Lecture#4

Levels of Communication

There are five levels of communication:
1. Intrapersonal Communication
2. Interpersonal Communication
3. Mediated Communication
4. Person-to-Group Communication
5. Mass Communication
Intrapersonal Communication

When you think, you use intrapersonal communication. You initiate, receive, and process
messages within yourself. You are playing both the roles of: sending & receiving. Human
growth depends on this internal communication. Through it you know yourself and
develop your self-concept, selfdetermination, and self-motivation. For example, each
morning you decide how to dress, what to eat, where to go, etc. This kind of internal
communication forms the foundation for the other four levels of communication. The
word - "Intrapersonal" - means within the person. Intrapersonal communication processes
happen inside of you. Some people equate these processes with thinking. Although
thinking is part of the process, intrapersonal communication includes more than what we
think. More importantly intrapersonal processes include the way we think and the way we
communicate with ourselves. Intrapersonal communication affects the way we receive
messages from others and affects the way we send messages to others.

Self-concept
Means knowing how others see you, how your colleagues see you,how your parents see
you. When you interact with different groups and individuals and they see you and react
to you, you pick up signals and eventually you change yourself as a result of this
feedback. In fact, what research reveals is that most of our sense of self, thus, comes from
interactions with other people (family, friends, co-workers).
Self-image
is literally a picture, or image, of who you are. Self-image describes you. If you take out
a piece of paper and list the various roles that you play in life.Most of our roles can be
categorized in one of two categories either achieved roles, or ascribed roles.Achieved
roles are roles that you work to accomplish or to achieve, such as, professor, honor
student, etc.Ascribed roles are roles that you are born into, son, brother, and sister.

Intrapersonal communication processes depend upon communicators':

1. Frame of reference
2. Creativity
3. Self-talk
4. Risk-taking behavior

1. Frame of Reference

Your frame of reference refers to the way you view your world. Your frame of reference is your
structure for encoding and decoding messages. Your frame of reference consists of all that you
bring internally to the communication situation: your beliefs, attitudes, and values; your memory
of experiences; your cultural background; your stereotypes and expectations; your self-concept;
your feelings and level of stress; your thinking patterns; and other psychological factors.

2. Creativity

One of the most important skills you can shape is that of creativity. Basically, creative
thinking involves visualizing something in an innovative, new, or unique way. You can
increase your creativity by learning to think in less traditional ways.

3. Self-talk

Another key aspect of intrapersonal communication is sometimes called self-talk or
imagined
communication. In imagined communication, individuals talk to someone else or to
themselves as if they were another person. However, the communication takes place in
their minds (internally instead of externally). For example, while they plan their
classroom presentations, they see themselves in front of the audience, imagine how
fantastic they look, see some classmates listening attentively, and picture their instructor
making a positive response.
This approach, by the way, can help most speakers to succeed in public communication
situations by reducing their anxiety.

4. Risk-taking Behaviors

Your willingness to take risks is largely dependent on your interpretation of past
experience. If you have found risk-taking to be fun, adventure-some, or thrilling, then
you are more inclined to make risky moves. At least a minimum amount of risk is
necessary for growth and developmentYour intrapersonal processes about risk-taking are
influenced by your past experiences and interaction with others. Your decisions about
whether or not you should, or how you will, choose to interact with others are major areas
of your internal or intrapersonal communication processes..