Читать книгу The Communication Playbook - Teri Kwal Gamble - Страница 219

Since intended meanings are not necessarily the same as perceived meanings, you may need to ask people with whom you are speaking questions such as “What do you think about what I’ve just said?” and “What do my words mean to you?”

Their answers serve two important purposes: They help you determine whether you have been understood, and they permit the other people to become involved in the encounter by expressing their interpretations of your message. If differences in the assignment of meaning surface during this feedback process, you will be able immediately to clarify your meanings by substituting different symbols or by relating your thoughts more closely to the background, state of knowledge, and experience of your listeners.

Each of us has learned to see the world not as it is, but through the distorting glass of our words. It is through words that we are made human, and it is through words that we are dehumanized.

Ashley Montagu

Complete The Chapter 4 Checklist

 4.1 I can define language and explain the triangle of meaning. □Language is a unified system of symbols that permits a sharing of meaning. Language allows minds to meet, merge, and mesh. When we make sense out of people’s messages, we learn to understand people. As Ogden and Richards’s triangle of meaning illustrates, there is no direct relationship between words and things. Words do not “mean”; people give meaning to words.

 4.2 I can explain factors at work in the communication of meaning. □Among factors influencing the communication of meaning are differences between denotative and connotative meaning, the relationship between meaning and time, meaning and place, and meaning and experience, and whether language is concrete or abstract.

 4.3 I can identify barriers to meaning, including patterns of miscommunication. □Among factors contributing to confusion are the propensity for bypassing, labeling, evasive and emotive language use, and disagreements over politically correct language.

 4.4 I can discuss the relationship between culture and language. □Culture influences how we experience, process, and use language. In part, because language and perception are intertwined, language use varies from culture to culture. We see this in how culture influences the words we use, contributes to confused translations, and affects communication style.

 4.5 I can discuss the relationship between gender and culture. □Gender influences the experiencing, processing, and use of language. Language also influences the attitudes we hold about males and females, as well as how males and females perceive each other.

 4.6 I can explain how power affects language use. □Some people talk more powerfully than others, coming directly to the point, projecting opinions with confidence, and eliminating nonfluencies and fillers from their speech.

 4.7 I can explain how incivility affects language use. □Incivility in language use is on the rise. It is increasingly common for individuals to use profane language in their daily lives, including when at work, neglecting their responsibility to control impulses and adapt to their audience.

 4.8 I can analyze technology’s effect on language use. □How we communicate online frequently differs from how we communicate in person. Some people believe that the Internet is invigorating language, whereas others believe it is stripping language of its expressiveness.

 4.9 I can apply techniques for improving language skills. □We need to use common sense to recognize that certain styles of language are appropriate at certain times and in certain places. We also need to make ourselves as clear as possible by selecting words with meaning for our listeners and by taking into account their education level and the sublanguages they understand.