Chapter 5- Interpersonal Communications

Vocabulary flashcards covering interpersonal communication concepts, barriers, supervisor styles, written communication techniques, and organizational directive systems within a law enforcement context.

Microaggressions

The everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages.

Symbols

Arbitrary representations of something, such as word symbols, used by a speaker to translate thoughts or ideas to a listener.

Signs

The meanings that emanate from what is perceived, including gestures, facial expressions, inflections, and actions.

Procedural justice

Philosophy promoting positive organizational change and police legitimacy based on four principles: (1) treating people with dignity and respect; (2) giving citizens a voice; (3) being neutral in decision making; and (4) conveying trustworthy motives.

Psychological size

Feelings of superiority, inferiority, or personal inadequacy that exist and set up obstacles to interpersonal relations and effective communication.

Noise

Anything that interferes with the communication process between a speaker and an audience, also referred to by theorists as static.

Redundancy

The repetition of a message, perhaps in a different way, to ensure that it gets across and helps clarify information despite noise.

Empathy

The ability to project oneself into another's viewpoint; understanding others both on an emotional and conscious level by putting oneself in another's shoes.

Filtering

A barrier to effective communication that occurs when the person receiving the communication selectively hears or sees certain parts of the message depending on their own characteristics.

Communications net

The channels through which communications pass, where complexity affects the speed and accuracy of flow.

Grapevine

Informal communication channel within a law enforcement agency; also referred to as the rumor mill.

Feedback

The response of the receiver to the sender of a message or activity, conveyed both verbally and nonverbally through observation, inspection, and questioning.

Autocratic communications

Direct communications flowing downward, usually in the form of a direct order, where the leader makes all decisions with little to no input from group members.

Democratic communications

A method of communicating that permits the development of ideas and enables those affected by decisions to participate in making them.

Free rein communication

A method of communicating that provides for a minimum of contact and the avoidance or absence of leadership, allowing employees to make decisions on their own.

Tangential speaker

A type of communicator who fails to give a direct response as expected, responding instead to irrelevant side issues.

Newspaper style

A writing style where the first paragraph (topic paragraph) expresses essential elements and successive paragraphs amplify the opening, moving from most important to least important details.

Reference Information

Information that is not required to complete an immediate action but is kept in case it is needed later; stored in systems like email folders or company intranets.

Action Information

Information that must be had to complete an action; stored with the action on a to-do list or calendar.

The Four Ds for Decision-Making

A model for processing email consisting of four choices: (1) Delete it, (2) Do it, (3) Delegate it, and (4) Defer it.

CALEA

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, which advocates for a uniform set of written directives to reach administrative and operational goals.

General orders

Somewhat permanent declarations of organizational policy that establish broad rules describing the general objectives of the organization.

Special orders

Directives issued to establish procedures or rules and regulations necessary in carrying out policy; these are changed occasionally to keep practices current.

Operation orders

Orders used to describe procedures and goals for a particular event; they stay in effect only for the duration of the specific operation.

Notices

Forms of orders relating to matters of general interest, such as routine notifications and scheduled events.

Briefing

The process of reducing a lengthy report or dissertation to a concise account of the contents while preserving the meaning and avoiding distortion.