Dynamics Of Communication In A Live Event

Which communication theories that you have researched and applied, provide most insight into understanding the dynamics of the observed event?

Draw on the materials and subject matter of Module One and the skills developed through Module Two. With reference to at least three communication theories (or aspects of theories), analyse the communication event you have observed. In your essay compare and contrast the usefulness of the selected communication theories for analysing the event. Reference the essay correctly (using in-text referencing as well as a list of references at the end of your essay), in the style described by Summers and Smith (2010).

The live event observed is about a parent (mother) approaching a daycare centre along with her child to enquire about the fee structure, admission criteria, facilities, timings and other requirements to get the child registered in the daycare centre. The conservation revolves around the public relations manager, the mother and her 3-year-old daughter. A transactional model of communication and theories revolving around non-verbal communication and listening were most crucial in understanding the dynamics of the live event (West & Turner 2011). After observing the live communication event, it could be established that if the topic of the communication is important to the sender and receiver of the message mutually, it is most likely to take the shape of the transactional model of communication as the sender and receiver in the communication seek to mould a shared meaning out of the conversation (West & Turner 2011)

Sitting in the room across the Public Relations managers of the daycare centre, the room gave an aura of warmth and comfort. The manager wore a warm smile on her face and welcomed the parent with a courteous greeting. She then paid attention to the child and said hello. The first encounter among the participants of the communication event reflected the crucial role played by non-verbal communication in the process of communication, specifically interpersonal communication. It is observed by (Patterson 2011) the interpersonal effectiveness hold a greater impact than words. Non-verbal messages hold power to transform the sender and receiver of the message into a message. The non-verbal cues that are a part of a conversation, actually make two-third of the communicative value of a message. The relevance of non-verbal communication is so high that their interpretation by the receiver helps in deciding whether the ideas shared and relationship among the participants of communication will move towards a positive direction, or will be terminated. It has been observed by (Lolli 2013)that the exposure and ability to deal with a diverse audience and ability to deal in confrontational situations is immensely important for representatives and leaders of organisations. The communication event reflected these observations as the cross-questioning by the parent about the quality of child care facilities, recreational activities, safety, etc. were being taken with utmost calm, confidence and understanding by the manager. Non-verbal communication played an important role as the paralanguage used by the manager- tone, rhythm and pitch of voice, reflected assurance and empathy towards the concern of the parent towards the safety of the child.

Transactional communication model was witnessed in the event. It has been observed by (West & Turner 2011) that the transactional model of communication denotes that both the parties involved in the process of communication are sender and receiver of messages and the encoding and decoding of messages goes on simultaneously. This makes the sender and receiver of the message both equally responsible for the effectiveness of carrying out the communication. Thus, the shared meaning is arrived at after a successful communication process. A striking characteristic of the transactional model of communication is the element of shared experience among sender and receiver of the message. For example, in the live communication event, the shared field and concern was child care. The presence of shared experiences helps in getting rid of the noises in the process of communication in the form of semantic and psychological noises as shared experiences bridges any form of overlap in communication (Narayanrao 2011).

'The words we choose, how we use them, and the meaning we attach to them cause many communication barriers.' (Lunenberg 2010)

With respect to noise, semantic noise in the form of use of Jargons such as ‘ergonomics’ by the manager was observed. It has been mentioned by (Lunenberg 2010)physical distractions such as visitors, telephone calls, etc. as noise in the process of communication. In the live event, two calls received by the manager and attempts made by the child to get her mother’s attention were the physical noises in the process of communication.