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Well, the only flaw in Norm's message that interferes seriously
with his communication is that it cuts off prematurely: this may
even be an example of a communication disorder. At the risk of
wandering into philosophy, however, I question the implied
definition in "Good communication effects a change in behavior."
If you tell me "The Simpsons is a wonderful TV show," I can draw
a number of conclusions about either it or you; if I don't have a
TV, none of them is likely to change my behavior. Nonetheless,
you have told me what you wanted to tell me. Communication is
designed to convey information; it has succeeded if the information
is received, even if the recipient has no immediate use for the
information, possibly no use at all.
Vicki Rosenzweig
vr%acmcr -dot- uucp -at- murphy -dot- com
