Schema: how new information is processed and stored as in our memory. Humans have scripts we use to interpret the world, and new information is processed how it fits with the scripts we use. Information that does not fit into our schema may not be comprehended or comprehended incorrectly (psu.edu).
Self Disclosure: sharing information with somebody to help them understand you. The information can tell the other person about your past, feelings, intimate thoughts, and other personal characteristics (oregonstate.edu; DeFleur, Kearney, Plax, & DeFleur, 2005).
Seminar: a lecture involving between ten to fifty individuals which allows the participants to share their views on a topic under the supervision and guidance of a discussion leader; usually an expert in his/her field. The main goal of a seminar is to help the participants to better understand a certain subject (aeispeakers.com).
Sender-Receiver Reciprocity: an instance in the communication process when both people involved are involved in feedback and role-taking at the same time. When this occurs both the sender and receiver are adapting to each other’s behaviors making the communication process a success or an improvement, because both people involved are trying to communicate more accurately with each other. The sender’s responsibilities are being combined with the responsibilities of being an effect listener. An example of this is when somebody tells you something you find interesting and you get an excited look on your face which will let them know you want them to go on with their message (DeFleur, Kearney, Plax, & DeFleur, 2005).
Sender-Receiver Similarity: a situation where the sender and receiver have the same learning experiences in their community which will provide them with the same meanings for both verbal and nonverbal signs and symbols. This will allow them both to have a similar understanding of the message. When listening to another person, we have to be able to remember some sort of experience that will give us the same meaning of signs and symbols that will help us understand the meaning of their message. An example of this can be when somebody from a certain work background is hired by a company and put into work with other people of the same work background. Even though they have never worked together before, they have the same understanding of the kind of work they will be doing (DeFleur, Kearney, Plax, & DeFleur, 2005).
Signals: noises, sounds, or movements meant to convey some sort of message; a car horn is one example of a human signal, while baby birds use chirping as a signal to their mother to send a hunger message (DeFleur, Kearney, Plax, & DeFleur, 2005).
Signs: an event that humans or animals connect to some sort of meaning; water on the ground meaning that it rained recently being one example. Like language in a sense, there are set meanings for signs, but they are in some ways universal, no matter what language is spoken in the area (DeFleur, Kearney, Plax, & DeFleur, 2005).
Small Talk/Phatic Communication: a kind of discussion that focuses on general topics that have little personal importance to you. Engaging in small talk can help you realize whether or not you want to try to make a relationship with the other person, and help you assess the other person. This can usually occur after you meet somebody for the first time and you do not want to share any very personal information about yourself with that person. For example, if you go on a blind date, you may begin to talk about your interests, favorite sports teams, where you go to school, not so much about your past relationships or a traumatic experience you had during your life (DeFleur, Kearney, Plax, & DeFleur, 2005).
Source or Sender: the person who is relaying information to the receiver. The sender has the job of thinking about what they want to say, how to relay that information to the receiver, and using symbols which both the sender and receiver are aware of and proper grammar to get their message across clearly (DeFleur, Kearney, Plax, & DeFleur, 2005).
Surface Meaning: the whole range of intended pieces of the message, precisely as we word it. For example, if a professor tells you to use only scholarly journal articles for your paper and to cite it using APA fifth edition, you know what she wants you to do (DeFleur, Kearney, Plax, & DeFleur, 2005).
Symbols: an object, mark, image, or label used to represent something in a community. The meaning given to the symbol is chosen by people of the community, and then taught to everybody in that community so the meaning of the object is known to all of them. For example, everybody in the United States understands the traffic light meanings, as in green means go, yellow means slow down, and red means stop. We know this because we have been taught what these symbols mean and how to obey them (DeFleur, Kearney, Plax, & DeFleur, 2005; Weiner, 1990).
Symposium: a very formal group discussion in which the participants are experts in their chosen field. Each member makes a speech relating to the central theme of the discussion, and take turns in reviewing each others’ thoughts. A moderator is involved as well to promote discussion between the expert panel regarding their viewpoints on what is being examined (DeFleur, Kearney, Plax, & Defleur, 2005).
Syntax: rules that dictate the place of written and spoken words so that the sentence formed makes sense to the reader. It is one of the most important parts of language, apart from the words and their meanings themselves. If syntax did not exist or was unclear, people would not be able to communicate effectively (DeFleur, Kearney, Plax, & DeFleur, 2005).
