Module |
Communication Strategies: Nomination and Restriction |
At the end of this module, I can:
In the previous unit, you learned that communication is a process of sharing thoughts, information, ideas, or any form of message from a source to a receiver, which involves a series of actions in order to achieve a goal. The communication process is both an internal and an interactive or transactional process, and may be carried out in large groups, either through public communication or through various media forms.
You also learned that various communication situations call for different speech styles. The speech style varies depending on the relationship between or among communicators, the communication environment, and the formality of language used. The use of the appropriate speech style not only helps communicators achieve their communication goals but also fosters respect and a harmonious relationship between or among them.
This time, learn how communication becomes successful by analyzing, interpreting, and understanding the dynamics of how people express and exchange messages to achieve their communication goals given the communication situation that they are facing.
Recall that a communication strategy is a well-planned series of actions aimed at achieving certain objectives through the use of communication methods, techniques, and approaches. It serves as a blueprint in expressing information related to a specific event, situation, or audience to the parties involved in the communication situation. This aims to facilitate a healthy and effective exchange of messages.
In this module, the first two communication strategies will be discussed—nomination and restriction.
You might be shy at first when talking to people. But to make the communication successful, you have to express your ideas confidently and responsibly.
How do you properly and appropriately convince someone to do something for you? For instance, how do you convince your parents to give you extra allowance or to buy you a book or anything that you have always wanted? Share your strategies with the class.
The word nomination denotes the act of choosing someone as a candidate for a position, an office, or as a recipient of an award or a recognition. In your class or school, you may have nominated a student to become an officer of your class or of the student government. When you nominate a person, you put your trust into him or her and “invite” other people to do the same and choose your nominee. In return, the nominee acknowledges the trust you accorded him or her and proves that he or she is worthy of your trust.
The same act of inviting or appointing someone to a position can be compared to how nomination serves as an effective communication strategy. Nomination is the strategy that a speaker uses to invite other participants in a communication situation. The speaker attempts to collaborate or participate by opening a topic or by asking his or her fellow participants to communicate and share their ideas about a certain topic.
Let us consider an example. Typically, a student who has just transferred to a new school does not talk a lot at first. It might be difficult for the new student to initiate a conversation with the other students because he or she does not know anyone in the school yet. During the class recitation, the teacher would pose questions for the class to answer. To encourage the new student to join the recitation, the teacher could invite the new student to answer by asking him or her, “What about you? Would you like to try answering?” As the teacher employs the communication strategy of nomination, the new student will be encouraged to join the discussion.
During break time, you could take the time to approach the new student and initiate a conversation by inviting him or her for snacks. Eating snacks together may provide you with the opportunity to encourage the new student to talk and share a little about himself or herself. Likewise, you can share something about yourself, too. This is another example of how nomination is used as a communication strategy.
Be welcoming when other people feel awkward in a communication situation. Nomination helps make others feel comfortable.
Situations where you hear people say, “Do you have anything to say?” “Did you catch the latest episode of our favorite TV show?” “Now, it’s your turn. Let us hear from you.” and “Does that make sense to you?” are all examples of how nomination is used to initiate and pursue communication between or among individuals. Initiation prompts people to achieve their communication goals, which are to establish relationships with others, to get to know other people more, and to achieve mutual understanding.
Recall a time when you found yourself with a group of people whom you did not know. How did you cope with the situation? How did the other members of the group make you feel that you belonged?
How can you apply nomination in the following situations? Explain your answer.
Restriction in communication refers to the limitations that you have as a speaker. In school, community, or society, you face different restrictions in the form of rules and regulations that you have to follow. Some of these rules are written and bound by law, while others are unwritten rules of interaction and social protocols that you are expected to follow.
Restrictions are set by people who have more power in a communication situation. These people may include your parents at home, a teacher in a classroom, the principal or administrator of a school, or the barangay captain in your community. Age and position can become essential factors in deciding the person who can impose restrictions in a communication situation. Sometimes, it is through influence that a person, in spite of age and position, can control communication situations.
When the participants of a communication situation have the same age and position, reputation and leadership skills are considered as secondary factors. There are also instances when those who tend to be more dominant in a communication situation set the restriction, and if all the other participants agree, then the restriction is accepted. However, restrictions that affect a group of communicators can still be challenged and modified to cater to the opinion and preferences of the majority of the group.
Restrictions provide rules on how people should communicate. This way, communication messages become aligned and mutual understanding is easily achieved as communicators speak the same language, apply the same speech style, and conform to other elements provided in the set of restrictions.
For instance, the teacher divides the class into groups and instructs them to discuss about their lesson. At the start of the activity, the teacher sets some restrictions such as, ideas should be expressed in English; each group member should be given an equal chance and time to share; and one member should present the summary of the group’s discussion in front of the class so that the other groups can ask questions. By following the given restrictions, the communication process can be facilitated effectively in order to achieve the goal of the communication situation as required by the teacher. Thus, restrictions help people identify what to do and what not to do during a communication situation.
A good leader must not only be able to set restrictions for the group for a particular communication situation. He or she must also follow the rules set.
Why are rules important in both communication and society?
Give three restrictions that you can set in the following communication situations. Conversation during family dinner
An informal debate
Entering the faculty room to talk to your teachers
Are you familiar with the phenomenal film series Harry Potter? Watch the first script read-through of the main cast members: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvEHsfzwK0k. Work together with five of your classmates to form a group, and identify lines that indicate nomination in particular movie scenes. Then, provide restrictions that you can deduce from other scenes.
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Given the following communication situations, create dialogues that apply the communication strategies of nomination and restriction. Underline the lines that indicate nomination once and underline the lines that indicate restriction twice.
Track: Academic
You and your partner are communication researchers. A university tasked you to analyze the rules of interaction in a Filipino communication environment. The result of your research will be the university’s basis in giving you a research grant. Using an audio recorder, you will record uniquely Filipino interactions that transpire in the following environments: (1) inside a jeepney, (2) in a tricycle terminal, (3) in a wet market, or (4) in a street food stand. Choose two interesting interactions that apply the strategies of nomination and restriction. Identify the participants in the communication situation and describe the nature of the communication environment. Your findings should show your understanding of the communication process. Organize your findings using the given format.
Communication environment:
Participants:
Transcript of the interaction:
Nomination:
Rules of interaction and restriction:
Overall findings (Consider language, roles, relationships, and duration of the conversation.)
Visit the following links to learn how to initiate a conversation. You can also learn some statements that you can use to apply nomination as a communication strategy.
Communication strategies can be employed to achieve mutual understanding and other communication goals. Strategies, such as nomination and restriction, help in facilitating the communication process more effectively. Through nomination, participants feel accepted and are encouraged to join the conversation as they are given the chance and the time to express their thoughts. On the other hand, restrictions are used to set limitations in an interaction so that the communication process will become more directed to the objectives that the communicators aim for. These strategies affect the relationship, language, and roles of the participants. At the same time, they help prolong the conversation until mutual understanding among all parties involved is achieved.