Human communication is a complex transactional process
that involves the generation, transmission, receipt, and interpretation
of verbal
and nonverbal signals. Effective small group communication is about sharing
enough meaning that group members can coordinate their efforts to complete
the task of the group.
Human communication is necessarily an inexact process
because it is a complex symbolic, personal, transactional, and often an
unintentional
process. Messages always include both content and relationship dimensions.
Relationship-level meaning involves responsiveness, liking, and power messages.
Several myths help perpetuate misunderstandings about its process.
Computer-mediated communication poses special issues
for group members if social presence is to be created and maintained in
net conferencing.
During a communication transaction, a sender encodes
a message by putting it into words and nonverbal signals; a receiver then
decodes the
message by hearing it, interpreting it, and responding to it. Noise, or
interference with understanding meaning, can occur at any time. Thus, understanding
is facilitated
through feedback.
Listening is a complex process that involves both hearing
and, more important, accurate interpretation.
People have four general listening preferences: action-oriented,
content-oriented, people-oriented, and time-oriented.
Several specific pitfalls to listening include focusing
on irrelevancies, pseudolistening, sidetracking, silent arguing, premature
replying,
and defensive listening.
Active listening, when a listener paraphrases what the
speaker has just said and asks for confirmation, facilitates mutual understanding.
