What is communication?

Communication is defined in the textbook as, “a social process in which individuals employ symbols to establish and interpret meaning in their environment”(West & Turner, 2004, p. 15). To me communication is not only the symbols that are established in one’s environment. The one thing that I think this definition leaves out is that communication is sent and received by everyone in a different way depending on the culture and the person’s experiences. For example some people find it a welcoming greeting to give others a hug even if they do not know them. However, there are some people that feel acquired and are not comfortable with hugging anyone let alone someone they do not know. Because of this one needs to try to read the other person’s body language when first getting to know them.

References

West, R., & Turner, L. (2004). Communication. In Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis and Application, 2e (para 15). Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/eReader.aspx