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Human Communication Concepts

From time immemorial, humans have been able to achieve social order and interact with each other through the communication process. As such, the communication process plays an important role in individual development, brings about cohesiveness among people of the same and different cultures, and hence enhancing civilization across the cultural divide. Communication has been seen as the process of transmitting ideas, information, and attitudes through the use of symbols, words, and pictures with the aim of influencing behavior in people. The message transmitted must have a source and a destination, and is send through a particular medium. This interaction between sender and receiver must have meaning to both for effective communication to have occurred and happen within a social context with defined rules pertaining to the origin, flow and consequences of the messages.

According to the Shannon-Weaver model of communication, the communication process must have some basic elements that include: source, message, channel, receiver and feedback. Communication takes two main forms; verbal and nonverbal communication. Verbal communication involves the use of language (oral), the written word and use of visual apparatus like maps, advertisements among others. Non-verbal communication deals with the use of body language like posture, facial expressions, tone of voice and gestures.

President Obama’s National Democratic Convention speech and the importance of effective communication

Effective human communication aims at persuading, inspiring and bringing about understanding and hope to people with shared destiny and aspirations. To be able to achieve this, president Obama convincingly delivered a speech that espoused the ordinary Americans beliefs, needs and way forward. Through use of non-verbal cues like eye contact, firm and friendly handshakes and hugs, most people identified with him as a peoples president. Sharing his believe that all Americans had a common destiny and shared principles of hard work and resiliency amidst hard times and that the US is the greatest nation on earth defined by the diversity of her people, he had their backing during the elections. Through use of extraordinary oratory skills, appropriate body language, correct technology and interaction with his audience, he managed to achieve his goals. His re-election was an indication of the appropriate feedback to his message to the American people.

It is important to note that the American president has a unique perception of the aspirations of the American people. His health care reforms, commonly referred to as Obamacare, are one example in study. By asking the American people to walk the talk and travel the hard and difficulty road challenged them to re-examine their perceptions of what they want despite the highly charged political climate, and gave them the choice to do what was right. His reaching out to the Latinos and black people, who comprise the minority, shows someone who has adequately dealt with and understands that the perceptual barriers to communication like cultural myopia, stereotyping and racial prejudice can hinder effective communication. This has also been reflected in his foreign policy and his engagement with the Arab states, where he is categorically been on record saying that all options are open in dealing with the crisis in the middle east, and in particular the Iran nuclear program. This appreciation of diversity served him well in his engagement with Islamic countries, and their approval of him. President Obama has successfully documented his life, attitudes, challenges and aspirations in his books. This points to someone whose sense of self-concept, self-esteem and self-efficacy is well grounded and hence his interaction with others is meaningful and self confidence he exudes. He has, in a sense, come to be a revered world figure and influential personality on the world stage alongside other icons like Nelson Mandela. His self presentation and disclosure as a loving husband, father and president has endeared many people world over to him.

The world has become a global village and as such cultural interactions are common place. Different cultural practices view the world through different prisms and thus for cohesiveness and co-existence, people have to take time to learn and appreciate other peoples cultures. The president of the United States is of different cultural backgrounds and religions and he has embraced his genealogy wholesomely. To effectively deal with discrimination, ethnocentrism, racism and xenophobia, understanding that we are uniquely born and brought up in varying cultural platforms, then acceptance of other people way of life is the way forward. Communication ensures that society’s shared values are respected and embraced.

Finally, president Obama’s speech effectively engaged with his audience, and this was evident on the emotions that electrified the convention. The challenge then comes in the form of whether, at the end of his second term, he will have delivered his promises to the American people. This will be an appropriate feedback to them for the re-eleting him.