SPCOM204 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Centrality

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Speech Communication
• Course: SPCOM204
• Professor: Jen Doyle

Document Summary

1. the study of how humans communicate with each other: communication is fascinating but it is also deceptive and challenging leadership, power, responsibility teamwork, criticality, conflict, getting things done on teams and in broader organizations. All of these are inherently topics of communication, which link to business, our careers and other facts of life. Helps us recognize the breadth and depth of research influenced by numerous disciplines. Helps us make sense of personal life experiences. Communication is : situated (institutional and historical, based in expectations, affected by power differentials, potentially ethical and unethical, with material outcomes. Defining communication can be challenging there are many different conceptualizations. Communication is a social process where individuals employ symbols to establish and interpret meaning in their environment. We are always communicating; however, we are not always in control of the outcomes of our communication. Meaning making is a critical, inescapable outcome of communication; thus, we should be aware of our word choices.