Applying Communication Theory to Real Life essay 
Abstract
People always interact with each other during their life. The process of communication involves an exchange of ideas or feelings between individuals by verbal and nonverbal symbols. The more receiver is comprehensible to the given information, the more effective relations will be. Despite the variety of communication theories, the Duck’s Relationship Filtering Model is evaluated. Moreover, this approach is implied in a real life situation. Thus, relations between particular people are revealed and evaluated through the major premises of the proposed theory. The appropriateness of the theory to a particular case is examined as well.
Applying Communication Theory to Real Life
The interaction between the members of any society cannot occur without communication. Thus, during this process there can be written, verbal or visual impact from a sender to a receiver. Communication can be defined as a comprehensive process of sending, receiving, and interpreting messages (Daiton & Zelley, 2015). Primarily, it involves several steps. A thought is the first compound and reveals as an idea or feeling in a sender’s mind. The next step is the encoding or sending of the message to a receiver through different forms. Finally, a receiver interpret, or decode the information due to his or her comprehension (“Communication and Leadership,” 2015). Understanding and realization are the main points of the entire process. Being an element of exchange and mutual interaction of two and more people, the content and context must be mentioned. Consequently, the content complies from a language and context reveals the nonverbal symbols – posture, tone or emotions. Various types of theories and models were produced in order to understand the mechanism of the process and to suggest the ways of its improvement. Therefore, there are functional, cognitive, and behavioral theories, interpretive and critical ones (Suresh, 2003). For example, Steve Duck states that relations are accomplished through various cues – the appearance, personality, verbal and nonverbal forms of communication. These cues appear to be filters which evaluate and select the most suitable partner for interaction (“Duck’s Relationship Filtering Model,” 2010). The present essay describes a situation from a real life using the Duck’s relationship filtering model of communication.
Relations between people are not always stable. Even if stability can be cursorily seen, for example, between long-time married couple, the circumstances of life change all the time. These amendments influence on an individual’s reaction mainly on a surface, however, some situations can lead to significant decisions and change the entire life course. According to Steve Duck, the relations between people by the mean of communication are based on various verbal and nonverbal hints. In this case, language of a body, facial expressions, tone of voice can contribute to the evaluation of the relations, or to cool them off.
Furthermore, there are different types of such symbols which change our perception of others. The sociological or incidental cues indicate the variations in people’s living and working place. Thus, interaction in common environment can make it happens easier than living in a separate district of a city. The pre-interaction indications reveal the information about a person that is perceived before meeting and influence the beginning or canceling of communication. The interactive signs give the information about a person in time of interaction, for instance, during date period, people find each other attractive which later becomes the main reason for prolonging these relations (“Duck’s Relationship Filtering Model,” 2010). Finally, the cognitive keys determine an individual’s character and how it fits with a partner’s one. Thus, common interests can maintain stability to relations and their development.
Likewise, relationships can be an excellent source of knowledge not only about people we meet, however, of personal’s character evaluation (Duck, 2007). A person can change his/her assertions, or behavior due to a partner’s personal experience and contribute to development of personality. Consequently, this can lead to the increase of responsibility for words and actions during interaction with others.
It follows that these cues can be observed not only on theory, but also on situations in a real life. Thus, Marry Ann lives in a middle-sized town. The girl is a student, so she has much of a spare time to spend after her classes. She is fond of walking calmly along the streets when everybody is in a hurry. Her sight wanders in the trees, the sky and rare pedestrian can excite her interest. She has not got many friends, and she is feeling lonely and alienate from time to time. However, she has many things to do - Marry Ann is fond of reading and observing. Being quiet and calm, she has a plenty of various thoughts, images, and ideas derived from the books and environment. She lives the inner life of her imagination. Sometimes, Marry wished to share her findings with others, however, she could not find someone who could understands her feelings.
One afternoon, Marry Ann saw a young man that was walking with his head up looking at the sky. Her eyes caught him immediately, and her heart started beating fast. On the intuitive level, she felt a relative person in him, the one she was unconsciously seeking during her walks. However, he passed through without noticing her, and she was too shy and sensitive to make a first step to a conversation.
Several weeks went by, and she had not seen the stranger. Marry was so excited to meet him again that she had constructed her address in mind waiting to talk to him. At last she found him in a park near the lake one evening. They easily started a conversation and were walking for several hours. They spent wonderful time together in telling real and imaginary stories, exchanging the ideas and assumptions. The young people found out that they had many things in common and could happily spent more time together. They are both were fond of reading and observing, however, Frank had interest in science and Marry was interested in psychology and magic. They were contributed to each other knowledge about the world by sharing different ideas and disputing on any controversial ones. That was the way they were changing and enlarging their knowledge.
However Frank did not live in this town. He arrived there from time to time to visit his old sick grandmother. However, her health became worth, and he had to help her. One day he invited Marry to the grandmother’s place. The woman told her to be cautions with Frank because sometimes he has a paroxysm of despair when he could not managed to do anything. This information did not confuse the girl. As she had a large acquirement in psychology, she could implement the theory into practice while interacting with Frank.
The death of his grandmother caused the appearance of melancholia. Marry did not see him for a week. At last, after all stories that she had constructed in her mind, she managed to come to the place where she could find him. Frank was laying on the flour with his eyes opened. She carefully laid near and waited till he was managed to speak. However, the only thing he could talk was heavy emptiness and weakness. She suggested that he could live here, and they could communicate more often and helped each other in releasing of their loneliness. This phrase was worth thousands of words and psychological theories. The gift of love is the only thing that can cure a person from every illness; it is just a matter of time.
Now, this situation can be examined using the Duck’s model and its main assumptions. The different location of Marry and Frank made obstacles to their frequent meetings. However, the death of the boy’s grandmother helped him to become close to Marry and contributed to the tightness of their relations. Likewise, the girl’s suggestion decreased his depression and brought more meaning to his life.
Furthermore, the grandmother’s precaution of Frank’s peculiarities of character could scare or lessen the girl’s desire to communicate with the young man. However, it did not influence the girl’s attitude towards him. Moreover, it caused compassion, professional interest, and desire to help a friend in hard times.
Likewise, Marry had noticed Frank when he was looking at the sky, and she found this uncommon behavior closely related to her. During their communication, they were finding common interests, beliefs, and ideas that gave different views to a personal comprehension of the world. The young people were both fond of walking, reading and thinking that closely connect them with harmonic and strong friendship.
Communication between people is a significant process not only of sharing various information. The ideas and feelings which are translated in different forms can deeply influence the personality and change his or her world’s view or character. As a result, that leads to the responsible attitude to the communication. Among theories that evaluate the process from various sides, the Duck’s Relationship Filtration Model reveals the interactive, incidental or cognitive cues which influence the duration and depth of our relationship. A situation and its peculiarities taken from a real life can be examined according to this approach.
