3.

1 Ten Psychological Considerations of Communications

3.2 The Six P’s of Communication
3.3 Perception and Types of Perception

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
To understand the psychological considerations of
communications and the impact they have.
To learn about the six P’s of communications and the
ramifications of them
To explore the facets of perception, and understand methods
of shaping perception.

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3.1 Ten Psychological Considerations

Ah! If communicating with them were so simple! You can avoid each
of the twelve “roadblocks” to communication, even having the luck
to avoid “bad hung.” And then you only have to contend with
psychological factors. Here are ten of them.

Ten psychological considerations involved in communications:

3.1.1. The spread of rumors is directly related to audience

predispositions; rumors tend to be heard by people to whom they
are congenial: they are changed into more personally satisfactory
forms; and they are best countered by the circulation of objective
information that is not explicitly tied to the rumor itself. This may
be countered, not with denial, but by the circulation of objective
Information the truth with, If necessary, a coat of varnish that is
not explicitly tied to the rumor itself.

3.1.2. People are especially likely to seek out congenial Information

on a controversial matter just after corning to a decision on that
matter.

We are people, and people like to reinforce their beliefs. If you can
agree with his or her decision on a controversial matter, do so. lfyou
cannot, it may pay you to keep quiet, or, at least, know what you
are getting Into.

In noncontroversial matters you have the opportunity to engage In

a little friendly debate, a way for you to project your personality and
learn a little more about his. If you must disagree In the course of
your work performance, a little tact and diplomacy can go a long
way.

The point is, if you are fully aware of this psychological aspect, you
can use it to your advantage.

3.1.3. People Interested in a topic tend to follow it in the

medium that gives it the fullest and most faithful treatment. If you
are the topic, and the medium is small talk around the water cooler
or In the company cafeteria, that is where it will be nurtured or
quashed, depending on your response. If it’s a rumor, again you
can use the truth of objective Information that indirectly refutes it.

If it is the truth, and negative, you have the option of educating to

neutralize the negative, or even turn It into a positive response, or
you have the option of changing the performance (even If it is only
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changing the visible aspect) so that it is no longer the subject of
negative talk.

3.1.4. Anticipating subsequent use Increases retention, even

of uncongenial material.

If you hear a good argument for or against a position you take, and
foresee a future debate with a colleague, you will remember these
bits of data. You may want to buttress what you are saying with a
statistic or two that could be valuable for your receiver to remember
along with what you have been saying. This approach can
strengthen your position.

3.1.5. Strong appeals to fear are less effective than minimal

appeals to fear.

A strong threat may cause you to balk, or to submit without

changing your attitude. A mild threat may cause you to rethink your
whole situation and decide to change your opinion or conduct of
your own accord. Now reread his statement and change you to
them and your to their and make it twice as applicable. It works
both ways — a strong threat by you, or to you.

3.1.6. Presenting only the favored side of an argument is more

effective than presenting both sides in persuading less educated
audiences and in reinforcing the already persuaded. Presenting both
sides is more effective with the better educated and the opposition
and is more effective as innoculation against subsequent
propaganda. Simply put, it is again knowing your receiver or
recievers.

That will tell you whether to present both sides or only the favored
side of an argument. The reverse of this coin is —what is being
presented to you? The answer in either case is important to your
and your organizations image.

3.1.7. The higher the education, the greater the reliance on

print: the lower the education, the greater the reliance on radio and
television.

Many people prefer to get it in writing. If it’s an important message

for an important target, research will reveal the best way to
package your message. If it is not important to get every edge” you
can get, then you can trust your intuitive judgment.

3.1.8. People tend to misperceive and misinterpret persuasive

communications In accordance with their own predispositions, by
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evading the message or by distorting it in a favorable direction.

(Witness the stated skepticism of intelligent smokers against the

findings of cancer specialists. Note how grade-school children will
misquote their teacher if they can turn this teacher’s remark into a
more favorable suggestion.

The teacher tells the children: Don’t do your homework at all if you
are going to turn it this messy!” The children tell their parents that
the teacher says they don’t have to do any homework.

The tendency or Inclination for people to... believe or not believe,

understand or not understand, agree or disagree in advance to
hearing arguments for or against Why? Research It in them use it or
guard against it... but, above all, be aware of predisposition (or the
other five P’s) in any person who can affect your welfare.

3.1.9. In cases where the audience approves of the

communicator, but disapproves of his conclusions, it tends to
disassociate the source from the content.

You must always be careful in “it’s your word against mine”

situations. Do your homework if you are to be an adversary if you
want an edge. Or If you just want to be careful In building and
maintaining your P.P.R

3.1.10 Arousing audience predispositions in favor of the intended.

message early In a communication will Increase the likelihood that
the message will be accepted and decrease the chances of later
attrition.

This explains why speeches, letters, and articles should get off to a
good start. If you alienate an audience at the outset, or leave them
with the impression that you don’t know the topic, it is virtually
impossible to reroute their thinking.

None of your audiences the receiver(s) of your message has a

perfectly clear, objective mind. Rather, it is cluttered with the sum
of all his or her or their experiences. This clutter can present
stumbling blocks to our effectively communicating with them,

And there are other factors which can hinder the seemingly simple
processes of transmitting your messages to them — the six P’s.

3.2 Consider The Six P’s

In communications; please consider what I call the Six P’s that will
Impact on the reception of your messages as they enter the minds
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of your receiver(s).

3.2.1 Predisposition is the tendency or Inclination to thaw

conclusions, to be influenced by previous experience, knowledge, or
familiarity, even to the point of prejudice or bias for or against
something or someone, before the facts are known.

It is a tendency to hear what we want to hear, see what we want to

see, believe what we want to believe.
Many times, in fad, people will make up their minds and then look
for evidence to support their position or beliefs.
His experience with the legal profession predisposed him to endorse
(or not endorse) the candidate.

3.2.2. Proclivity Is the natural Inclination of people for some

thing, some one, or some performance, While it is a natural
inclination, it can be nurtured or used. She has a proclivity for
Wouldn’t you like to know?

3.2.3. Perception Is a tendency to see what we would like to

see. It is therefore what people think they see, hear, understand,
conclude, recognize, distinguish and discern. More important to be
aware of What he or she perecives to be your Image is your Image
to him or her.

3.2.4. Predilection Is a person’s preference, partiality,

fondness, or desire for some thing, or some one, or some
performance or action. He had a prediliction for tail, blond women—
which you should know if you’re a petite brunette.

3.2.5. Preconception is an idea or opinion formed or conceived

in advance of acquiring full information.

3.2.6. Prejudice is a judgment or opinion, often unfavorable,

formed without good reason, often on Insufficient and subjective
knowledge, of people, situations, or issues. No examples are
necessary. If the public Is an Important one, seek the knowledge.
You can use a person’s natural inclinations, correct a misconception,
provide a better example, educate, even change a perception.

Perception can Impact greatly on our, communications on the

reception of our messages. Awareness is the key. The following
fundamentals may help you to understand how and why others
perceive your messages as they do; they may help you to
understand others Just a little bit better,

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3.3 Fifteen Fundaments of Perception
1. Your perception is a highly subjective matter. So Is his.
2. Your perception Is highly selective. So Is hers.
3. Perception is the characteristic that accounts for Individual
differences. And Individuals add up to them.
4. Neither you nor he will see things exactly in the same way, or in
the same exact way.
5. Your or his or her perception is your or his or her interpretation
of some excitation of one of your senses a stimulus.
6. People (we and they) tend to fill in the gaps to complete 14
something that appears to be Incomplete.
7. Each person thinks, feels, and sees something based on each of
their individual experiences.
8. People gain new perceptions only through new experiences.
9. How he or she perceives another person depends in large part
by what he or she expects to see In that person.
1O.You or he will see things differently at different times and in
different situations and circumstances.
11. His or her or your self-Image will depend a lot on what he or
she or you see/sees.
12. You people will tend to simplify things you do not understand
others are often barriers to effectively communicating with each
other.
13. Your (his or her) emotional reaction to the actions of others are
often barriers to effectively communicating with each other.
14. People, many times, see things, not the way they are, but as
they want them to be.
15. You have learned to see things as you do. So did they.

All of the standards, rules, and principles, and the like, are merely
guides whose prime purpose is to make you aware of the difficulties
we encounter as we try to communicate. And awareness is the
foundation tort of effective communication.

Communication is basic to our everyday existence. Recognition of

the power of effective communication is power in itself. It has been
so since even before Plato wrote in his Dialogs:

What is there greater than the word which persuades the judges on
the courts, or the Senators in the Council, or the citizens in the
assembly, or at any other political meeting? If you have the power
of uttering this word, you will have the physician your slave, and
the trainer your slave, and the money maker of whom you talk will
be found to gather treasures, not for himself, but for you who are
able to speak and to persuade the multitude.”

SBA – SEMISTER ONE BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS I