Key Principles of Human Communication

Several important principles about the nature of human communication must be considered when communicating strategically in organizational settings. Let's examine four of the most important of these principles.

Principle 1: Communication Is a Process

Perhaps the most important principle is that communication is a process. Communication does not start and stop; it is continuous, dynamic, ongoing, and cumulative. Whenever we create and respond to messages—either internally or externally generated messages—and create meanings in response to these messages, we are engaging in the process of communication. Since we send messages to ourselves and to others all the time (whether intentionally or unintentionally), and we are constantly creating meanings to help us make sense of our world, the communication process surrounds us all the time. It is as though we were swimming in an ocean of messages and meanings. Communication engulfs us and is the primary adaptive process of living.

Principle 2: Communication Is Irreversible

We discussed earlier how every time we communicate, we reflect on the meanings we create for the messages we perceive by contrasting new information with information we have gained from previous communication events. In this way, communication is a step-by-step, iterative building process. This means that communication is irreversible. Once we say something to someone, we can't take it back. Every communication event is likely to have influences on all future communication events.

For example, if you falsely accuse a coworker of leaving from work too early, you could apologize and ask the person to please disregard your accusation. However, it is not likely that the coworker will forget the accusation, even if it's a relatively minor point. It will be indelibly stamped in his or her memory, and this communication event will frame all future interactions and your relationship with this person. This suggests that the messages we send to others in organizational settings are likely to influence all future meanings these people create about us. This is why it is important to be judicious about what we communicate to others. The messages we send influence future communication as well as the nature of our relationships with others.

Principle 3: Communication Is Transactional

Communication is more than just a series of actions or interconnected interactions between communicators. Communication is transactional. In that sense, there is really no such thing as "one-way" communication. By its very nature, all communication is interactive, and meanings are negotiated jointly; messages do not exist independent of each other in a vacuum. Transactional communication implies that when we analyze communication situations, both as senders and as receivers of messages, we need to take into account the many factors that influence the communication process, such as the settings in which communication occurs, the distinct individuals involved, the wide range of messages exchanged, and the past meaning and expectations that communicators bring to the table. The transactional nature of human communication implies that communication is exceedingly complex and that great care must be taken in communicating in organizational settings. For example, if in a formal performance appraisal your manager rates you as "below average" in productivity, the meaning of that phrase will involve all that you know about your relationship with the manager, what "below average" really means in your organization, how other employees have been evaluated on this dimension, whether this rating is tied to decisions about salary and promotion, how you respond—or don't respond—to this rating, and a host of other factors.

Principle 4: Communication Includes Both Content and Relationship Dimensions

As Watzlawick and colleagues (1967) have proposed that there are both content and relationship dimensions to communication. Every time we communicate with others, we send both content and relationship information. The content aspects of human communication refer to the ideas and facts we convey to others. The relationship aspect of human communication refers to the meaning we assign to the content—what the message says about our relationship. In that respect, the relationship dimension is more implied and symbolic.

An adult male in business casual attire is looking down at an electronic device he is holding. A man in overalls and a hard hat is standing next to him looking at the device as well.

Why are content and relationship aspects of human communication so important?

For example, when a manager asks her secretary to get her a cup of coffee, the content of the message is quite transparent: she wants a beverage. But embedded within this statement—as is always the case—there is a relationship message as well. Depending on how the request was made, and what the history of the relationship has been, the relationship message could be interpreted in various ways. One possible relationship message is that this is a "one-up" relationship where the manager wants to be in control. But, by asking for the coffee in a friendly, polite way, the relationship message could also be, "I'm really grateful to have you around to help."

Overcoming Communication Problems

Communication problems can occur for a variety of reasons, including issues with encoding and decoding, unsuccessful transmission of the message, or differences in how communicating parties interpret the meaning of a message. In some cases, there are communication problems that arise due to an organizational structure that limits the free exchange of information.To think about: how can some of these problems be overcome both at the interpersonal and organization levels?

The point is that there will always be a relationship message, but what that message is will involve the interpretation of each individual. Even if the manager says nothing at all to her secretary for several weeks, the relationship message in that case might be, we don't have a relationship! Or it could be that "I trust you a lot and know that you can work effectively without supervision." In short, the relationship message is a symbolic message, and the symbolism may be far more important than the explicit content of the message itself. Too often, communicators focus primarily on the content information they intend to send to others without being fully aware of the relational implications of what they are saying.

Relational development is a step-by-step process in which we get to know one another through our communication and build a mutual sense of trust and cooperation. Much of relational development is built on the norm of reciprocity, which, as we discussed in the previous chapter, suggests that people who interact with each other are likely to respond to one another in similar ways. For example, if the ways in which we communicate with others in organizational settings demonstrate respect and caring, there is a good likelihood that others will reciprocate and treat us similarly. Conversely, if we show disinterest or disrespect toward others, chances are that these people will treat us similarly, especially if our communication violates their expectations for how they want to be treated. Every time we communicate with others in organizational settings we have the opportunity to meet others' communication expectations and encourage these organizational participants to reciprocate by meeting our communication expectations. These reciprocal instances of meeting mutual expectations are the building blocks for developing strong and cooperative organizational relationships.