MATRIC NUMBER: 101014

FACULTY: FELC

Firstly, communication refers to the interaction of one another and the reaction of vice versa. By learning communication, I can improve the way I, and others see myself, teach me essential skills such as how to improve my confidence in voicing my opinions, and improve my relationship with others. Humans communicate through various ways, be it verbal, non-verbal, or through writing down the message they wanted to convey.

Next, there are six types of communication, namely intrapersonal communication, interpersonal communication, mediated interpersonal communication, small group communication, organizational communication, and public communication. The first one, intrapersonal communication, refers to the act of one person talking to himself or herself, for example, thinking and reflecting. Interpersonal communication refers to the act of two or three people signaling to each other using the medium of voice, facial, or hand gestures to convey meaning. Mediated interpersonal communication refers to a communication that is assisted by a device, for example, a conversation on the WhatsApp application on a cellphone or a computer. Small group communication refers to the act of more than three people communicating with one another to achieve an interdependent goal. Organizational communication refers to the interaction of individuals in a working environment, and lastly, public communication refers to the act of an individual speaking to a large number of people, for example, in a public speaking event or press conference.

Besides that, I also learn about seven characteristics of communication, including dynamic process, symbolic, systematic, making inferences, self-reflective, consequence, and complex. First, dynamic process in communication is an ongoing and transitory activity that continuously evolves and brings about change, meaning here a conversation is fluid, and the topic of the conversation shapes the discussion and outcome. Secondly, communication is symbolic because humans create and use symbols to convey meaning. We can generate, receive, store, and manipulate these symbols, and the symbols we choose are flexible and subjective, meaning that a symbol can be or can not be based on personal interpretation. Thirdly, a systematic communication depends on several factors such as the setting, location, occasion, time, the number of people involved, and the cultural context. Fourth, making inferences in communication denotes that there is no direct mind-to-mind contact between people, as we make inferences from words, silence, long speeches, head nods, or even glances. What a person knows and feels stays inside unless they express it through communication. Fifth, self-reflective communication means people think about themselves, reflect on their past and present, and can adjust how they communicate while doing it. Sixth, communication having consequences means that all our messages impact others through their reactions to our words and actions, and the response to someone’s message doesn’t always have to be immediate. Lastly, communication is complex because it involves many factors such as culture, gestures, tone, and even things like irony, all of which can affect how a message is understood.

Aside from that, this topic also taught me about self and identity, which includes self-concept, self-awareness, and self-esteem. Firstly, self-concept refers to the way one sees oneself, composed of personal identity and social identity. Self-awareness refers to the extent to which one knows oneself, including the open self, the blind self, the hidden self, and the unknown self. To increase self-awareness, one should ask oneself about oneself, listen to others, and actively seek information about oneself. Self-esteem refers to the self-evaluation of a person's about their self. It is a measurement of how valuable one thinks of themselves. To increase self-esteem and be more confident, one can remind themselves of their success, secure affirmation through words of affirmation, for example, "I can do this, I am doing well enough," and work on projects that will result in success.

Next, I have also learnt about perception. The term refers to the process of one being aware of objects, events, and especially people. It results from the existence of the outside world and one's own experience. There are two influences on perception, which are physiological influences (the senses, age, health, fatigue, biological cycles, mood or emotion, self-concept) and social influences (gender roles, occupational roles, as well as social location).

As perception plays a vital role in daily life, there are a few common tendencies in perception. These tendencies include making snap judgments, clinging to first impressions, judging oneself more charitably than they do others, being influenced by their expectations, being influenced by the obvious, and assuming others are like themselves.

First and foremost, a person may use hundreds or even thousands of words daily in verbal communication. Words are a use of symbols (the alphabet) that are used to express one's thoughts associated with the words. Words can be arbitrary, meaning that there is no natural or inherent connection between the word (symbol) and the referent it represents. Therefore, words can have abstract, connotative, and denotative meanings. To simplify: abstract words represent something that does not have a physical form, denotative words are literal in meaning, meanwhile, connotative words carry personal and cultural meanings, and therefore may reflect either a positive or negative connotation. Meanings can be found in people, according to what the words represent to them or the emotions they are experiencing at the moment.

Words are powerful as they carry those weights; they can create perceptions, influence thoughts and actions, affect and reflect culture, criticize and praise, confirm and disconfirm, and finally, make or break a relationship.

Therefore, there are several ways to properly use words in verbal communication. One can use words to manage misunderstandings, to support, to apologize, and to be assertive.

To manage misunderstandings, one should be aware of missed meanings as well as changes in words, and be clear and specific while communicating. Next, to support someone, one should use words to present themselves as equal rather than superior, be genuine, empathize, and communicate to describe feelings. When things escalate too quickly to the point of unavoidable conflicts, one should apologize by offering a sincere apology, making an explicit admission of error, being honest in admitting their wrongdoings, and requesting forgiveness.

In the last part of this learning unit, I also learnt about assertiveness. The term refers to the ability to communicate needs, feelings, opinions, and beliefs openly and honestly without violating the rights of others. To be assertive, one should use "I" statements to express oneself, use an appropriate tone, be honest when giving or receiving feedback, and take ownership.

First and foremost, non-verbal communication refers to the process of using messages other than words to convey meaning. This includes not only gestures and body language but also the way we deliver our words. Non-verbal communication is important because it acts as a natural, unspoken language that expresses true feelings and intentions at any given moment, offering clues about the emotions and thoughts of those around us.

Non-verbal communication follows several principles. It interacts with verbal messages, helps manage impressions, forms relationships, structures conversations, influences and deceives others, and expresses emotions. One key role of non-verbal communication in managing impressions is helping the communicator to be perceived positively, excuse failures or mistakes, seek help, and conceal faults.

To understand non-verbal communication, it is important to first understand its different codes. Several codes include body movements and posture (kinesics), eye contact, facial expressions, vocal cues or tones, proxemics (use of personal space), territory, touch, appearance, and chronemics (use of time).

Starting with body movements and posture, these can convey messages in non-verbal communication through emblems, illustrators, adaptors, regulators, and affect displays. Eye contact, meanwhile, portrays confidence and interest during a conversation. It serves cognitive, monitoring, regulatory, and expressive functions. In addition, facial expressions—often considered the easiest form of non-verbal communication—clearly display emotions such as happiness, disgust, anger, and fear, often without the need for words. Vocal cues and tones also express emotions; even silence can "speak volumes."

Proxemics, or the use of personal space, revolves around how close or distant people are from each other, affecting comfort levels and conveying different messages based on the distance maintained. Territory refers to how people use space to signal ownership or occupancy. For example, if a student arrives early to a lecture hall and places their belongings (like a water bottle or umbrella) on nearby seats, it non-verbally signals that those seats are being reserved for others. Touch is another important form of non-verbal communication, often used to convey concern, affection, or understanding. For instance, a person might hold a friend's hand while sharing exciting news. Appearance also plays a major role in non-verbal communication; choices like clothing, hairstyle, and grooming styles send messages and are open to interpretation and judgment by others. Finally, chronemics, or temporal communication, refers to how time is used and perceived. Whether someone is early, punctual, or late sends strong non-verbal messages about their attitudes toward time, responsibility, and respect.

To improve one's skills in interpreting nonverbal messages, one must always look for multiple dimensions of meaning, be aware of the limitations when interpreting nonverbal signals, and remain mindful of one's nonverbal behavior to express oneself more effectively.

Being mindful while listening means focusing and paying attention to the present moment during a conversation. In this learning unit, I learned about the five stages of listening, the benefits of effective listening, the obstacles to mindful listening, the forms of non-listening, how to adapt listening to communication goals, the characteristics of good listening, and common misconceptions about listening.

To understand mindful and effective listening, one must first grasp its basic stages. The five stages are receiving, understanding, remembering, evaluating, and responding. Listening begins with receiving, which involves intentionally focusing on the speaker’s message, followed by understanding, which refers to decoding and assigning meaning to both verbal and non-verbal cues. The next stage is remembering, where the listener recalls previously mentioned or experienced details, leading into evaluation, where the message and the speaker’s character are thoughtfully assessed. Finally, the process concludes with responding, as the listener reacts based on their emotional or intellectual interpretation of the message.

Effective listening can improve relationships, prevent conflicts, and enhance understanding and negotiation skills. However, it is important to acknowledge the challenges that come with mindful listening, such as external obstacles (for example, message complexity and overload) and internal obstacles (for instance, pre-judgment, preoccupation, and lack of effort).

There are several forms of ineffective or non-listening behaviors, including pseudo-listening, monopolizing, selective listening, defensive listening, and ambushing. Pseudo-listening involves pretending to listen while actually ignoring the message, offering no real understanding. Monopolizing occurs when someone dominates the conversation, turning the focus onto themselves rather than paying attention to others. Selective listening is when a person only listens to parts of the message that interest them and disregards the rest. Defensive listening happens when someone interprets harmless remarks as personal attacks. Lastly, ambushing refers to listening carefully by not listening to understand, but to gather information that can later be used to criticize or attack the speaker.

To achieve different communication goals, one must adapt their listening approach. These include literal listening (focusing on the exact spoken words), listening for pleasure (to music), listening for information, and listening to support others.

Good listening can be characterized by showing interest, responding appropriately, staying focused, testing understanding, evaluating messages fairly, and managing personal emotions.

Lastly, there are common misconceptions about listening that should be clarified. One false belief is that hearing and listening are the same, when in fact, hearing is only the initial physical step and does not guarantee understanding. Another misconception is assuming we’ve understood a message just because we’ve heard it, when in reality, perception checks are always needed to ensure accurate interpretation.

There are several stages of relationships. These connections are not fixed because they can develop and sometimes decline over time. The six stages of relationship include contact (perceptual/interactional), involvement (testing/intensifying), intimacy (interpersonal commitment/social bonding), deterioration (intrapersonal repair/interpersonal repair), repair (intrapersonal dissatisfaction/interpersonal dissatisfaction) and dissolution (interpersonal separation/social or public separation). in each stage, people experience different kind of experience and challenges because every relationship can either grow stronger or gradually fall apart, and there are processes in place for attempting repairs when issues arise.

I have also learnt about different types of relationships, namely friendships, romantic partnerships, family bonds, and professional connections. I discovered that friendships can vary in depth and purpose, while love can take many forms, each influenced by different motivations and cultural understandings. I learned that family structures differ based on levels of agreement and openness, and workplace communication involves specific dynamics that affect how people relate within an organization.

Firstly, a group communication is composed by several elements. In group communication, there are members, goals, working, interdependence and interactions. Aside from that, a group communication process also involves several key elements such as members, messages, channels, feedback, context and noise.

An important takeaway from this topic is that group members often perform different roles. These roles can be formally assigned or naturally developed within the group. Task roles focus on achieving objectives, maintenance roles help sustain harmony and cooperation, while disruptive roles may hinder group progress and harmony. Example of each of the task roles are:

i. leader roles - leader, initiator, opinion seeker and information giver

ii. maintenance roles - supporter, harmonizer and gatekeeper

iii. disruptive roles - stage hog, clown and a blocker

There are clear advantages to working in groups, such as one can enhance performance, learning opportunities, cultural exposure, and seek a wide range of creativity. However, I also realized that group work can be challenging, especially when dealing with time constraints, conflicts, or dealing with certain difficult group members. Therefore, to succeed in group settings, it is important to communicate well, especially with members from diverse cultural backgrounds, manage conflicts appropriately, present oneself professionally, and show leadership qualities when necessary.

Lastly, I learned about the concept of group dialectics, which taught me that working in groups requires balancing opposing needs such as individual goals must align with group goals, task efficiency must connect with social bonding, and structured processes must not contradict spontaneous ideas as they both can come hand in hand and equally valuable.

Firstly, there are different types of organizations, each with its own goals and communication focus, There are:

i. Economic orientation that promotes products and/or services

ii. Political orientation that generate and distribute power and control

iii. Integration orientation that mediate and resolve discord

iv. Pattern maintenance orientation that promote cultural and educational regularity

Within these organizations, there are various structures like bureaucratic systems that focus on authority and participatory structures that encourage member involvement. Within these organizations, there are various structures like bureaucratic systems that focus on authority and participatory structures, namely the organizational structures, communication networks, and organizational assimilation.

The organizational structures are divided into two types, namely the traditional bureaucratic structure and participatory structure. In communication networks, the formal and informal communication are the two type of communication widely used to interact and let an information flow smoothly beneath an organization.

Lastly, I learnt about the darker side of workplace communication, such as aggression and sexual harassment. These two types of act can harm individuals and the organization as a whole. By understanding better the importance of managing conflicts carefully and practicing competent, respectful communication to build a safe and productive working environment, especially as a woman to avoid any sort of power abuse beneath an organization.

Firstly, there are two classes of conflict, namely the functional and dysfunctional conflict. Functional conflict refers to a constructive conflict, where the argument support the organization and improves its performance by fostering constructive dialogue and critical thinking while the dysfunctional one refers to a destructive conflict that hinders organizational performance if not properly managed. Understanding types of conflict is easy as there are only three type of them, namely:

i. Task conflict (disagreement regarding the content or outcome of an executed task)

ii. Relationship conflict (personal incompatibles that create tension and personal conflict)

iii. Process conflict (disagreement on the logistics part of a task completion, delegation and roles)

To understand better about conflict management, I have learnt about the types of power. they are legitimate power, reward power, coercive power, expert power, referent power and informational power. These powers contribute in the balance or the imbalance dynamic between workers in a workplace. The power dynamics are divide into three types, there are power imbalances (in which those with great power, usually the authority can dominate or suppress less powerful individuals leading to unresolved conflict), power struggles (arise from competition over resources, status or control) and resistance and compliance (occur in case of significant power imbalances, where individuals or a group can resist or comply with the conflict).

There are several ways to manage conflict with power considerations. Individual within an organization or a workplace can apply empowerment, negotiation and mediation, building relationships, perform transparency and fostering a collaborative culture. There also several conflict management styles such as avoiding, accommodating, competing, compromising, and collaborating as well as conflict management skills such as active listening, empathy, effective communication, impartiality or neutrality, problem solving, stress management, patience, conflict de-escalation and assertiveness. By learning how to solve a conflict, I can handle conflict better in the future and able to solve them with better skills and resolutions in order to maintain good relationships with everyone, especially in the setting of workplace in the future.

Firstly, there are two main types of social media, namely the social networking sites and the media sharing networks. Social networking sites refers to the platform that build connections and community engagement such as Facebook and LinkedIn and the media sharing networks refer to platform to share photos, videos and live streams such as YouTube and TikTok.

There are advantages and positive impacts of using social media. Social media brings the advantages to the table for educational process, worldwide connectivity, online marketing and also helps with enhancing connection and communication, spread information and awareness as well as give access to education and learning. However, there are also the downsides of using media usage. Social media often raise privacy problems, reduces family intimacy, changes lifestyle habits (such as sleep disruption), pressuring the mental and health issues, the spread of misinformation and fake news, cyber bullying, harassment, addiction, and distraction. One of the major problems cause by social media misuse is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying refers to the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group that is intended to harm others and often occur among the teenagers and resulted in the the affect of mental health, and when it gets worse, suicides become the outcome. Cyberbullying is often linked with online harassment as they come hand in hand. Online platform become the platform use to conduct online bullying, where affected victims reportedly being harasses and bullied for appearances, academic achievement, race, sexuality, financial status, religion and others.

Aside from that, social media is also widely use in conducting business, namely the viral marketing strategy. By using social media, especially the major one such as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, businesspeople can further promote their business as it can reach wider audiences who might be the target group of buyers. However, online marketing often raise privacy concerns as personal information can be widely accessed and misuse to conduct crime or mishaps on someone else's affair. Therefore, one must use be cautious in using social media to avoid unwanted problems.