Chapter 3: Communication Principles for Group Members

Communication

The transactional process of simultaneously creating, interpreting, and negotiating shared meaning through interaction

Symbol

Anything that arbitrarily stands for something else

Content Dimension

The ideas or “what” of a message

Relational Dimension

The “how” of a message expressing the perceived relationship between communicators

Listening

A complex process involving perceiving, interpreting, and responding to messages

People-Oriented Listener

A listener who is concerned about how her or his listening behaviors affect relationships

Action-Oriented Listener

A listener who is concerned about how her or his listening behaviors contribute to the task at hand

Content-Oriented Listener

A listener who prefers information from perceived credible sources and is drawn to analyzing the information she or he hears

Time-Oriented Listener

A listener who values time and is focused on efficient discussion

Active Listening

Listening first to understand another’s message before critically judging the message

Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC)

Any interaction between group members via computer technology

Pseudolistening

Pretending to listen while thinking about something else or while daydraming

Silent Arguing

Mentally rehearsing objections to the speaker’s idea without first understanding what the speaker meant

Assuming Meaning

Interpreting the speaker’s behavior by using the cultural rules appropriate for the listener

Focusing on Irrelevancies

Becoming distracted from a speaker’s message by unimportant details such as dress, accent, physical appearance, or things in the environment

Sidetracking

Changing the topic because they weren’t paying attention to the speaker; not connecting remarks to statements of the previous speaker

Defensive Responding

Failing to listen or try to understand what a speaker is saying because they feel psychologically threatened by something the speaker said or did