Communication: How Do People Communicate?

Communication: How do people communicate?

SOC/110

Communication: How do people communicate?

Communication is something that we cannot live without. There are many different mediums of communication. But there are only two main kinds of communication. They are verbal and nonverbal. By learning to master them both, success is inevitable.

There are many different mediums of communication. They can be spoken face-to-face, emails, text messages, letters, or videos. The medium of communication will determine that type of communication. Verbal communication consists of the usage of words and language. Simply stated it is the words we use and how we use them. Verbal communication presents some challenges though. The use of abstract words is one of those challenges. Abstract words are words that you cannot see or touch. They involve feelings such as love, hate, like or dislike. These words mean different things to different people, so the use of those words presents that challenge that your audience may not truly understand your meaning. It is always better to use concrete words. These words involve things that you can see, hear, touch, smell or taste. They are definitive. These words are far clearer when communicating with other people.

Nonverbal communication is a horse of a different color. Nonverbal communication deals with the message pieces such as appearance, tone of voice, eye contact, and gestures. Appearance influences first impressions. We draw conclusions about a speaker by the way they look. A well-dressed individual will be thought to be well educated, of good social standing, trustworthy, and of good moral character. On the other hand, someone who is shabbily dressed will not be taken seriously. Perception shows that these people do not care about their appearance so they must not know what they are talking about. A certain tone of voice conveys many emotions. If your tone is loud and forceful, you are portraying anger or excitement. If you are soft-spoken, you are thought to lack confidence in what you are saying. Eye contact is crucial in communication. Eye contact shows attitude. Lack of eye contact is perceived