Carey Speech for Wed

Carey Speech Revised

I.      Introduction: Communication is the seemingly unknown, mundane, and unexplainable process which shapes our reality

II.    Summery

a.     Communication is the most wonderful attribute in society

b.     “Saying how we use words is very hard to put into words”

c.      Two types of Communication

                                      i.     Ritualistic and Transmission View

                                     ii.     Transmission View of Communication

1.     Passing information from Person A to Person B, or object A to object B

2.     Dominates common culture today

3.     The effectiveness of communication is correlated to the technological advancements we have in communication (telegraph, railroad, postal service).  Transportation is a type of communication

                                   iii.     Ritualistic: Ritual A transmits information to multitude of people at the same time

1.     Oldest type of communication

2.     Linked to terms sharing, participation, association, fellowship, and the possession of a common faith

3.     Do not transfer messages, rather maintains them

4.     Not Dominate in America because we want to spread out knowledge, not maintain our knowledge

5.     Example: Marriage (Lecture)

d.     Comparing these two ideas of communication

                                      i.     Newspaper: Under a transmission view of communication, a newspaper is an instrument for displaying a large amount of information over a long distance, where as under a ritualistic view of communication, the newspaper is not giving us new information; rather it is giving us a point of view to look at the word.

e.     How to get a fresh, new perspective on communication?

f.      New Definition: Communication is a symbolic process whereby reality is produced, maintained, repaired, and transformed.

g.     Why is it so hard to put words into words?

                                      i.     Most common experiences humans share – like fish in water

h.     When we notice communication – it is either a really good or bad thing

                                      i.     Separates a really good writer, or a really bad writer

i.       Carey – “Dewey wants us to be in awe of communication”

j.       Communication is Reality

                                      i.     Experiences, talks, ect all shape up what we experience in life

                                     ii.     Which is why communication is so wonderful

                                   iii.     Map Example: Child doesn’t know how to get to school draw him a map.  The once unexplainable, thoughtless piece of land is now understood space

k.     Communication Modes

                                      i.     Symbols of reality

                                     ii.     Symbols for reality

l.       Importance of communication

                                      i.     “The problems of communication are linked to problems of community, to problems surrounding the kinds of communities we create and in which we live.”

                                     ii.     Minds and lives are shaped by our total experiences, or better yet total communication

III.  Review of Literature

a.     Agree with Dewey/Carey that communication is an essential aspect of life.  The amount that a community or group of people can communicate effectively is greatly related to the success or failure of the community.

                                      i.     Numerous examples in everyday life

b.     Agree with Carey that communication is very hard to effectively explain and maintain in the world.  In fact, it is hard to find a good and effective communicator these days

                                      i.     Skill that a lot of employers and business are looking for

c.      Carey does a poor job of explaining and introducing one of the most important forms of communication: nonverbal

                                      i.     Briefly address it maybe in ritualistic view of communication but not much

                                     ii.     With the invention of the cell phone, ear phones, ect, nonverbal communication dominates this era of communication.

d.     Carey fails to talk about the communication cycle in almost all examples of the transmission view of communication

                                      i.     Using the classroom example:

1.     Teacher transmits information to classroom

2.     Students transmit information on test

3.     Test transmits information to the teacher on how well students understood material

e.     I find it very hard to explain how communication shapes our reality

                                      i.     Very abstract idea and it is not very well explained

Conclusion:

Communication is one of the most realized, used, and mundane ideas to understand.  When it comes to describing communication, however, the majority of people have a hard time putting “words into words”.  In JW Carey’s chapter of communication, it is easy for one to see how such an abstract thought can be so hard to understand.  All in all however, it is important to realize that communication, both the transmission and ritualistic view of it, are essential to the life and survival of society.