MCM101 Lesson 9

LESSON 9: EFFECTS OF COMMUNICATION

1. What is the immediate effect of communication?
   The immediate effect of communication is to discover something – from an individual to an idea to physical exploration.
2. How does communication help in creating relationships?
   Communication is targeted towards people with whom you want to have a relationship or to strengthen an existing one, thus setting new relationships or adding fresh dimensions to them.
3. What role does communication play in helping others during disasters?
   Communication works to save lives by activating rescue operations; one call can trigger a movement of rescuers during events like house fires, hurricanes, or earthquakes.
4. What is meant by ‘stimulation’ as an effect of communication?
   Stimulation, or persuasion, is the effect where communication activates or persuades people to act, such as an appeal from a leader motivating people to change behavior.
5. How does communication provide ‘relaxation’?
   Communication provides relief by allowing the exchange of ideas or receiving messages that change mood, such as telling jokes, watching a humorous TV play, or seeing a favorite team win.
6. What aspect of social growth is attributed to communication?
   The growth of social values, physical structures, and the increase in the overall intellectual level of a society are results of the net effect of everyday communication.
7. How do the effects of communication transcend time and space?
   An idea generated at one time in history can be materialized later (like radio waves theory leading to invention), and communication allows knowledge to be shared across great distances, integrating collective human progress.
8. According to the lesson, how can communication influence economic conditions, as in the example of sugar prices?
   An appeal from a leader asking people to reduce sugar use can work as persuasion, lowering demand and causing prices to fall, demonstrating stimulation as an effect.
9. Explain how communication facilitates discovery.
   Communication facilitates discovery by generating messages that seek answers, helping mankind explore the world and develop civilization, from simple introductions to complex scientific inquiries.

1. Explain how communication has been used historically to establish relationships between societies.
   Historically, travelers roamed the world even with scant traveling facilities to communicate and establish relationships, and small groups of travelers helped set up long-lasting relationships between different societies.
2. How does mass communication amplify the effect of ‘helping out others’?
   Mass communication allows help to pour in from all around the globe in response to tragedies like hurricanes or epidemics, as a single piece of communication can alert a vast international audience.
3. Explain how an ‘organized and well thought after piece of communication’ can cause persuasion.
   Such communication, like a leader’s appeal, can magically influence public behavior on matters of common interest, such as reducing the use of a commodity to affect its price, more effectively than administrative measures.
4. Describe how communication contributes to ‘social growth’.
   The exchange of messages on common issues leads to better organization of people, coherence in living style, and sharing of economic knowledge, which strengthens the community and distinguishes it from others.
5. How does meta-communication contribute to relaxation?
   Meta-communication, which involves interaction with non-living things (like watching a tense match or a humorous play), can significantly change mood, lessen anxiety, and provide relaxation.
6. Explain the effect of communication on collective human progress, using the example of scientific invention.
   Communication allows multiple pieces of research and theories (e.g., on electromagnetic waves) to be shared among scientists over time and distance, enabling others to build upon previous work and eventually discover truths, thus integrating progress.
7. How can communication effect change beyond the present, according to the lesson?
   Effects are not limited to the present; an idea from history can be realized later, and communication bridges distances, allowing immediate knowledge sharing that fuels long-term progress across the globe.
8. A community leader wants to encourage blood donation after a disaster. Based on the lesson, which effect of communication should they leverage and how?
   They should leverage ‘Stimulation’ (persuasion) by making a heartfelt and organized appeal through mass communication, motivating people to donate blood for the common good.
9. Analyze the following scenario: A family trapped in a fire calls emergency services and is rescued. Which effect of communication does this demonstrate?
   This demonstrates the effect of ‘Helping Out Others’, where a single piece of communication (the phone call) activates a rescue operation that saves lives.
10. A scientist publishes a research paper online that is read by a researcher on another continent, leading to a breakthrough. Which effect of communication does this illustrate?
    This illustrates the effect of communication transcending ‘Space’, where knowledge shared across distance integrates and accelerates collective human progress.
11. You are feeling stressed after a long day. Based on the lesson, what is one way you could use communication to achieve relaxation?
    You could watch a humorous TV play or listen to a comedy show, as this form of communication can change your mood and lessen anxiety, providing relaxation.
12. Apply your knowledge: How did the campaign for globalization, as mentioned in the lesson, demonstrate the effect of communication on social growth?
    The debate and communication on globalization over decades created a shared understanding and campaign for a “one village” approach, showing how communication on a common subject leads to organized social growth and the potential for shared benefits.
13. A diplomat is sent to a country with which their nation has had little contact. Based on the lesson, what is one primary effect their communication is intended to achieve?
    The primary intended effect is to ‘Create a Relationship’, establishing new diplomatic ties or adding a fresh dimension to the existing, minimal association between the two societies.
14. Based on the lesson, why is the ‘discovery’ effect considered an instinct of human nature?
    Because humans have a natural instinct to explore and understand the world around them, and communication is the primary tool that satisfies this instinct by generating questions and sharing answers.
15. A teacher notices students are disengaged in class. Which effect of communication could the teacher use to improve the situation?
    The teacher could use ‘Stimulation’ by offering motivating advice or presenting the material in a persuasive way that activates the students to work more seriously and engage with the topic.
16. If “effects of communication are not limit to present day activities,” what does this suggest about the responsibility of communicators?
    It suggests that communicators have a long-term responsibility, as their messages can have delayed and far-reaching consequences, influencing future discoveries, social structures, and collective progress