109 1.1 Defining Communication
We cannot not communicate in the presence of another person (Watzlawick & Beavin, 1967). This is a well-known idea among scholars and practitioners in the field of communication. Even if a person decides not to speak, others will interpret or assign meaning to the act of “not speaking.” So, what is communication? There are many definitions of communication. We offer two such definitions because they encompass ideas applicable to the different contexts in which we communicate. Professors Griffin, Ledbetter, and Sparks (2015) define communication as “the relational process of creating and interpreting messages that elicit a response” (p. 6). Professor Rothwell (2019) summarizes communication as a “transactional process of sharing meaning with others” (p. 12).
Both definitions include concepts such as transactional, messages, relationships, process, meaning, and response. Let’s review each of these terms next.
Communication is transactional means each person is both a sender and receiver simultaneously of messages (Rothwell, 2019). As you speak, you receive feedback from other listeners. You may even adjust how you speak or what you are saying based on the non-verbal cues’ listeners send.
Communication is a process, which means it is dynamic or often changing between and among people. For example, when you first meet someone called Joe at work or in the classroom, it is normative to ask each other questions to get to know each other. However, you may choose to share information with Joe at first and over time decide not to share information with Joe.
Communication is often seen as a relational process (Griffin et al., 2015). This is because human communication takes place between at least two people, and it may affect or change the nature of the relationship. You thought you were becoming friends with Joe who begins to snap at you when you approach each other. You then decide to stop trying to form a friendship with Joe.
Messages are a core part of communication. They may be verbal and nonverbal. Verbal messages includes the use of words and nonverbal messages include facial expressions, eye contact, personal appearance, tone of voice, gestures, touch, posture and the use of space and time (Rothwell, 2019). The verbal and non-verbal cues are largely symbolic in nature. A symbol represents a referent or thing/object/idea, it is not the thing, object, or idea itself. How a person interprets the meaning of the symbol will depend on the individual, their culture, and their understanding of the symbol. For example, the thumbs-up gesture could have different meanings depending upon the culture. For example, in the United States, the raised thumb means “way to go” (Martin & Nakayama, 2013) whereas it is the number “one” when counting in Germany (Wolters, 2017) and is an offensive gesture in Iran (Martin & Nakayama, 2013). How many non-verbal cues are present in Figure 1.1 that shows two people facing each other while talking.
Figure 1.1
Model of Communication
Source: This image was created using AI in Canva on 03/29/2025 by Karishma Chatterjee.
In addition to verbal and non-verbal messages, communication scholars also study texts (emails, tweets, social media posts etc.), images, audio, and videos as part of the data that communicates meaning.
Communication has two levels of meaning- content and relational (Watzlawick & Beavin, 1967). Meaning represents an understanding of what is occurring when people interact. Content level is “what is said,” whereas the relational level is “how it is said.” If your friend Sam says, “Will you lend me $50.00?”, the content level is the request and the relational level is how Sam says it including the tone of voice, eye contact, and body language or the use of emojis if it is a text message. How Sam presents this “Ask” depends upon the relationship you both share, for example the length of your friendship or the closeness of your friendship. Refer to Figure 1.1, if you had to guess what type of relationship Austin and Michael have, what would you infer based on the non-verbal cues in the image?
Response is the final piece in the process of communication. A message must elicit any cognitive, behavioral or emotional reaction in the intended audience for it to be considered communication (Griffin et al.). In other words, if a person doesn’t hear you even though you asked them a question, communication hasn’t occurred. Similarly, if your friend heard you ask them a favor and felt upset or obliged and then said yes or no are all instances of communication having occurred. Finally, communication occurs via both face-to-face (in person) and mediated channels (emails, social media etc.)
One of the major mistakes amateur communicators make is the claim that they are efficient in every type of communication. This is faulty logic considering the field of communication includes variety of content that is complex in nature. For example, while a person may be highly experienced in creative writing and poetry, they may struggle with writing a one-page rejection letter to a client. Since technical writing tends to be short, strategic, and to the point, it may require a different set of skills.
While engineering majors have the training and knowledge in technical information, students are continuing to struggle with communication related concerns as they transition to the workplace (Ford et al., 2021). We have designed this text to help students learn about communication and help them develop communication speaking and writing skills.
