COM 100 First Exam

adapt

to modify one’s behavior to accommodate what others are doing.

communication

The process by which people use signs, symbols, and behaviors to exchange information and create meaning.

relational needs

The essential elements people seek in their relationships with others.

instrumental needs

Practical, everyday needs.

model

A formal description of a process.

action model

A model describing communication as a one-way process.

source

The originator of a thought or an idea.

encode

To put an idea into language or gesture.

message

Verbal and nonverbal elements of communication to which people give meaning.

channel

A pathway through which messages are conveyed.

receiver

The party who interprets a message.

decode

To interpret or give meaning to a message.

noise

Anything that distracts people from listening to what they wish to listen to.

interaction model

A model describing communication as a process shaped by feedback and context.

feedback

Verbal and nonverbal responses to a message.

context

The physical or psychological environment in which communication occurs.

transaction model

A model describing communication as a process in which everyone is simultaneously a sender and a receiver.

channel-rich contexts

Communication environments involving many channels at once.

channel-lean contexts

Communication environments involving few channels at once.

symbol

A representation of an idea.

content dimension

Literal information that is communicated by a message.

relational dimension

Signals about the relationship in which a message is being communicated.

metacommunication

Communication about communication.

explicit rules

Rules that have been clearly articulated.

implicit rules

Rules that have not been clearly articulated but are nonetheless understood.

intrapersonal communication

Communication with oneself.

interpersonal communication

Communication that occurs between two people in the context of their relationship.

small group communication

Communication occurring within small groups of approximately 3 to 20 people.

public communication

Communication directed at an audience that is larger than a small group.

mass communication

Communication to a large audience that is transmitted by media.

communication competence

Communication that is effective and appropriate for a given situation.

self-monitoring

Awareness of one’s behavior and how it affects others.

empathy

The ability to think and feel as others do.

cognitive complexity

The ability to understand a given situation in multiple ways.

ethics

Principles that guide judgments about whether something is morally right or wrong.

nonverbal communication

Behaviors and characteristics that convey meaning without the use of words.

emoji

Cartoon depictions of faces and other objects.

nonverbal channels

The various behavioral forms that nonverbal communication takes.

deception

The act of leading others to believe something the speaker knows to be untrue.

immediacy behaviors

Nonverbal signals of affection and affiliation.

facial displays

Facial expressions that are an important source of information in nonverbal communication.

symmetry

The similarity between the left and right sides of a face or body.

proportionality

The relative sizes of facial or body features.

oculesics

The study of eye behavior.

kinesics

The study of movement.

gesticulation

The use of arm and hand movements to communicate.

emblems

Gestures that have a direct verbal translation.

illustrators

Gestures that go along with a verbal message to clarify it.

affect displays

Gestures that communicate emotion.

regulators

Gestures that control the flow of conversation.

adaptors

Gestures used to satisfy a personal need.

haptics

The study of the sense of touch.

vocalics

Characteristics of the voice that communicate meaning.

paralanguage

Vocalic behaviors that communicate meaning along with verbal behavior.

olfactics

The study of the sense of smell.

proxemics

The study of the use of space.

intimate distance

The zone of space willingly occupied only with intimate friends, family members, and romantic partners.

personal distance

The zone of space occupied with close friends and relatives.

social distance

The zone of space occupied with casual acquaintances.

public distance

The zone of space maintained during a public presentation.

halo effect

A predisposition to attribute positive qualities to physically attractive people.

chronemics

The use of time.

artifacts

Objects and visual features that reflect a person’s identity and preferences.

listening

The active process of making meaning out of another person’s spoken message.

hearing

The sensory process of receiving and perceiving sounds.

attending

Paying attention to someone’s words well enough to understand what that person is trying to communicate.

HURIER model

A model describing the stages of effective listening as hearing, understanding, remembering, interpreting, evaluating, and responding.

mnemonics

Devices that can aid short- and long-term memory.

interpretation

The process of assigning meaning to information that has been selected for attention and organized.

evaluation

Assessing the value of information we have received.

stonewalling

Responding to another person’s words with silence and lack of expression.

backchanneling

Using facial expressions, nods, vocalizations, and verbal statements to let a speaker know you are paying attention.

paraphrasing

Restating in your own words what a speaker has said, to show that you understand.

empathizing

Conveying to a speaker that you understand and share his or her feelings.

supporting

Expressing your agreement with a speaker’s opinion or point of view.

analyzing

Providing your own perspective on what a speaker has said, such as by explaining your opinion or describing your experience.

advising

Communicating advice to a speaker about what he or she should think, feel, or do.

informational listening

Listening to learn.

critical listening

Listening to evaluate or analyze.

empathic listening

Listening to experience what the speaker thinks or feels.

noise

Anything that distracts people from listening to what they wish to listen to.

pseudolistening

Pretending to listen.

selective attention

Listening only to what one wants to hear and ignoring the rest.

information overload

The state of being overwhelmed by the enormous amount of information encountered each day.

glazing over

Daydreaming or allowing the mind to wander while another person is speaking.

rebuttal tendency

The propensity to debate a speaker’s point and formulate a reply while that person is still speaking.

closed-mindedness

The tendency not to listen to anything with which one disagrees.

competitive interrupting

The practice of using interruptions to take control of the conversation.

confirmation bias

The tendency to pay attention only to information that supports one’s values and beliefs, while discounting or ignoring information that does not.

vividness effect

The tendency of dramatic, shocking events to distort one’s perceptions of reality.

skepticism

A method of questioning that involves evaluating evidence for a stated claim.

specific purpose

The main goal for a speech or oral presentation.

thesis

The main message of a speech or oral presentation.

purpose statement

A declaration of the specific goal for a speech.

thesis statement

A one-sentence version of the message in a speech.

main point

A statement expressing a specific idea or theme related to the speech topic.

topic pattern

A pattern of organizing the main points of a speech to represent different categories.