What is communication?

What is Communication?

From :
http://www.natcom.org/nca/files/ccLibraryFiles/FILENAME/000000000157/Pathways%20Excerpt.pdf


Communication is a learned skill.
Most people are born with the physical ability to talk,but we must learn to speak well and communicate effectively. Speaking, listening, andour ability to understand verbal and nonverbal meanings are skills we develop in variousways. We learn basic communication skills by observing other people and modeling ourbehaviors based on what we see. We also are taught some communication skills directlythrough education, and by practicing those skills and having them evaluated.

Communication as an academic discipline relates to all the ways we communicate, so itembraces a large body of study and knowledge. The communication discipline includesboth verbal and nonverbal messages. A body of scholarship all about communication ispresented and explained in textbooks, electronic publications, and academic journals. Inthe journals, researchers report the results of studies that are the basis for an everexpandingunderstanding of how we all communicate.

Communication teachers and scholars, in 1995, developed a definition of the field ofcommunication to clarify it as a discipline for the public. That definition is now used bythe U.S. Department of Education in its national publication, Classification ofInstructional Programs, 2000:

The field of communication focuses on how people use messages to generatemeanings within and across various contexts, cultures, channels, and media. Thefield promotes the effective and ethical practice of human communication.

Why is Communication Important?

Oral communication has long been our main method for communicating with oneanother. It is estimated that 75% of a person’s day is spent communicating in some way.A majority of your communication time may be spent speaking and listening, while aminority of that time is spent reading and writing. These communication actions reflectskills which foster personal, academic, and professional success.

The National Communication Association collected and annotated nearly 100 articles,commentaries, and publications, which call attention to the importance of the study ofcommunication in contemporary society. Themes in the bibliography provide support forthe importance of communication education to: the development of the whole person;the improvement of the educational enterprise; being a responsible citizen of the world,both socially and culturally; and, succeeding in one’s career and in the business enterprise.2

A multitude of examples stem from these studies. The Wall Street Journal reported thefindings of a survey of 480 companies that found that employers ranked communicationabilities first among the desirable personal qualities of future employees (1998).3 In areport on fastest growing careers, the U.S. Department of Labor states thatcommunication skills will be in demand across occupations well into the next century.4 Ina national survey of 1000 human resource managers, oral communication skills areidentified as valuable for both obtaining employment and successful job performance.5Executives with Fortune 500 companies indicate that college students need bettercommunication skills, as well as the ability to work in teams and with people from diversebackgrounds.6 Case studies of high-wage companies also state that essential skills forfuture workers include problem solving, working in groups, and the ability tocommunicate effectively.7 When 1000 faculty members from a cross section ofdisciplines were asked to identify basic competencies for every college graduate, skills incommunicating topped the list.8 Even an economics professor states that, “. . . we areliving in a communications revolution comparable to the invention of printing . . . In anage of increasing talk, it’s wiser talk we need most. Communication studies might well becentral to colleges and universities in the 21st century.” 9

History of the Communication Discipline

The communication discipline has a long history of accomplishments, dating back forages. According to a well known communication scholar and educator:

The ability to speak clearly, eloquently, and effectively has been recognized asthe hallmark of an educated person since the beginning of recorded history. Systematiccomment on communication goes back at least as far as The Precepts of Kagemni andPtah-Hopte (3200-2800 B.C.). Under the label “rhetoric,” the study of the theory andpractice of communication was a central concern of Greek, Roman, medieval,Renaissance, and early modern education. In the United States, rhetorical training hasbeen a part of formal education since Harvard’s founding in 1636.10

Today, communication and its study are especially relevant. In the 21st century,contemporary society is increasingly diverse and communication is more complex.Modern day communication studies are keeping up with and, in most cases, stayingahead of the curve. Educators and researchers in the discipline are focusing their workand their courses on the challenges of communicating in a diverse and often computermediatedsociety. Many also are stressing the role of communication and citizenship in acivil and democratic society. Frequently, the communication discipline is referred to asthe “engaged discipline,” as a result of teachers’ and students’ participation in servicelearningprojects and researchers concern for community-based research on criticalsocial issues.11

What was once seen as the field of speech and rhetoric is now the discipline ofcommunication that includes communication in the workplace, in families, in massmedia, and in advertising, to name a few. Contemporary students of communicationdraw on theories and practices common in the fields of anthropology, psychology,sociology, linguistics, semiotics, and rhetoric. Students in broadcast communicationmake use of work in computer engineering for web development and streaming audioand video. Communication as a discipline, now includes interpersonal, small group,organizational, intercultural and international, public, mass, and mediatedcommunication. The study of communication considers how people communicate asindividuals, in society, and in various cultures.