COMM 110 Week 1 Public Speaking, Ch. 1

Who Is Responsible for the Message?

Class,

If you are currently or would like to eventually wind up in management, this is an important concept to understand because blame always falls first (and often incorrectly) on the employee.  After considering the communications model shown in Ch. 1 (sender/receiver, message, channel, receiver/sender, feedback, noise, occasion, and cultural context), what do you think the textbook author meant by this statement: “The essence of the message lies not only in what the speaker intends, but also in the meaning ascribed to the message by the listener.”