Communication Climate

Communication Climate Tamara Arrington COM 252 UK & BCTC

Today we’ll talk about… • What is a communication climate? • Disconfirming & confirming messages • Defensiveness • Supporting behaviors • Your response to criticism

Is this what the communication in your relationships is like? Or, is this more like it?

What is a communication climate? • The term communication climate refers to the emotional or social tone of a relationship. • It involves the way people feel about each other. • It is a relational climate. • Communication climates affects/reflects relationships. • Every context has a climate – this class, your workplace, and your home.

Communication Climates and Conflict • Communication climate is an extremely significant factor when people have conflicts.

Factors That Affect The Communication Climate • Disconfirming and confirming messages • Defensiveness • Your response to criticism

Confirming and Disconfirming Communication Developing positive and negative communication climates

Confirming Communication • Messages that convey valuing other people • Recognition (making contact) • Acknowledgment (listening) • Endorsement (agreement)

Disconfirming Communication • Messages show lack of regard for other • Verbal aggression & verbal abuse • Complaining • Interrupting • Impervious responses (ignoring other person’s attempt to communicate)

What is Defensiveness? • Protecting oneself from attack • Increased defensiveness creates/reflects negative communication climates. • Decreased defensiveness creates/reflects more positive communication climates.

Gibb Categories of Defensive and Supportive Behaviors Increasing and Decreasing Defensiveness

Evaluation Vs. Description • Evaluative communication involves the listener perceiving judgmental statements that show lack of regard for the listener. • “You” language one form of evaluative communication • “You are the most disorganized person I’ve ever met.”

Evaluation Vs. Description • Descriptive communication focuses on the speaker’s thoughts and feelings. • Descriptive messages often expressed as “I” language. • “When you don’t put tax information in the proper file, it makes it difficult for us at tax time.”

Control Vs. Problem Orientation (Non-controlling) • Controlling communication when speaker seems to be imposing solution on listener with no regard for listener. • Non-controlling communication focuses on finding a solution that takes into consideration both communicators.

Strategy Vs. Spontaneity • The terms dishonesty and manipulation capture the essence of strategy. • Spontaneity means expressing yourself honestly.

Neutrality (Indifference) Vs. Empathy • Neutrality (indifference) implies other person is not important to you. • Empathy shows care for the feelings and thoughts of others.

Superiority Vs. Equality • People who act superior communicate they don’t want to relate on equal terms with others. • Communicating superiority encourages others to feel defensive. • Best to project feelings of equality.

Certainty (Know It All) Vs. Provisionalism (Open-minded) • A know it all (certainty) regards his/her opinions with certainty while disregarding the ideas of others. • Demonstrate a lack of regard for the thoughts and opinions of others. • Open-minded (provisionalism) communicators no corner on the truth and willing to change with new information.

Responding Nondefensively to Criticism

Seek More Information • Ask more information • Ask for specifics • Guess about specifics • Paraphrase the speaker’s ideas • Ask what the critic wants • Ask about the consequences of your behavior and ask what else is wrong

Agree With The Critic • Agree with the truth • Agree with the odds • Agree in principle • Agree with the critic’s perception

Communication Climate