader.
 Context – are elements around that
affect any element of communication.


Noise
 Noise – in communication, noise is anything

that interferes with the transfer of
information.
 Intervening variable –any noise that is not
deliberate. It can be distracting element in a
context. Example: the speaker’s nationality
prevents listeners from believing his speech.
 Interference – any noise that is deliberately
created to stop the transfer of information.
Example: A boy sings loudly so that his sister
cannot hear the radio.


The Decoding Process
 Encode – to use symbols to record

meaning
 Decode – to translate symbols in order to
create meaning
 Translate

– to change from one code
(language) to another
 Create meaning – to understand
 Find relevance – to relate the meaning of a

message to the needs of the receiver



Decoding Speed
 Decoding – means understanding or making

sense of a code
 Perceived need – Decoding a message is
faster when the decoder sees a strong need to
do so
 Perceived importance – Decoding a message
is faster when the decoder sees the message as
of high importance
 Perceived urgency – Decoding a message is
faster when the decoder sees the message as
of high urgency


Step Six: RESPOND

RESPONSE AND FEEDBACK
SPEED OF RESPONSE



Response and Feedback
Response

Feedback

 A response is any

 A feedback is a

reaction to a
message
 This may be verbal
or nonverbal
 This may or may not
be expressed

verbal response to
the sender, related
to specific elements
in the message
 This may be spoken
or written



Response Speed
 The speed of a response depends on
 The

time required to decode the message
 The receiver’s perception of urgency or nonurgency of the message
 The receiver’s perception of importance or
non-importance of the message
 The receiver’s perception of need or non-need
to respond to the message
 The receiver’s ability to quickly respond to the
message


Step Seven: CONFIRM

AGREEMENT
REPETITION
CORRECTION
ANSWERING A QUERY
PROVIDING DETAILS



How to Confirm
 Answer a query – That will be tonight at

eleven p.m.
 Repeat the information – Yes, the shoes
are red, size 34.
 Agree to a response – Yes, you are right;
the president will attend.
 Correct a response – The dress code is
casual, not formal.
 Provide details – Aside from that, all
guests are free to use the mall facilities.


STRUCTURE & HIERARCHY

WHAT IS STRUCTURE?
2. WHAT IS HIERARCHY?
3. HOW IS THIS RELATED TO
COMMUNICATION?
1.



What is structure?
 Structure is the way parts are arranged

in order to function as a whole.
 Hierarchy is the arrangement of parts
according to importance.
 Companies and organizations have
structure and hierarchy.
 Communication within a company is
affected by structure, and by hierarchy


List of Resources
You don’t miss
the water till
the well runs
dry.


Types of business letters from
 www.ehow.com/info_8252910_four-types-business-letters.html
 http://www.ehow.com/list_6762210_different-types-business-letters_.html
 http://www.ehow.com/info_8252910_four-types-business-letters.html
 http://www.ehow.com/list_7438829_common-types-business-letters.html
 http://www.ehow.com/info_7883179_various-types-business-letters.html
 http://www.ehow.com/info_7883179_various-types-business-letters.html
 http://www.ehow.com/list_6862771_types-business-letters-technicalwriting.html
 http://www.ehow.com/about_5417482_types-letters.html
 Parts of a letter from www.ehow.com/list_6758940_different-letters_amp_amp_-skeleton-parts.html
 Letter layouts from http://bizcovering.com/employment/cover-letter-layoutsamp-samples-for-reference/
 http://bpc.digitalbrain.com/bpc/web/mock%20courses/L2%20COM%20RP/pag
e_07.htm
 How to write letters for international purposes: http://ecpmlangues.ustrasbg.fr/cover-letters-layout.html


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