Communication Assists with Person Perception
Not only does communication allow youto make human connections, but it also
assists in collecting data about other people. Personal experience reveals that when
you meet someone for the first time, gathering information about that individual is
necessary and begins immediately. That information serves two purposes. First, it
enables you to learn about the other person so that you may better understand
the messages they are producing. Second, it assists in deciding how to present your-
self to that person. These judgments affect everything from the topics selected to
talk about to whether you decide to continue the conversation or terminate it.
This information, collected from both verbal and nonverbal messages, is essential
in intercultural communication because in many instances you are dealing with
“strangers.”Communication Establishes Cultural and Personal Identities
Communication does much more than help gather information and meet your
interpersonal needs. It is crucial in establishing your personal identity, since you
are born into this world without a sense of self. As Wood notes,“Self is not
innate, but is acquired in the process of communication with others.”^3 Wood is
declaring that through contacts with others, information is accumulated
that helps define who you are, where you belong, and where your loyalties rest.
Identities are not only dynamic but also multidimensional. You have numerous
identities, including concepts of self, emotional ties to family, attitudes toward
gender, and beliefs about your culture. Regardless of the identity in question,
notions regarding all your identities have evolved during the course of interac-
tions with others. So important is identityto the study of intercultural communi-
cation that Chapter 7 will examine the link between identity and intercultural
communication.COMMUNICATION HAS PERSUASIVE QUALITIES
This function suggests that communication allows you to send verbal and nonverbal
messages that can shape the behavior of other people. In this sense your ability to
communicate allows you to exercise a degree of control over your environment. If
you take a moment to reflect on the activities of a normal day, you will discover
that you engage in innumerable situations intended to influence others. They may
include selling products at work, asking someone for directions when lost, soliciting
a higher grade from a professor, or rallying a group of friends to work for a charitable
cause. In all of these instances you are using communication as a means to regulate
the world around you.
Having reviewed the purposes of communication, we are ready to define commu-
nication and to discuss some of its basic principles.Communication Has Persuasive Qualities 27Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).