COM 115
Introduction to
Human Communication
Russ Ray, Instructor

Course Survey
 Name
 Occupation
 Family (significant other/children)
 What do I want from this course?
(besides an A, everybody says
that)

Course Introduction

Devotion/Prayer Time

The Bible’s Most Timid Public
Speaker
Exodus 4:10 – 16 (NLT)

The Bible’s Most Timid Public Speaker
10 Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m
not very good with words. I never have
been, and I’m not now, even though you
have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and
my words get tangled.”
Source: Exodus 4:10 – 16 (New Living
Translation)

The Bible’s Most Timid Public Speaker
11 Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a
person’s mouth? Who decides whether
people speak or do not speak, hear or do
not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the
Lord?
12 Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and
I will instruct you in what to say.”
Source: Exodus 4:10 – 16 (New Living
Translation)

The Bible’s Most Timid Public Speaker
13 But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please!
Send anyone else.”
14 Then the Lord became angry with Moses.
“All right,” he said. “What about your brother,
Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well.
And look! He is on his way to meet you now.
He will be delighted to see you.
Source: Exodus 4:10 – 16 (New Living
Translation)

The Bible’s Most Timid Public Speaker
15 Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth.
I will be with both of you as you speak, and I
will instruct you both in what to do.
16 Aaron will be your spokesman to the people.
He will be your mouthpiece, and you will
stand in the place of God for him, telling him
what to say.
Source: Exodus 4:10 – 16 (New Living
Translation)

Chapter 1: Communication

Communication
 How would you define the term
“communication”?
 What are the basic elements of
communication?

Break

The Communication Process
Model

Source: the originator of the
communication process
SOURCE

Receiver: the intended target of the
communication process
RECEIVER
SOURCE

Messages: the content of a
communication process
RECEIVER
SOURCE
MESSAGES

Channels: the route(s) through
which messages are sent
RECEIVER
SOURCE
MESSAGES
CHANNELS CHANNELS

Encoding: the method in which
messages are articulated by the
sender
RECEIVER
ENCODER
SOURCE
MESSAGES
CHANNELS CHANNELS

Decoding: the method in which the
receiver understands the message
RECEIVER
DECODER
ENCODER
SOURCE
MESSAGES
CHANNELS CHANNELS

Feedback: the receiver’s response
to the message
RECEIVER
DECODER
ENCODER
SOURCE
MESSAGES
AND
CHANNELS CHANNELS
FEEDBACK

Noise: things that impede or distort
the message exchange
RECEIVER
DECODER
ENCODER
SOURCE
NOISE NOISE
MESSAGES
AND
CHANNELS CHANNELS
FEEDBACK
NOISE NOISE

Immediate Context: the physical environment in
which communication takes place
RECEIVER
DECODER
ENCODER
SOURCE
NOISE NOISE
MESSAGES
AND
CHANNELS CHANNELS
FEEDBACK
NOISE IMMEDIATE CONTEXT NOISE

Next Week’s Homework
 Read Chapters 2, 3 and 9 in Communication.
 Individually, complete the following
discussion questions in Communication.
– Chapter 2 (p. 49) #2 and 3
– Chapter 3 (p. 85) #2
– Chapter 9 (p. 257) #7 and 8
 Individually, be prepared to deliver the 3- to
5-minute informative speech, based on a
topic of the student’s choosing.

Chapter 8: Intentions, Ethics, and
the Speaker-Audience
Relationship

Public Speaking
 Two distinct roles: speaker and audience
 The speaker carries more responsibility for
the interaction than the audience.
 Audience analysis is the process of
determining the variables of the audience to
be better understood.

Physical Demographic Variables
 Age
 Educational Level
 Socioeconomic Status
 Occupation
 Gender
 Group Membership
 Cultural Background

Psychological Variables
 Beliefs
 Values

Audience Attitudes
 Toward the Speaker
 Toward the Subject
 Toward the Speaker’s Purpose

Chapter 10: Developing and
Organizing a Public Message

Topic
 Know your topic.
 Be interested in your topic.
 Believe in your topic.

Components
 Introduction
 Body
 Transitions
 Conclusion

Outlining
 Should be simple
 Should be organized
 Should have a logical progression

Come on Up and Introduce
Yourself!

Chapter 11: Delivering a Public
Message

Practice and Preparation
 Increase comfort level
 Increase communication effectiveness

Pointers on Using Notes
 The fewer notes, the better
 Use stiff paper, not flimsy paper
 Design notes for quick information retrieval
 Use meta-notes (cues) as well as notes of
substance
 Use visual materials as notes

Conclusion
One-Minute Papers