Communication Climate

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Communication Climate

• Tamara Arrington
• COM 252
• UK BCTC

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Today well talk about

• What is a communication climate?
• Disconfirming confirming messages
• Defensiveness
• Supporting behaviors
• Your response to criticism

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

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Communication Climates and Conflict

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

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Factors That Affect The Communication Climate

• Disconfirming and confirming messages
• Defensiveness
• Your response to criticism

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Confirming and Disconfirming Communication

• Developing positive and negative communication
  climates

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Confirming Communication

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

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Disconfirming Communication

• Messages show lack of regard for other
• Verbal aggression verbal abuse
• Complaining
• Interrupting
• Impervious responses (ignoring other persons
  attempt to communicate)

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What is Defensiveness?

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

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Gibb Categories of Defensive and Supportive
Behaviors

• Increasing and Decreasing Defensiveness

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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 Ive ever
  met.

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Evaluation Vs. Description

• Descriptive communication focuses on the
  speakers thoughts and feelings.
• Descriptive messages often expressed as I
  language.
• When you dont put tax information in the proper
  file, it makes it difficult for us at tax time.

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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.

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Strategy Vs. Spontaneity

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

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Neutrality (Indifference) Vs. Empathy

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

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Superiority Vs. Equality

• People who act superior communicate they dont
  want to relate on equal terms with others.
• Communicating superiority encourages others to
  feel defensive.
• Best to project feelings of equality.

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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.

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Responding Nondefensively to Criticism
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Seek More Information

• Ask more information
• Ask for specifics
• Guess about specifics
• Paraphrase the speakers ideas
• Ask what the critic wants
• Ask about the consequences of your behavior and
  ask what else is wrong

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Agree With The Critic

• Agree with the truth
• Agree with the odds
• Agree in principle
• Agree with the critics perception