Lesson 3: Areas of Communication Study

Areas of Communication Study:
The following are some of the areas of communication study.

1. Public Communication:
This is also known as Public Speaking which refers to a situation where an individual addresses an audience.
Examples of public speaking are political speakers, speakers at service organizations,
convocations, lectures, religious services and dedication ceremonies.

Public speaking requires the use of rhetoric (persuasive speech or writing skills)
Public speaking is an integral part of human lives which involves most profession, technical or artistic, demand making presentations to audiences.

2. Interpersonal Communication: This is the type of communication people make individually or in small groups.

Examples of Interpersonal communication are, talking with a friend, attending a job interview, arguing with a roommate, negotiating with sales personnel.

Interpersonal communication study helps us to understand how to respond in different settings such as between friends, married couples, superiors and subordinates as well as between parents and children. Interpersonal communication also helps us to know patterns of communication and how to deal within groups such as business or organizations.

3. Organizational communication:

This centers on the process of sending, receiving and interpreting messages within and between organizations.

To achieve the goals of organizations, members perform different tasks which are linked to the activities other members of the organization. Organizations are formed and maintained through communication.

the activities of organization continues even when particular individuals leave or retire from a company.

Studies in Organizational communication focuses on the modes and channels of communication, interaction between and superior and subordinates, and formal and informal relationships among organizational members.

Organization require constant adjustments of people, resources and goals. Thus mediation and conflict management are a large part of the study of organizational communication.

4. Mass Communication:

For a communication to be considered mass communication, it must involve a large number of people and also it is a mediated communication. A large audience or small group with which are dispersed and it is mediated because something comes between the sender and the final receiver. That something can be both mechanical or human. Mass communication distances the senders and receivers.

5. Public Affairs and Issue Management.

This field of study is related to public relation. however while public relations is concerned mainly with running campaigns and writing press release, Public affairs and issue management is is an out grown of the study of rhetoric.

Public affairs and issue Management investigates how organizations are affected by the communicative environment.

Most public affairs and issue management are in connection with crises of various kinds. One aspect of issue management involves planning ahead to help shape public opinions in the direction desired by the organization.