The Basics of Speech

Chapter 2: Elements of Communication

Overview

Chapter 2 discusses the following essential elements of communication: verbal messages, nonverbal messages, individual perceptions, channels of communication, feedback, and context.

Verbal messages involve both the choice of words and the order of words in a sentence.

Nonverbal messages are expressed without words. How you are understood by others depends not only on the words you use but also on your appearance, facial expression, eye contact, posture, gestures, and voice, as well as on environmental factors such as space, time, and place.

Perception is the process of giving meaning to the information gained through the five senses. Because every person perceives the world differently, no two people interpret the same message in the same way.

A communication channel is the means by which a verbal or nonverbal message is sent through the use of the human senses.

Feedback is the verbal and nonverbal messages that speakers receive in response to their messages. Feedback may be positive or negative. Context is the setting and people that surround a message. Context provides the background that helps reveal the real meaning of a message.