S
| Concept | Definition |
|---|---|
| Salutation | A greeting used in written or verbal communication, often used to address the recipient at the beginning of a letter or email. |
| Sender | The individual or entity initiating and transmitting a message in the communication process. |
| Stakeholder | Individuals or groups with an interest or concern in the activities and outcomes of an organization. |
| Synergy | The combined efforts or collaboration of individuals or elements that result in a greater combined effect than individual efforts. |
| Semantic Noise | Disturbance in communication caused by misunderstandings arising from differences in language, meaning, or interpretation. |
| Social Media | Digital platforms and websites that enable users to create, share, and exchange information and ideas in a social and interactive manner. |
| Strategic Communication | Purposeful and planned communication efforts aimed at achieving long-term organizational goals and objectives. |
| Selective Perception | The tendency of individuals to interpret information in a way that aligns with their existing beliefs, values, or expectations. |
| Social Listening | Monitoring and analyzing online conversations and discussions on social media to gain insights into public opinions and trends. |
| Subject Line | A concise and descriptive line in email communication that summarizes the main topic or purpose of the message. |
| Sender’s Bias | The influence of the sender’s perspective, beliefs, or attitudes on the encoding and delivery of a message. |
| Social Presence | The perceived sense of being present, connected, and engaged in online or virtual communication environments. |
| Status Report | A document providing an overview of the current status, progress, and developments in a project, often shared with stakeholders. |
| Subordination Chain | The hierarchy or chain of command within an organization, indicating the levels of authority and reporting relationships. |
| SWOT Analysis | An assessment tool that identifies an organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to inform strategic planning. |
| Social Capital | The value derived from social networks, relationships, and interactions, contributing to personal and professional opportunities. |
| Sensitivity in Communication | The awareness and consideration of others’ feelings, perspectives, and cultural differences in communication interactions. |
| Synchronous Communication | Real-time communication that occurs simultaneously, such as face-to-face meetings, video conferencing, or live chat. |
| Sympathy | A feeling of compassion, understanding, or sorrow for the challenges or difficulties faced by others, expressed in communication. |
| Slang | Informal language, typically used within specific social groups, that may not be universally understood or accepted. |
| Situational Leadership | A leadership model that suggests leadership styles should be adapted based on the specific situation and the maturity of followers. |
| Social Responsibility | The ethical obligation of individuals and organizations to act in ways that benefit society and contribute to sustainable development. |
| Stakeholder Analysis | The process of identifying, assessing, and prioritizing individuals or groups with an interest or influence on a project or organization. |
| Storytelling | The use of narrative techniques to convey information, capture attention, and make messages more engaging and memorable. |
| Survey | A research method involving the collection of data through questionnaires or interviews to gather insights, opinions, or feedback. |
| Situational Awareness | The understanding and perception of one’s environment, including potential opportunities, challenges, and relevant information. |
| Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) | Established and documented step-by-step guidelines for carrying out routine or complex tasks within an organization. |
| Social Proof | The psychological phenomenon where individuals conform to the actions or beliefs of others in uncertain or ambiguous situations. |
| Self-disclosure | The intentional sharing of personal information or feelings with others, contributing to relationship development and trust. |
| Sales Pitch | A persuasive presentation or communication aimed at convincing others to buy a product, service, or idea. |
| Stakeholder Engagement | The process of involving and communicating with stakeholders to build positive relationships, gather input, and address concerns. |
| Speechwriting | The process of crafting and composing speeches for public speaking events, incorporating elements of persuasion and effective communication. |
| Situational Analysis | An examination of the internal and external factors influencing an organization’s current situation, often conducted for strategic planning. |
| Shared Values | Common beliefs, principles, or standards that individuals within an organization or community collectively uphold and use as a basis for decision-making. |
| Secondary data | Data collected by someone else for some other purpose; it may be published or unpublished. |
| Simple sentence | A sentence that has one independent clause. |
| Slang | An expression, often short-lived, that is identified with a specific group of people. |
| Solicited application letter | An application letter written in response to an advertised job vacancy. |
| Stimulus | An event that creates within an individual the need to communicate. |
| Style | The manner in which an idea is expressed (rather than the substance of the idea). |
| Survey | A data-collection method that gathers information through questionnaires, telephone inquiries, or interviews. |
| Self-fulfilling prophecy | Molding of behavior by expectations so that what was expected does indeed happen. |
| Small group communication | Communication between and among the members of a small group; communication involving several people. |
| Small talk | Casual conversation that is often impersonal and superficial, including greetings, comments about the weather, newsworthy events, or trivia. |
| Social loafing | The tendency for group members to exert less individual effort on an additive task as the size of the group increases. |
| Speech community | A group of people who share understandings of communication that are not shared by people outside of the group. |
| Spiral of silence theory | Explains how perceptions of public opinion can minimize social expression of minority opinion while exaggerating majority voices. |
| Suprasystem(s) | An element of systems theory that presupposes that a number of systems are interrelated to form a larger entity, the “suprasystem”. |
| Symmetrical | A form of communication and relationships in which power is equal between partners. |
| Synergy | A proposition underlying systems theory which maintains that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. |
| Synchronous communication | Also known as simultaneous communication. Communication during which participants engage in the process at the same time, such as telephone conversation or Internet chat room. |