Communication/Activities

This photo of the Al Jazeera English Newsdesk is in the Doha headquarters. Credit: Wittylama.

Communication is the activity of conveying information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast distances in time and space. Communication requires that the communicating parties share an area of communicative commonality. The communication process is complete once the receiver has understood the message of the sender. Feedback is critical to effective communication between parties.

The goal of this page is to prompt students to think about how the media of communication limit the nature of what people can and cannot communicate to each other.

Types of communication

Communication can be classified into various types based on different criteria. Here are some common types of communication:

1. Verbal Communication: This involves the use of spoken or written words to convey messages. It includes face-to-face conversations, phone calls, presentations, speeches, interviews, letters, emails, and other written documents.
2. Nonverbal Communication: Nonverbal communication refers to the exchange of information without the use of words. It includes body language, facial expressions, gestures, posture, eye contact, tone of voice, touch, and even the use of physical space.
3. Visual Communication: Visual communication involves the use of visual elements to convey information, such as graphs, charts, diagrams, maps, photographs, videos, symbols, and illustrations. It's particularly effective for presenting complex data in a clear and concise manner.
4. Written Communication: This type of communication involves the exchange of information through written words. It includes emails, letters, memos, reports, manuals, newsletters, articles, and any other text-based documents.
5. Interpersonal Communication: Interpersonal communication occurs between two or more people and involves the exchange of thoughts, feelings, and information. It encompasses face-to-face conversations, phone calls, video calls, and any other form of direct interaction between individuals.
6. Group Communication: Group communication involves communication among members of a group or team. It can take place in various settings, such as meetings, brainstorming sessions, workshops, conferences, and group discussions.
7. Mass Communication: Mass communication involves the transmission of messages to a large and diverse audience through mass media channels, such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines, websites, social media, and advertising.
8. Digital Communication: Digital communication refers to the exchange of information using electronic devices and digital technologies. It includes emails, text messages, instant messaging, social media platforms, video conferencing, and other online communication tools.
9. Formal Communication: Formal communication follows established rules, procedures, and protocols within organizations. It includes official announcements, reports, policies, procedures, and other communications that adhere to organizational hierarchies and structures.
10. Informal Communication: Informal communication occurs spontaneously and without following formal channels. It includes casual conversations, gossip, rumors, social interactions, and other informal exchanges of information within organizations or social groups.

These types of communication can overlap and intersect in various ways, and effective communication often involves a combination of different methods depending on the context and purpose of the communication.

Theoretical communication

Def. a "concept or state of exchanging data or information between entities" is called communication.

Communication media

Def. a "conceptual barrier to effective communication, that occurs when people who speak different languages attempt to communicate with each other" is called a language barrier.

Def. an "electronic communication medium that allows the transmission of real-time visual images, and often sound" is called television.

Def. a "technology that allows for the transmission of sound or other signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves" is called radio.

Def. a "publication, usually published daily or weekly and usually printed on cheap, low-quality paper, containing news and other articles" is called a newspaper.

Def. any "set of computer networks that communicate using the Internet Protocol" is called an internet.

Communication in software

A second goal is to prompt students to think about the way that communication technology (and software in particular) is playing an increasingly important role in providing the mediums of communication and to ask students to ponder the impact of technological decisions on communication.

Explorations and Activities

This section may be well served by the Software Freedom/Controlling Communication Activity.

Alternatively, the following related activities or explorations might help the students explore and discover the key concepts in this section. Each is framed in terms of the key questions it raises.

Activity: Designing Communication

An activity or discussion around an actual communications technology that has been intentionally designed to prevent a certain type of use.

Some good examples include Digital Rights Management technologies that prevent copying or types of copying. Questions to raise in discussion might include:

• Was the design of the system fair or unfair? Why?
• Whose interests were being served by the design in question? Whose interests were not being served?
• If students could redesign the system, how would they do so?

This might also involve an experiment that prompts the users to modify an existing communication program on their computer (e.g., through the creation of "filters"). This might be as simple as an email filter that hid, redirected, or changed incoming messages. It might also be a filter for the IM client that made a superficial or meaningful change. It could be something more complex as well.

Students would then be asked to share their projects with each other and reflect on issues that each one raised:

• What is the purpose of the filter? What is the effect? Are these different?
• Would these systems make it easier or more difficult for people to communicate with you?
• How might these filters affect the way you understand messages?
• In what ways might your understanding of a message be different than the intention? Is this a problem? Why or why not?
• Would you use this filter? Why or why not?

Exploration: Communication Control and Censorship

An activity that prompts students to compare any previous background or reading they have done in the area of censorship with the idea of network filtering or more "innocent" changes to communication technology that alter the terms on which students communicate.

Key concepts

Student could walk away from this section with:

• An understanding of the way that medium can effect messages being communicated.
• Knowledge of the power of communication technology (and computer software in particular) to control and limit the spread and the message of information.
• A feeling for the way the interests of individuals and organizations -- for better or for worse -- can be reflected in the technologies and have a meaningful effect on what is and is not communicated and how.
• An understanding of the student's role in relation to this technology and a feeling that they are not completely passive observers
• The various methods of communication that affect civic discourse and how media can be leveraged to influence political decisions.

Hypotheses

Main resource: Hypotheses

1. Successful communication prevents destructive conflict.
2. Effective communication leads to better collaboration.

See also

• Communication skills

Further reading

• Donnelly, E., & Neville, L. (2008). Communication and interpersonal skills. Cromwell Press: United Kingdom.
• Lawrence Lessig's Code is Law: And Other Laws of Cyberspace
• Richard Sclove's Democracy and Technology

External links

• VoIP activity group - Interactive learning resource for hands-on experience with Voice over Internet Protocol systems