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A13 – Communication

Vlastnosti
predmetAnglický jazyk
typmaturitná téma
okruhanglický jazyk
číslo13
stavvypracované
Zadanie

Talk about the forms of communication, verbal and non-verbal communication, the modern means of communication, and their advantages and disadvantages.

1. Osnova témy​

  • What communication is — sender, message, receiver.
  • Formal and informal communication.
  • Verbal communication: spoken and written, and how they differ.
  • Non-verbal communication — body language, gestures, facial expressions.
  • Special forms — sign language, Braille, Morse code.
  • The historical development of communication, from signs to the internet.
  • Modern means of communication and their advantages and disadvantages.
  • Communication in public and good manners.

2. Kľúčová slovná zásoba​

  • basic terms: communication, information exchange, message, to encode / decode a message, sender, receiver, speaker, listener, interviewer, interviewee, feedback (spätná väzba)
  • types: direct (face-to-face) communication, indirect communication, one-way and two-way communication, mass communication
  • formal vs. informal: formal language, polite forms, official letter · informal language, slang, jargon, colloquial expressions (hovorové výrazy), swear words (nadávky), accent, dialect
  • oral communication: interaction in real time, intonation, stress (prízvuk), pauses, hesitation words / fillers (well, you know, actually), tone of voice, to interrupt (prerušiť)
  • written communication: precise choice of words, spelling (pravopis), grammar, coherence (súdržnosť), letter, e-mail, postcard, note (odkaz), report, application
  • non-verbal communication: body language (reč tela), facial expression (výraz tváre), eye contact, gesture (gesto), mime (mimika), posture (držanie tela), proximity (vzdialenosť), touch, to nod (prikývnuť), to shake one's head, to shrug one's shoulders (pokrčiť plecami), to frown (mračiť sa), to smile, to blush (červenať sa)
  • greetings and gestures: to shake hands (podať si ruku), to hug (objať), to kiss on the cheek, to wave (zamávať), to bow (ukloniť sa)
  • special forms: sign language (posunková reč) for the deaf, Braille for the blind and visually impaired, Morse code, SOS
  • historical development: cave paintings, smoke signals, pictures, letters of the alphabet, the printing press, the telegraph, the telephone
  • modern means: mobile phone, smartphone, text message, e-mail, video call, social network, instant messaging, chat, videoconference, the internet
  • problems: misunderstanding (nedorozumenie), language barrier, information overload, cyberbullying, loss of privacy, addiction to social media, weakened face-to-face contact

3. Užitočné frázy a väzby​

  • Communication simply means exchanging information between a sender and a receiver.
  • We usually divide communication into verbal and non-verbal.
  • With people we do not know, we communicate formally.
  • Among friends and in the family, communication is much more informal.
  • The advantage of written communication is that you have time to think about your words.
  • On the other hand, in a letter you cannot express your emotions by your voice.
  • Research suggests that a great deal of the message is carried by body language.
  • Gestures do not mean the same thing in every culture.
  • Nowadays we can reach anybody anywhere within a few seconds.
  • The problem is that people text each other instead of actually talking.
  • All in all, technology has made communication faster, but not necessarily better.

4. Modelová odpoveď​

Communication means exchanging information. There is always a sender who encodes a message, and a receiver who decodes it, and if everything works well, the receiver also gives some feedback.

We can divide communication in several ways. First, it can be formal or informal. Formal communication happens between people who do not know each other well — between a teacher and a student, a shop assistant and a customer, or a police officer and a driver. It uses polite forms and correct grammar. Informal communication takes place among friends, classmates and family members, and it is full of slang, colloquial expressions and sometimes even swear words.

Second, and more importantly, communication can be verbal or non-verbal. Verbal communication uses words and it can be spoken or written. Spoken communication happens in real time and it is usually face to face. Its great advantage is that you get immediate feedback and you can express your emotions through your tone of voice, stress and intonation; the disadvantage is that you have no time to think and once you say something, you cannot take it back. Written communication is slower, but you can think carefully about every word, read it again, correct it and use more complicated vocabulary. On the other hand, you cannot show your feelings by your voice, which is exactly why we invented emoticons.

Non-verbal communication is everything we say without words: body language, facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, posture and even how close we stand to somebody. We nod to agree, shake our head to disagree, shrug our shoulders when we do not know, frown when we are angry and smile when we are happy. Interestingly, gestures do not mean the same thing everywhere — a gesture that is perfectly friendly in one country can be an insult in another, which is something worth remembering when you travel.

There are also special forms of communication for people with disabilities. Deaf people use sign language, blind and visually impaired people read Braille, and there are systems such as Morse code, which was used for a long time at sea.

Communication has developed enormously over the centuries. People started with sounds, gestures and cave paintings, then came pictures, signs and alphabets. A huge step forward was the printing press, and later the telegraph, the telephone, the radio and television. Today we live in the age of the internet, mobile phones and social networks.

The advantages of modern means of communication are obvious. We can reach almost anybody anywhere in the world within a few seconds, we can send photos and documents, make video calls to relatives abroad and find any information we need. For a small country like Slovakia this is especially important.

But there are disadvantages too. People often text each other instead of meeting and talking, and real friendships suffer as a result. Many young people are addicted to their phones and social networks and cannot put them down even at dinner. There is cyberbullying, there is a constant flood of information, much of it false, and our privacy is disappearing. And it is simply rude to speak loudly on the phone on a bus or to check messages while somebody is talking to you.

To sum up, technology has made communication faster and easier, but whether it has made it better is another question.

5. Otázky na diskusiu​

  1. What does communication actually mean?
  2. In what situations do you communicate formally?
  3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of spoken communication?
  4. Why do we sometimes prefer to write instead of speaking?
  5. How important is body language in a conversation?
  6. Can you think of gestures that mean different things in different countries?
  7. How do deaf and blind people communicate?
  8. How has the mobile phone changed the way people communicate?
  9. What are the biggest problems connected with communicating online?
  10. Do you think social networks bring people together or keep them apart?

6. Zhrnutie na ústnu odpoveď​

  • Definícia: exchange of information; sender → message → receiver → feedback.
  • Formálna × neformálna: teacher–student, shop assistant–customer vs. friends and family, slang.
  • Verbálna — hovorená: real time, feedback, intonation vs. no time to think.
  • Verbálna — písaná: time to think, correct, richer vocabulary vs. no voice, no emotion.
  • Neverbálna: body language, facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, posture; gestures differ by culture.
  • Špeciálne formy: sign language, Braille, Morse code.
  • Vývoj: sounds and cave paintings → alphabet → printing press → telegraph, telephone → internet.
  • Dnes — plusy: speed, distance, photos, video calls, information.
  • Dnes — mínusy: less face-to-face contact, addiction, cyberbullying, fake news, no privacy.
Overené

Učiteľkin materiál datuje kníhtlač do 14. storočia. Gutenberg ju však zostrojil okolo roku 1440, teda v 15. storočí — a rovnaký údaj má aj materiál k téme A12 – Science and Technology, kde je uvedený správne. Drž sa 15. storočia.

Čo povedať na skúške

Pozor na slovenské kalky: mimics nie je mimika (to je facial expressions alebo mime), a „podať ruku" je to shake hands, nie „to pass the hand", ako to má zdroj. Ak si spomenieš aspoň na to shake hands a body language, znieš hneď oveľa prirodzenejšie.

Súvisiace poznámky​

Kontrolné otázky​

What does communication actually mean?

Exchanging information, ideas and feelings between people using words, writing, gestures or technology.

In what situations do you communicate formally?

At school with teachers, at job interviews, at the doctor's or at an office, and when writing official emails.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of spoken communication?

It is quick, direct and you get immediate feedback. But words cannot be taken back and you can misunderstand each other.

Why do we sometimes prefer to write instead of speaking?

We have time to think, we can keep a record and it is easier to express difficult feelings.

How important is body language in a conversation?

Very important – gestures, facial expressions and eye contact often say more than words.

Can you think of gestures that mean different things in different countries?

In Bulgaria nodding can mean "no". The thumbs-up or the OK sign can be rude in some countries.

How do deaf and blind people communicate?

Deaf people use sign language and lip-reading; blind people use Braille, screen readers and voice assistants.

How has the mobile phone changed the way people communicate?

We are reachable all the time, we text more than we talk and we use messaging apps and video calls.

What are the biggest problems connected with communicating online?

Misunderstandings, cyberbullying, fake identities, addiction and less real contact.

Do you think social networks bring people together or keep them apart?

Both. They help you stay in touch with friends far away, but people sometimes ignore those sitting next to them.

🔗 Spätné odkazy (5)