Communication Skills Glossary

Communication Skills Glossary / Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science

Ambiguous

A disconfirming response with more than one meaning, leaving the other party unsure of the responder's position

Articulation

The process correctly pronouncing all the necessary parts of a word

Ambushing

A style in which the receiver listens carefully to gather information to use in an attack on the speaker

Artifact

A simple object or ornament representing significant cultural meaning

Attending

The process of focusing on certain stimuli from the environment

Channel

The medium through which a message passes from sender to receiver

Climate

The emotional tone of a relationship as it is expressed in the messages that the partners send and receive

Communication

The process of human beings responding to verbal/nonverbal behavior. A human survival skill needed to maintain contact with the world

Concise

To be clear and brief

Connotation

The emotional associations of a term.

Consensus

Agreement between group members about a decision

Credibility

Te believability of a speaker or other source of information

Chronemics

The study of how humans use and structure time

Conversation narcissist

One who turns the attention of the conversation to themselves

Critical listening

Listening in which the goal is to evaluate the quality or accuracy of the speaker’s remarks

Debilitative apprehension

An intense level of anxiety about speaking before an audience resulting in poor performance

Defensive listening

Taking innocent comments as personal attacks

Denotation

The objective, emotion-free meaning of a term

Emotional Intelligence

Refers to an assortment of noncognitive skills, capabilities, and competencies that influence a person’s ability to successfully cope with environmental demands and pressures

Empathy (Wolfelt)

The ability to perceive another’s experience and communicate that perception back to the person

Empathetic listening

Listening in which the goal is to help the speaker solve a problem

Environment

Physical location and personal history surrounding the communication

Equivocal terms

Words that have more than one dictionary meaning

Euphemism

A pleasant term substituted for a more direct, less pleasant term

Evaluative listening

Listening in which the goal is to judge the quality or accuracy of speaker's remarks

Extemporaneous speech

A speech planned in advance but presented in a direct, conversational manner

Facilitative apprehension

A moderate level of anxiety about speaking before an audience that helps improve the speaker’s performance

Faulty assumption

Incorrect assumptions that lead us to believe that we have heard the message before or that the message is too simple or too complex to understand

Feedback

The discernible response of the receiver

Haptics

How touch effects the communication process

Impromptu

A speech given without preparation

Informational listening

Listening to understand another person or idea

Insensitive listening

The failure to recognize the thoughts or feelings that are not directly expressed by a speaker, and instead accepting the speaker’s words at face value

Insulated listening

A style in which the receiver ignores undesirable information

Interpersonal communication

Communication in which the parties involved consider one another as unique individuals

Intrapersonal communication

Communicating with oneself

Jargon

Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand

Kinesics

The study of body movement, gestures, and posture

Manuscript speech

A speech that is read word-for-word from a prepared text

Mass Communication

The transmission of messages to large, usually widespread audiences via broadcast means

Memorized speech

A speech that is learned and delivered by rote without a written text

Message

A speaker's words and actions

Message overload

Excessive written or verbal information

Monochronic

A nonverbal means of communication that emphasizes punctuality in beginning and completing a task

Noise

A force that interferes with the process of communication

Pitch

The highness or lowness of one's voice

Polychronic

A nonverbal means of communication that emphasizes flexibility in beginning and completing tasks

Proxemics

The study of how people and animals use space

Pseudolistening

Giving the appearance of listening

Rate

The speed at which one speaks

Receiver

Decodes the message

Relative terms

Words that gain their meaning through comparison

Selective listening

A listening style in which the receiver responds only to messages that interest him or her

Self-concept

The relatively stable set of perceptions each individual holds of himself or herself

Self-disclosure

The process of deliberately revealing information about oneself that is significant and that would not normally be known by others

Self-esteem

The degree of regard a person holds for himself

Self-fulfilling prophecy

A prediction or expectation of an event that makes the outcome more likely to occur than would otherwise

Semantics

The study of meaning of words and phrases in language

Sender

Encodes and delivers the message

Slang

A type of language that consists of words or phrases that are informal

Soft skills

Personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people

Syntax

The arrangement of words in a sentence

Thematic

A complete sentence describing the central idea of a speech, usually found in the first paragraph

Tone

The quality of one’s voice

Volume

The loudness of one's voice