Francine Alyssa F.

Galicia April 15, 2020

GE 5 - D

Assignment 1: Elements of Communication

1. How is communication defined in the video?

According to the video, communication is the transmission, interpretation, and exchange of

information. The exchange occurs between two or more parties.

2. What types of communication are mentioned? How do they differ? Cite examples from the video
and from your own observations and experiences.

The video talked about two kinds of communication: verbal and nonverbal. Verbal
communication is defined by an exchange of words and sounds between/among the parties
communicating. In the video, it is demonstrated in the way one caveman talked to another about how he
chased a saber-toothed tiger to feed the kids in the cave. Also, it happens whenever students present their
reports in front of the class or whenever people speak with each other over the phone.

On the other hand, nonverbal communication happens through the use of nonverbal or ocular
cues which could include, but not limited to, body language, gestures and motions, and facial expressions.
The video presented an example of which the caveman, rather than using spoken language, painted the
walls of the cave to communicate his story. Another example would be the fidgeting of a person that
could communicate the idea of him/her being anxious or nervous. Also, a mere wink could pass off as a
nonverbal form of communication even though it can be interpreted in many ways, depending on the one
receiving the wink.

3. Answer the last question posed at the end of the video “Do you consider the interaction with a
computer, [real] communication?” Justify your answer/s.

I do think that interacting with a computer can be within the concept of communication. Such
interaction fits the definition of communication in the video. It also utilizes the different elements of
communication, which makes it a form of communication. It may deviate from the usual person-to-person
communication that we are accustomed to but it functions in the same way.

Whenever one interacts with a computer, an exchange takes place between the user and the
machine. The user inputs his/her command. This is then transmitted through various hardware and
software devices which ultimately allows the computer to interpret the command through due processing.
Any result given by the computer is then sent to the user’s senses by way of the hardware devices. This
simple interaction represents the idea of communication. There is a transmission, exchange, and
interpretation.

Furthermore, from the aforementioned example, it can be understood that the basic elements of
communication are very much evident whenever a person interacts with a computer. There is the
sender/receiver represented by the user and the machine. There is also the message which comes in the
form of input commands made by the user. The channel/medium can come from various ways, may it be
through typing using a keyboard, clicking with the mouse, or sometimes even through verbally speaking
to the microphone. In a one-way process, the feedback is the output given by the computer to the user
through flashing messages on the screen, executing the command and displaying it on the monitor, or
providing results through the speaker. In terms of context, the communication process between user and
computer could be affected by the type of computer and its specifications as well as the environment
surrounding the user as he/she interacts with the machine. Noise can also occur such as when the
computer connection/signal gets disrupted or when a user fails to understand technical terms presented on
the computer screen (a form of jargon). Finally, the frame of reference involves the knowledge gap
between the user and the computer. There may be instances wherein the user, with his/her own
experience, would anticipate a certain result but the computer, being limited to its built-in programs, may
not match the expectation of the user in terms of output.

Looking at it closely, interacting with a computer is not much different from the way people
communicate with one another. It just represents a more technologically advanced way of communication
that defines our modern world of today. There may be no facial expressions or body language involved
but the concept of communication is still manifested. And with the continuous development and
innovation taking place in this generation, computers that can perform nonverbal communication may not
be an impossibility, if not yet achieved as of current.
Francine Alyssa F. Galicia April 15, 2020
GE 5 - D

Reference(s):

Difference Between Verbal And Nonverbal Communication eNotes Editorial, 18 Jan. 2011,
https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/difference-between-verbal-non-verbal-communication-237441.
Accessed 15 Apr. 2020.