Interpersonal Communications - Exam Two - Laurie Brady - UArk

What is listening?

Very important but often overlooked communicative activity

helps us achieve goals

we spend more time listening than any other communicative activity

a skill that can be improved

Listening is a five step process; what're the five steps?

Receiving

Attending

Understanding

Responding

Recalling

What is receiving

the first step in the listening process

hearing occurs when sound wave vibrations travel along acoustic nerves to your brain

the first step in the listening process is seeing and hearing

What is attending

the second step in the listening process

devoting attention to the information you've received

salience is a factor

limiting multitasking online improves attention

elevating your attention improves it

mental bracketing: systematically

putting aside irrelevant thoughts

What is understanding

The third step in the listening process

interpreting meaning

new information is housed in your short term memory

What is responding

The fourth step in the listening process is responding-conveying your attention and understanding after someone shares

feedback is given while others talk

back-channel cues signal; you've paid attention and understand specifics; samples include nodding your head, responding with "uh-huh" "yes"

paraphrasing: summarizing others' comments after they've finished talking-is NOT verbatim

What are back-channel cues

indicating to someone that you're paying attention; giving feedback to specifics they have said

women respond to show attentiveness whereas men typically have a poker face

what are the five functions of listening

listening to comprehend

listening to discern (distinguish)

listening to analyze

listening to appreciate

listening to support

four listening styles

action-oriented listeners

time-oriented listeners

people-oriented listeners

content-oriented listeners

gender differences in listening style

women are more likely to use people oriented and content oriented styles

men are more likely to use time oriented and action oriented styles

cultures and listening styles

in america, time and action oriented listening styles dominate

in collectivist cultures, people and content oriented listeners dominate

five incompetent types of listening

selective listening

eavesdropping

pseudo-listening (don't actually listen but nonverbally respond)

aggressive listening (listen to criticize)

narcissistic listening (want the focus on them)

verbal communication

the exchange of spoken or written language with others during interactions

using words accurately and appropriately

language is symbolic

words are the primary symbols that we use to represent people, objects, events, and ideas

symbols can have references (thoughts, feelings, connotations, associations)

symbol have referents (what they stand for)

language can have different levels of meaning

semantic

syntactic

pragmatic

semantic language

word meanings (memorizing words)

example: bonjour=hello

syntactic language

grammar usage (better able to communicate)

example: Je voudrais... = I would like...

pragmatic language

highest, most complete (full understanding)

example: understanding slang words

language is cultural

within high-context cultures, people presume that listeners share common knowledge

in low-context cultures, people don't presume that listeners share common beliefs, attitudes, and values

example:

American english:

cigarette

beer

apartment

British english:

fag

pint

flat

what else influences language?

age/generation

region of country or state

profession

does language evolve?

yes! language is constantly changing; new words are added to the dictionary every year

personal idioms

used by people in close relationships

dialects

variations in language shared by a group

denotative meaning

the actual dictionary meaning

connotative meaning

additional understanding of the word (how people actually use the word)

slang and informal

linguistic determinism

the view that language defines the boundaries of our thinking

linguistic relativity

people from different cultures perceive the world in very different ways

naming

creating linguistic symbols for objects, people, places, ideas

naming can influence perceptions

use those symbols to communicate about these things

managing relationships

language is the primary means by which we maintain relationships

the more we talk the more comfortable we become with someone else

cooperative verbal communication

easily understood

takes ownership with "i" language

includes others with "we" language (emphasizes inclusion)

barriers to cooperative verbal communication

communication apprehension

defensive communication

verbal aggression

deception (lying, concealing things, etc)

what are proxemics

communication through the use of physical distance

what are the 4 proxemics

intimate space

personal space

social space

public space

how close is intimate space

0-18 inches

how close is personal space

18 inches - 4 feet

how close is social space

4 feet to 12 feet

how close is public space

12 feet and up

what is territoriality

the tendency to claim physical space as our own

emblems

replace speaking

example: thumbs up

illustrators

gestures given during speech

regulators

cues, vocal qualities, posture

adaptors

self touch, meet physical needs (yawning, stretching, shivering, etc.)

5 characteristics of language

symbolic

governed by rules

flexibility

cultural

evolves

references

thoughts, feelings, connotations, associations

referents

what they stand for

governed by rules

meaning of words

how we arrange words into sentences

the order we use words

constitutive rules

define word meanings

regulative rules

the “do and don’t”

spelling & sentence structures

functions of verbal communication

share meanings

shape thoughts

naming

performing actions

crafting conversations

managing relationships

share meanings

each participant understands symbols

denotative 

connotative

shape thoughts

linguistic determinism

linguistic relativity

performing actions

speech acts

any action performed through language

directivies

question

request

command

representatives 

assertion 

conclusion

commissive

promise

threats

expressives

thanks

apologies

congrats

declaritives

pronouncements 

declaring

crafting conversation

have interactions with others

conversations are locally managed

universal

often adhere to “scripts”

conversational competency

common mistakes

ex. silence when talking to someone, interrupting

taboo topics

non-verbal communication

the intentional or unintentional transmission of meaning through non-spoken physical and behavioral cues

1 principle of non verbal comm.

one CANNOT NOT communication

space

distance between talkers 

how big one’s office is to show power

touch

show affection

time

how they use their time

how time is allocated

principles of nonverbal communication

multiple sensory channels

ambiguous and flexible 

fewer rules

based on culture

more meaning (mixed messages) 

influenced by culture and gender

threatened and challenged by technology 

nonverbal codes

kinesics / body movements

voice / vocalics

touch / haptics

personal space / proxemics

physical appearance

artifacts / objects

environment

time

functions of nonverbal

conveys meaning

express emotion

presents ourselves to others

help manage interactions

defines relationships

convey meanings

through gestures, expressions, voice, etc.

up to 93% of meaning of messages in nonverbal

contradict verbal messages

we believe nonverbal over verbal

express emotion

affect display intentional or unintentional nonverbal behaviors that reveal actual or feigned emotion

facial expression is most significant way to show emotion

presents the self

conveys many aspects of the self 

nonverbal cues to help create our identity

managing interactions

kinesics

eyes can be a very important regulator

turn taking

look for signals

deception

nonverbal cues are key in lying

consistent verbal and nonverbal message

deception cues “leak out”

defining relationships

nonverbal communication helps create intimacy

nonverbal cues draws us to express dominant or submissive

4 principles of nonverbal

nonverbal speaks louder than verbal

ties to culture

messages depend on context

nonverbal and verbal work together