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he challenge of acting is to create a believable character, to make audiences
think the fictional person on stage or on screen is a real person, in a real
situation. Of course, an actor must also be able to shed that character—and all
the associations that go with it—if he or she wants to go on to a successful career
with rich and varied roles. To do that, actors must constantly alter the way that
we consider, interpret, and understand who they are. In communication terms,
that means changing our perceptions.
We all have unique ways of perceiving ourselves, others, and the world
around us, and we communicate based on those perceptions. Perception is a
cognitive process through which we interpret our experiences and form our own
unique understandings. Those thoughts, or cognitions, influence how and what
we communicate to others. They also affect how we interpret others’ behaviors
and messages. Thus, understanding the role that perception plays in commu-
nication is crucial to our success as communicators. In this chapter, we explore
how our personal perspective on the world influences our communication, how
we make sense of our experiences, how culture influences our perceptions, how
we think about ourselves and others, and how these factors affect our communi-
cation behavior.Perception: Making Sense of Your World
It’s eight o’clock on a Wednesday night, and a roomful of singles are gathered at
an Atlanta hot spot for an interesting event: over the next hour and a half, each
woman will be introduced to no fewer than twenty eligible men. The problem:
she’ll have only three minutes with each. Every pair will divulge their first names,
perhaps their occupations, where they’re from, and why they’re there.
Speed dating is popular in many metropolitan areas in the United States,
England, and India. Organized by upstart companies that promise to screen
applicants and put together large groups of potentially compatible singles, the
event is arranged so that each person meets anywhere from ten to twenty poten-
tial mates. They spend usually less than ten minutes with each to see if there is
any “chemistry.” But how much can one person learn about another in just a few
minutes?
Actually, first impressions can generate quite a bit of information. Irina
might tell Adam that she’s twenty-nine, is a public relations executive, was born
in Milwaukee but has lived in Atlanta for seven years, and has a passion for film
noir. Adam might hear all this but also notice that Irina is tall and attractive,
that she makes steady eye contact, and that she has assertive mannerisms. This
information might lead him to draw conclusions; for example, “She’s probably
more successful than I am.” Adam might also notice that Irina is what he consid-
ers a “funky” dresser—she wears lots of brightly colored bead jewelry along with
her conservative business suit. This, and her mention of film noir, puts him off a
bit—he wonders if she’s an “artsy” type. His last girlfriend was into art and was
always dragging him off to gallery openings that he found painfully boring and
pretentious. He feels a little intimidated by Irina and decides that they probably
aren’t compatible.After you have finished
reading this chapter,
you will be able to
Describe how our per-
sonal perspective on
the world influences our
communication
Explain how we use and
misuse schemas when
communicating with
others
Define the attributions
we use to explain
behavior
Describe cultural dif-
ferences that influence
perception
Identify how our self-
concept—who we think
we are—influences
communication
Describe how our cogni-
tions about ourselves
and our behavior affect
our communication with
others
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T
chapter
outcomes