Communication Final

4 communication styles

1) Action

2) Process

3) People

4) Idea

Action Communication styles has:

• Results

• Objectives

• Achieving

• doing

Process Communication styles has:

• Strategies

• Organization

• facts

People Communication styles has:

• communication

• relationships

• teamwork

Idea Communication styles has:

• Concepts

• Theories

• innovation

People with action style are:

pragmatic, direct, decisive, quick, impatient

People with process style are:

Systematic (step-by-step), logic (cause & effect), factual

People with people style are:

Warm, subjective, emotional, spontaneous, sensitive

People with Idea style are:

Imaginative, unrealistic, creative, full of ideas, charismatic, difficult to understand

People with action style talk about:

results, objectives, responsibility, challenges

People with Process style talk about:

Facts, procedures, analysis, details, observations

People with People style care about:

Teamwork, people, cooperation, feelings, values, beliefs

People with Idea style talk about:

New methods, opportunities, potential alternatives, innovation, what’s new

People with Action style care about:

Productivity, performance, achievements, efficiency

Communicating with an Action person:

• Focus on result first; state conclusion

• State your best recommendation, do no offer many alternatives

• Be as brief as possible

• Emphasize the practicality of your ideas use visual aids

Communicating with a Process person

• Be precise, state the facts

• Organize your discussion in logical order

• Break down your recommendations

• Include options and alternatives with pros & cons

• Outline your proposal

Communicating with a People person

• Allow for small talk; do not start discussion right away

• Stress the relationship between your proposal and the people concerned

• Show how the idea worked well in the past

• Use an informal writing style

Communicating with an Idea person

• Allow enough time for discussion

• Do not get impatient when they go off topic

• Stress the uniqueness of the idea or topic at hand

• Emphasize future value or relate the impact of the idea to the future

Small groups is usually ____, but ideally ___ members

3-15; 5-7

how do small groups try to solve problems?

Interaction among 3 or more people working together interdependently for the purpose of accomplishing a task

What groups can you belong in?

• Sport teams

• In organizations: committees

• At school: study group, sorority

• Others: alcoholics anonymous

Characteristics:

• Cohesiveness

• Interdependence

• Commitment

• Group norms

• Member roles

• Cultures

Cohesiveness

working together and feeling connected

Interdependence

members rely on one another. Collaboration and interrelated performance.

Commitment

shared goals

Group norms

formal or informal rules guiding behaviors

Members roles

positions or functions within a group

Cultures

practices that a group develops to make it distinctive from other groups

Centralized

feel disconnected, less cohesiveness; good to have when leader is strong

Decentralized

good to build cohesiveness, good to have on complex task; may slow down activities

Group Leader Power

Interpersonal influence that forms the basis for group leadership

Types of group leader

1) Reward Power

2) Coercive Power

3) Legitimate

4) Referent Power

5) Expert Power

Referent Power

• Power based on respect or loyalty

• Identification, liking, charisma

Reward Power

The ability to give something of value

Coercive power

The ability to punish someone

Legitimate

Someone’s role/title

• Assigned leader, title

Expert Power

One’s experience/knowledge is valued by other members

Development model:

1) Forming

2) Storming

3) Norming

4) Performing

5) Adjourning

Forming:

• Little agreement

• Unclear purpose

• Guidance and direction

Storming

• Conflict

• Increased clarity of purpose

• Power struggles

• coaching

Norming

• agreement and consensus

• clear roles & responsibility

• facilitation

Performing

• clear vision & purpose

• focus on goal achievement

• delegation

Adjourning

• task completion

• good feeling about achievements

• recognition

Conflict management strategies

Care about others vs care about yourself

Avoidance

• low on both assertiveness and cooperation

• view conflict as worthless and punishing

• stay away from conflict

Accommodating

• higher concern for others than self

• view conflict as destructive

• believe surface harmony, good relationship

Competing

• higher value on personal goal than others

• conflict as win-lose situation

• respect for power

Collaborating

• higher value on self and others

• conflict as beneficial if handled openly

• guide group through problem-solving procedure

• spend time to reach a consensus

Conflict types:

A-Type conflict

C-Type Conflict

A-Type conflict:

• affective conflict

• emotional and personal

• sidetracks the team from the issues and creates defensiveness and anger

C-type conflict:

• cognitive conflict

• focus on problems and task

• Improves team productivity and creates a feeling of satisfaction

Ground Rules #1

Direct feedback toward behavior rather than toward the person

• Attacking the individual

• Separating ideas from the person

Ground Rules #2

Feedback should be descriptive (honest & objective), not evaluative (judgmental & accusatory)

Problem Solving Procedure

• Analyze

• Generate

• Evaluate

• Decide

• Plan

Analyze

Describe and analyze the problem

Generate

Generate possible solutions

Evaluate

Evaluate all solutions

Decide

Decide on a solution

Plan

Plan how to implement the solution

Analyze 5 W’s:

• Who 

• What

• When

• Where

• Why

Generate possible solutions

Brainstorm

• State as many alternatives as possible

• Accept all ideas without criticism

  • Strength: encourage all members to participate

Evaluate and make decision

T chart of Positives vs Negatives of each solution

Plan to implement the solution

• State

• List

• Place

• Make

State

State you goal and deadline clearly

List

All steps that need to be completed in order to accomplish the goal

Place

Place tasks on a timeline

Make

Make sure everyone knows his/her role and goals

Why do we communicate?

• inclusion

• affection

• control

features of personal relationship:

• uniqueness

• commitment

• relationship rules

Personality: 5-factor model

• Extraversion

• Agreeableness

• Conscientiousness

• Emotional stability

• Openness

Personality of Extraversion:

sociable, assertive, active, and talkative

Personality of Agreeableness:

being likable, adaptable, cooperative, cheerful, warm, & tolerant

Personality of Conscientiousness:

responsible, dependable, organized, persevering, & willing to achieve

Personality of Emotional Stability:

calm, self-confident rather than moody and tense

Personality of Openness

creative, imaginative, intelligent, broad-minded, curious, and artistically sensitive

Style of Loving:

• eros

• storge

• ludus

• mania

• agape

• pragma

Eros:

passionate, tense, fast moving

Storge

comfortable, “best” friends, stable

Ludus

playful; love is a game

Mania

emotional extremes, insecure

Agape

selfless, generous, devoted

Pragma

pragmatic, goal-oriented

Forming relationship: attraction theory

• physical attraction

• proximity

• similarity

• reciprocity

Relational development: coming together; 5 stages

1) Initiating

2) Experimenting

3) Intensifying

4) Integrating

5) Bonding

Relationship deterioration: coming apart; 5 stages

1) Differentiating

2) Circumscribing

3) Stagnating

4) Avoiding

5) Terminating

Relational Dialectics Theory

• Individuals swing back and forth between contradictory desires

• People try to reconcile their conflicting desires

Three dialectics that affect relationships

• Autonomy & connection

• Openness & protection

• Novelty & predictability

Autonomy and connection

• Separation and integration

• This tension is a primary strain in all relationships

Openness and protection

• Expression and non-expression

• A couple also faces the revelation and concealment dilemma of what to tell others

Novelty and predictability

• Stability and change

• The need for both interpersonal certainty and novelty