How perception affects communication

Attention getter: “People only see what they are prepared to see” Ralph Waldo Emerson. Speech Goal: I want to inform my audience on how perception affects communication. Thesis statement: In order to understand how human beings are able to create significant meaning for themselves and various obligations they enact in daily activities, there is a need to know the relationship between perception and communication.

 

 

Introduction

          Some of the significant important outcomes that emerge because of human interaction include the perception made by other people and stimulated in the participants because of their interaction. The communication behavior of every individual tends to have a major impact on how other communicators perceive that person. The basic element of communication tends to be the amount on how participation that an individual offers while making dialogue with others. This element of communication tends to have a significant impact on perceived credibility. Therefore, I am giving a speech with the intension of informing others on how perception affects communication.

Body

What is perception?

            Perception is the active process that assists an individual in creating a reliable meaning by selecting, organizing and interpreting various different phenomena (Wood, 2011).

What are the processes of perception?

            Perception tends to have three significant processes, which are selecting, organizing and interpreting (Wood, 2011). Selection entails the main reason that draw an individual’s attention of listening to something. Organizing entails attributing the meaning of what a person selected. Interpreting entails how a person figures out noticed information.

What are the influences of Perception

           All people differ on how they perceive different situations and information. Therefore, after everyone understanding the concept of perception, I would like to address on the different influences of perception.

I. Physiology

           One of the main reasons of why perception tends to vary among different people is because we all differ in our physiologies (Wood, 2011). This means that we people differ in their sensory and emotional abilities (Ellis & Newton, 2004). For example, a person may have a keen hearing than the other. Moreover, it is well to understand that physiological issues like depression and paranoid state also influence perception.

II. Expectations

          Expectations tend to influence perception in various different communication situations (Wood, 2011). This means that our expectations tend to affect all the things we hear and see. For example, if some says that a newly hired individual will make the difference, it possible for one to notice the new person’s cooperative behaviors rather than his/her competitive behaviors (Morreale, Spitzberg & Barge, 2007).

III. Age

          Age poses as another factor that tends to influence perception in a significant way. Wood (2011) indicates that as people grow older and experience many things in life, their perspective tends to change. For example, a person of 60 years has already experienced many things that help him/her to perceive various situations compare to a person of 20 years.

IV.Culture

           Culture relates much to the beliefs and various ways that contribute into how individuals interpret experiences that are shared by many people in the society. Wood (2011) explains that culture helps in forming the patterns of each person’s life. This means that culture plays a significant role in guiding people on how they think, feel and communicate (Samovar, Porter & McDaniel, 2010).

Conclusion

           The above information employed in this outline helps in getting a better understanding of how perception affects communication. Some of the influences associated with perception that affect communication as addressed in the outline include physiology, expectations, age and culture. All this influences are discussed in detail on this outline. Therefore, after this speech, I believe everyone will have understood how communication affects perception.

References 

Ellis, R. D., & Newton, N. (2004). Consciousness & emotion: Agency, conscious choice, and selective perception. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Pub.

Morreale, S. P., Spitzberg, B. H., & Barge, J. K. (2007). Human communication: Motivation, knowledge and skills. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.

Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., & McDaniel, E. R. (2010). Communication between cultures. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

Wood, J. T. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Everyday encounters. Boston, MA: Wadsworth.