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What are the materials of communication?

2021.08.09

When building a house, the most important material is probably wood, but it’s never the only material that’s necessary or useful. Metal, steel, and other construction materials are also needed. In combination with wood, each of these materials has its own special purpose. When we communicate, we also use various materials that help to “construct our message”.

 

Language is never the only material that is necessary or useful. Sometimes people communicate with just a gesture (maybe waving hello) or a facial expression (smiling or frowning). However, we communicate most often by using different communication materials together, in combination. These different communication materials are called modes. The modes of communication include speaking, writing, gestures, facial expressions, photos, colors, and more. Using modes together is called multimodal communication.

 

A PowerPoint presentation is an excellent example of multimodal communication. It combines speaking (sound modes) with what is displayed on the screen (visual modes). In a PowerPoint presentation each mode has its own job to do. It’s important to understand that, even though speaking and writing are both language, they are two different modes and not the same. In a PowerPoint presentation, speaking is the most important mode, and the visual modes on the screen—the writing, graphs, photos, and various colors—support the spoken message. The PowerPoint audience doesn’t read a presentation—they listen and watch it. The few words and sentences on the screen are just key points to help the audience to follow or remember. The color mode in PowerPoint is most often used to highlight and emphasize key information.

 

In PowerPoint, the image modes can do different kinds of supportive work. Images create audience interest (a blank screen or a screen with just words is just boring). Images can also be used for the audience to identify the topic and what the speaker is talking about at various points of the presentation. Photo images can also be used to demonstrate actions (not just describing actions) or to show proof that something is real or really happened. Actions are another kind of supportive work. The speaker might use eye contact, facial expressions, or physically move around to interact with the audience. The presenter might point to different parts of the screen. Or the presenter could use gestures to demonstrate something. These are all action modes.

 

Just as it is necessary to understand different construction materials for buildings, it is necessary to understand different composition materials of communication. We need to consider all the modes and how they work together to effectively communicate the information and message we want to convey in our presentations.

 

 

 

Photo Credit: pexels-pixabay@pexels.com

 

 

 

Blog Quiz


Q1. What does multimodal communication mean?

A. Communicating with many people

B. Combining speaking, writing, images, and actions

C. Speaking more than one language

D. None of the above

 

Q2. How can an image on the screen contribute to a PowerPoint presentation?

A. It can make the presentation less boring

B. It can show what the presenter is talking about

C. It can demonstrate how something works

D. All of the above

 

Q3. Why are there words on the screen in a PowerPoint presentation?

A. To combine the different modes for the audience

B. To help the audience follow what the speaker is saying

C. So the presenter can physically interact with the audience

D. So the audience can read the presentation if they prefer not to listen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quiz Answers

A1.B

A2.D

A3.B

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