CST ecam

Characteristics of communication: symbolic, somewhat involuntary, often transactional, relies on multiple channels, rule governed, affects and is affected by our identity

What does it mean that communication is “somewhat involuntary”?: one cannot not communicate, intention behind a message can differ from the interpretation of a message

Channel Rich Content: Speaking face to face

Channel Lean Content: Communicating through text or email

Meta Communication: communication about communication

Content messages: The informational or behavioral aspect of the message. The idea expressed.

Relational messages: The features of a message that indicate how the communicator feels about the relationship w/ the other person

COMMUNICATION is goal driven

Three Types of Interpersonal Goals: Instrumental, self-presentational, relational

Instrumental Goals: attempt to gain a material good/service

Self-presentational Goals:  attempt to create a specific impression

Relational Goals: attempt to escalate, maintain or de-escalate a relationship

Interpersonal Communication: communication between 2 people in their ongoing relationship that, as it evolves, helps them negotiate and define their relationship.

Interpersonal Communication Functions: Occurs in Dyads… groups of two, Evolves within relationships, Negotiates and defines relationships, Occurs in contexts… family/health/workplace

Communicative competence: Motivation, knowledge, skill

Motivation: desire to communicate competently

Knowledge: social awareness, ability to to use best actions for a situation

Skill: ability to preform in communication

Encode: Taking info. Using a medium to send it to another person

Decode: The receiving end taking meaning from that message

Self: a psychological construct consisting of an organized set of beliefs and about oneself

Self-concept: What one believes about one’s self

Self-esteem: How one feels about one's self

Public self vs. inner self: The image we put out vs the beliefs/actions/feelings we keep private

Influences on the development of self:Personality & biology, Cultural & gender roles, Relationships \n

Reflected appraisal: the tendency to view ourselves in the way we believe others view us

Direct definitions- descriptions, labels assigned to people that affect how they view themselves

Social comparison: evaluating oneself relative to others

Self Construals… how one thinks about themselves

Independent Self- view self as separate from others and autonomous

Interdependent Self- tendency to view the self as inseparable from family members, friends and others

Avowed Identity- the identity you claim yourself

ascribed identity- the identity that others assign to you

Ingratiation- wanting others to like us

Self-promotion- wanting others to perceive us as competent

Exemplification- wanting others to perceive us as having integrity

Power displays- wanting others to perceive us as strong and powerful

Identification- wanting others to perceive us as belonging to a particular group

Face- the public self-image that a person wants for ones self

Negative face wants- desire to be liked and respected by others

positive face wants- desire to be free from constraints and obligations

Face-threatening acts: words or actions that may damage another person’s negative/positive face wants

Facework: words or actions that attempt to preserve our own or the other person’s negative/positive face work

  • Can be preventative… before face threatening act
  • Can be corrective…after face threatening act

Semantics: meanings of words

Connotative meaning: Widely understood, emotionally charged meaning

denotative meaning: dictionary definition

Syntactics: the process by which words are combined into sentences

Syntactical rules vary among different languages

Syntax includes grammar

Pragmatics: Language as it’s used in interaction

Relationship between communicators will influence how words are interpreted

Speech acts: Q’s, words, phrases with specific intentions

Phonology: the sounds of words

Functions of language: Uncertainty reduction, Demonstrates group membership, Demonstrates credibility, Sending positive relational messages, Naming

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Problems in language: equivocation, relative language, subjectivity, euphemisms, hate speech*

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Grice’s conversational maxims

Quality-  be truthful

Quantity- provide enough info, but not too much 

Manner- be organized

Relevance- stay on topic 

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Conversational competence*

Attentiveness- being interested in communication

Composure- confidence, avoid anxious behaviors

Expressiveness- facial expressions display engagement 

Coordination- smooth intro and transitions in conversation flow 

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Nonverbal communication: behaviors and characteristics that convey meaning without the use of words 

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Principles/power of NVC

  • Ambiguous: one nonverbal cue can mean different things 
  • Ubiquitous- present in most interpersonal interactions
  • Often conveys more information than verbal communication  
  • Occurs in clusters
  • Thought of being more believable than verbal messages 
  • Primary means of conveying emotion 
  • Nonverbal codes are rule-governed and contextual 
  • Most nonverbal codes are culturally bound 

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Functions of nonverbal codes, including:

  1.  Expressing meaning: dimensions of feeling expressed through nonverbal

   

  1. Liking or disliking 
  2. Status: our importance compared to others
  3. Immediacy: availability to interact and be involved in communication 
    1. Modifying verbal messages: 

   

  1. complementing NV verifies verbal messages

       1. Ex. friend says he is sick and comes to door in PJs

  1. Accenting NVs make verbal messages stronger 
  2. Repeating NV repeats 

       1. “Yes” and nodding “yes”

  1. Substituting: no verbal response… only NV 
  2. Contradicting 
    1. Regulating interaction: 

   

  1. Smoothness of talking 
  2. Changing topics 
  3. End conversation 

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Facial primacy-  face communicates more information than any other NV channel 

3 functions of facial displays 

  1. Identity 
  2. Attractiveness 
  3. Emotion 

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Proxemics: how distance and space communicate 

Three dimensions of proxemics: 

personal space: imaginary bubble 

environmental preferences: physical settings 

Territoriality: assumed ownership of a space 

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Types of nonverbal gestures

  • Facial expression 
  • Eye behaviors
  • Proxemics 
  • Vocalics
  • Kinesis 
  • Appearance 
  • Chronemics… use of time
  • Haptics… use of touch 
  • Olfactics… use of smell

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Paralanguage: how something is said 

Halo effect: bias towards people we find physically attractive 

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Polychronic- time is fluid and flexible

Monochromic- time is a commodity