- "you" statements
-
Moralistic judgments where we imply the wrongness or badness of another person and the way they have behaved.
- 6 X 6 rule
-
A guide for text on visual aids. Generally present no more than six bullet points with no more than six words per bullet point on a slide. Only break this rule if you have a compelling reason.
- abstract
-
Refers to words that relate to ideas or concepts that exist only in your mind and do not represent a tangible object.
- abstraction ladder
-
A diagram that explains the process of abstraction.
- academic sources
-
Peer-reviewed, published articles, journals, and sources
- accent
-
Nonverbal communication that emphasizes a portion of a message or word rather than the message as a whole.
- accidental communicatioin
-
When an individual sends messages to another person without realizing those messages are being sent.
- Accusations
-
Hurtful assignments of fault or blame.
- acquiescent responses
-
Involve crying, conceding, or apologizing.
- acting with awareness
-
Purposefully focusing one’s attention on the activity or interaction in which one is engaged.
- action models
-
A category of communication models that view communication as a one-directional transmission of information from a source or sender to some destination or receiver.
- active
-
Strategy of asking around about, or investigating, another person to learn information about them.
- active friendships
-
Type of stabilized friendship where there is a negotiated sense of mutual accessibility and availability for both parties in the friendship.
- active verbal responses
-
Involve attacking the other, defending yourself, or asking for an explanation.
- ad hominem
-
A logical fallacy of focusing judgment on the provider of a message rather than on the message itself.
- advising statements
-
Hurtfully call for a course of action.
- affect
-
“Any experience of feeling or emotion, ranging from suffering to elation, from the simplest to the most complex sensations of feeling, and from the most normal to the most pathological emotional reactions. Often described in terms of positive affect or negative affect, both mood and emotion are considered affective states.”
- affect displays
-
Nonverbal cues that show feelings and emotions.
- affectionless psychopathy
-
The inability to show affection or care about others.
- affective
-
The level of persuasive impact consisting of feelings, attitudes, opinions, positions, and values.
- affective orientation
-
An individual’s recognition of their own emotions and the emotions of others and reliance on these emotions during decision making processes.
- affiliation
-
A connection or association with others.
- agape
-
The love style that involves altruism, giving, caring, kindness, and other-centered love.
- agentic friendships
-
Friendships marked by activity.
- Agreeableness
-
degree to which someone engages in prosocial behaviors like altruism, cooperation, and compassion
- alexithymia
-
A general deficit in emotional vocabulary—the ability to identify emotional feelings, differentiate emotional states from physical sensations, communicate feelings to others, and process emotion in a meaningful way.
- ambiguous language
-
Language that has multiple meanings.
- analyzing
-
This is helpful in gaining different alternatives and perspectives by offering an interpretation of the speaker’s message.
- anecdote
-
a brief account or story of an interesting or humorous event.
- anonymous CMC identity
-
People in CMC interactions can communicate in a manner where their actual identity is simply not known.
- anticipation of future interaction
-
The belief that we will deal with someone again, thus boosting the need to reduce uncertainty.
- anxious shyness
-
The fear associated with dealing with others face-to-face.
- appreciative listening
-
The type of listening you engage in for pleasure or enjoyment.
- appropriate communication
-
Communication featuring tactics and behaviors that most people would consider acceptable and ethical.
- argument
-
A verbal exchange between two or more people who have differing opinions on a given subject or subjects.
- argumentativeness
-
Communication trait that predisposes the individual in communication situations to advocate positions on controversial issues, and to attack verbally the positions which other people take on these issues.
- ARPANET
-
The U.S. Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, which was the precursor to what is now known as the Internet.
- Artifacts
-
Items with which we adorn our bodies with or carry with us.
- assertiveness
-
The degree to which an individual can initiate, maintain, and terminate conversations, according to their interpersonal goals during interpersonal interactions.
- asynchronous communication
-
A mediated form of communication in which the sender and receiver are not concurrently engaged in communication.
- attending
-
The act of focusing on specific objects or stimuli in the world around you
- attention
-
Factor of mindful practice that involves being aware of what’s happening internally and externally moment-to-moment.
- attitude
-
Factor of mindful practice that involves being curious, open, and nonjudgmental.
- attraction
-
Interest in another person and a desire to get to know them better.
- attribution error
-
The tendency to explain another individual’s behavior in relation to the individual’s internal tendencies rather than an external factor.
- authoritarianism
-
A form of social organization where individuals favor absolute obedience to an authority (or authorities) as opposed to individual freedom.
- autonomy
-
An individual’s independence in their behaviors and thoughts within a marriage relationship.
- avoidance
-
Conflict management style where an individual attempt to either prevent a conflict from occurring or leaves a conflict when initiated.
- avoidance strategies
-
Used to evade communication that might threaten a relationship.
- avoiding
-
The fourth stage of Coming Apart when a couple stays away from each other entirely, ceases communication, and considers moving out of the shared residence.
- Balance strategies
-
Used to maintain equality in the relationship so that partners do not feel underbenefited or overbenefited.
- behavioral
-
The level of persuasive impact consisting of actions and habits.
- Behavioral CQ
-
The degree to which an individual behaves in a manner that is consistent with what they know about other cultures.
- behavioral jealousy
-
The acts of observing, investigating, and reacting to fears and suspicions about relational threat.
- belief
-
Assumptions and convictions held by an individual, group, or culture about the truth or existence of something.
- bias
-
An attitude that is not objective or balanced, prejudiced, or the use of words that intentionally or unintentionally offend people or express an unfair attitude concerning a person’s race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or illness.
- biased language
-
Language that shows preference in favor of or against a certain point-of-view, shows prejudice, or is demeaning to others.
- bonding
-
The final stage of Coming Together when commitment is increased and announced to wider social networks.
- boundary turbulence
-
Chaotic condition resulting when violations of explicit or implicit privacy rules are broken within a relationship.
- breadth
-
Amount various topics discussed.
- bullying
-
A form of repeated communication or behavior by an aggressive individual of greater power who targets an individual perceived as weaker for harm or discomfort.
- buzz word
-
Informal word or jargon used among a particular group of people.
- career strategizing
-
The process of creating a plan of action for one’s career path and trajectory.
- catfishing
-
Deceptive activity perpetrated by Internet predators where they fabricate online identities on social networking sites to lure unsuspecting victims into an emotional/romantic relationship.
- cause/effect pattern
-
A common organizational pattern which groups main points of a topic start with the cause(s), followed by the effect(s)
- central route
-
From the Elaboration Likelihood Model, decision making or persuasion that relies on at least a fair amount of elaboration.
- channel
-
The mode, means or media that transmits a message.
- Charisma
-
An indicator of credibility, it is enough attractiveness or charm or gravitas to make others pay attention.
- Chronemics
-
The meaning(s) of time and use of it to communicate.
- chronological organizational pattern
-
An organizational patter that groups information based on time order or in a set chronology—first this occurred, then this, then this, then that
- chunking
-
purposefully grouping information into an order the audience can logically follow
- circumscribing
-
The second stage of Coming Apart, when partners strive to limit the number of interactions and amount of communication with each other.
- Cisnormativity
-
A bias involving presumptions about gender assignment, such as the presumption of a gender binary, or expectations of conformity to gender roles even when transgender identities are otherwise acknowledged.
- citation
-
A written or spoken description of the elements (e.g. author, date, title) that uniquely identify a resource
- classical conditioning
-
The process by which a new stimulus is so repetitively and consistently associated with an original stimulus that it elicits the same responses as the original.
- cliché
-
Idea or expression that has been so overused that it has lost its original meaning.
- clincher
-
something memorable with which to conclude your speech
- closed system
-
Information is behind a paywall or requires a subscription.
- co-culture
-
Regional, economic, social, religious, ethnic, or other cultural groups that exerts influence in society.
- co-present interactions
-
When people are physically occupying the same space while interacting with one another.
- code-switching
-
Differences in language use based on the environment, who you are talking to, and the reason for communicating.
- coercive power
-
The base of power that is an ability to punish an individual who does not comply with one’s influencing attempts.
- cognitive
-
The level of persuasive impact consisting of thoughts and beliefs.
- cognitive complexity
-
A characteristic of seeing the world from multiple and nuanced perspectives that is associated with communication effectiveness.
- Cognitive CQ
-
The degree to which an individual has cultural knowledge.
- cognitive dispositions
-
General patterns of mental processes that impact how people respond and react to the world around them.
- cognitive dissonance
-
An unpleasant sensation of experiencing regretted or inconsistent beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors.
- cognitive jealousy
-
Thoughts and worries that plague one who suspects a rival's threat to a relationship.
- collective self-esteem
-
The aspect of an individual’s self-worth or self-image that stems from their interaction with others and evaluation of their various social groups.
- collectivism
-
Characteristics of a culture that values cooperation and harmony and considers the needs of the group to be more important than the needs of the individual.
- collegial
-
A type of relationship explicitly united in a common purpose and respect each other's abilities to work toward that purpose.
- collegial peers
-
Type of coworker with whom we have moderate levels of trust, self-disclosure, and openness.
- colloquialism
-
Informal expression used in casual conversation that is often specific to certain dialects or geographic regions of a country.
- commemorative friendships
-
Type of stabilized friendship that reflects a specific space and time in our lives, but current interaction is minimal and primarily reflects a time when the two friends were highly involved in each other’s lives.
- communal friendships
-
Friendships marked by intimacy, personal/emotional expressiveness, amount of self-disclosure, quality of self-disclosure, confiding, and emotional supportiveness.
- communication
-
The process by which messages representing information, meaning, and emotion are sent and received between two or more people.
- communication apprehension
-
The fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated communication with another person or persons.
- communication competence
-
Communication that is both socially appropriate and personally effective.
- communication dispositions
-
General patterns of communicative behavior.
- communication ethics
-
Considering the consequences of your messages and whether you are treating others fairly and with the same respect that you deserve and desire.
- communication motives
-
Reasons why we communicate with others.
- communication needs
-
Shows us how communication fulfills our needs.
- communicator style
-
the way one verbally, nonverbally, and paraverbally interacts to signal how literal meaning should be taken, filtered, or understood
- comparison level (CL)
-
The minimum standard for satisfaction that a relational partner is willing to tolerate.
- comparison level of alternatives (CLalt)
-
The threshold for satisfaction in a relationship determined by available alternative arrangements.
- Compassion
-
The sympathetic consciousness for someone who is suffering or unfortunate
- compatible
-
Able to exist together harmoniously.
- competence
-
An indicator of credibility, it is the characteristic of possessing knowledge about, or experience with, a topic.
- competitive conversations
-
Conversations where parties are more concerned with their points of view than others within the conversation
- complement
-
Nonverbal communication that reinforces verbal communication.
- complementary
-
When people fulfill each other's needs by featuring differing characteristics.
- compliance
-
When an individual accepts an influencer’s influence and alters their thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviors.
- comprehension listening
-
Listening for facts, information, or ideas that may be of use to you.
- computer mediated communication
-
The use of some form of digital technology to facilitate interaction between two or more people.
- Concealment
-
Deception that involves withholding, rather than fabricating, of information.
- concept-orientation
-
Family communication pattern where freedom of expression is encouraged, and communication is frequent and family life is pleasurable.
- conditioning
-
The act of associating things in perception to create particular desired outcomes.
- conflict
-
An interactive process occurring when conscious beings (individuals or groups) have opposing or incompatible actions, beliefs, goals, ideas, motives, needs, objectives, obligations, resources, and/or values.
- Connective statements
-
statements generally designed to help “connect” parts of your speech to make it easier for audience members to follow.
- connotation
-
What a word suggests or implies; connotations give words their emotional impact.
- connotative definitions
-
The emotions or associations a person makes when exposed to a symbol.
- Conscientiousness
-
the degree to which an individual is aware of their actions and how their actions impact other people.
- contact frequency
-
How often relational partners communicate with each other.
- content level
-
Information that is communicated through the denotative and literal meanings of words.
- Context-Situated Communication
-
The type of communication that may be accomplished as interpersonal, mass, public, and organizational but that takes place in specific and well-established areas or contexts, such as politics, health, sports, and gender.
- contextual dialectics
-
Friendship dialectics that stem out of the cultural order where the friendship exists.
- contradict
-
Nonverbal communication conveying the opposite meaning of verbal communication.
- converge
-
Adapting your communication style to the speaker to be similar.
- conversation
-
a dyadic communication interaction process where two people engage with one another in interaction that has multiple turns
- Conversational narcissism
-
an extreme focusing of one’s interests and desires during an interpersonal interaction while completely ignoring the interests and desires of another person
- conversations
-
Interpersonal interactions through which you share facts and information as well as your ideas, thoughts, and feelings with other people.
- Cooperative conversations
-
Conversations which involve mutual interest in what all parties within the conversation have to contribute
- cost escalations
-
A form of relational disengagement involving tactics designed to make the cost of maintaining the relationship higher than getting out of the relationship.
- Credibility
-
A characteristic we assign to each other that determines whether we pay attention to, and believe, each other.
- critical listening
-
To analyze what the person is saying based on known facts and evidence.
- critical thinking
-
decision-making based on evaluating and critiquing information
- cross-group friendship
-
Friendship that exists between two individuals who belong to two or more different cultural groups (e.g., ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, nationality, etc.).
- cues filtered out perspective
-
The argument that mediated communication (CMC) is inherently impersonal.
- cues to action
-
Inputs like media or friends that create awareness or concern about a potential threat, in the Health Belief Model.
- cultural intelligence
-
The degree to which an individual can communicate competently in varying cultural situations.
- culture
-
A group of people who through a process of learning can share perceptions of the world that influences their beliefs, values, norms, and rules, which eventually affect behavior.
- culture as normative
-
The basic idea that one’s culture provides the rules, regulations, and norms that govern a culture and how people act with other members of that society.
- cyberbullying
-
Intentional harm, inflicted through online and social media platforms, that is repeated over time.
- deception
-
‘‘a deliberate act perpetuated by a sender to engender in a receiver beliefs contrary to what the sender believes is true.”4
- denotation
-
The dictionary definition or descriptive meaning of a word.
- denotative definitions
-
Definitions for words commonly found in dictionaries.
- depersonalization
-
A form of relational disengagement where an individual stops all the interaction that is not task-focused or simply avoids the person.
- depression
-
A psychological disorder characterized by varying degrees of disappointment, guilt, hopelessness, loneliness, sadness, self-doubt, all of which negatively impact a person’s general mental and physical wellbeing.
- depth
-
How deep or intensely a topic is discussed.
- describing
-
Being detailed focused on what is occurring while putting it into words.
- deviance
-
Behavior that is unexpected or out of place and boosts the need to reduce uncertainty.
- deviant workplace behavior
-
The voluntary behavior of organizational members that violates significant organizational norms and practices or threatens the wellbeing of the organization and its members.
- dialectical tension
-
How individuals deal with struggles in their relationship.
- dialectics
-
Opposing forces that create everyday experiences of feeling pushed and pulled at the same time.
- differentiating
-
The first stage of coming apart when parties start to disengage with their identity as a couple in favor of their own.
- direct strategies
-
Used to remind a partner of relationship objectives.
- directive support
-
The factor of Hersey and Blanchard’s situational-leadership model that involves a leader overseeing the day-to-day tasks that a follower accomplishes.
- Directives
-
Involve a negative order or command.
- disagreement
-
A difference of opinion between two or more people or groups of people.
- discourse
-
Spoken or written discussion of a subject.
- dismissing attachment
-
Attachment style posed by Kim Bartholomew and Leonard Horowitz describing individuals who see themselves as worthy of love, but generally believe that others will be deceptive and reject them in interpersonal relationships.
- distributive conflict
-
A win-lose approach, whereby conflicting parties see their job as to win and make sure the other person or group loses.
- diverge
-
Adapting your communication style to the speaker to be drastically different.
- dogmatism
-
The inclination to believe one’s point-of-view as undeniably true based on insufficient premises and without consideration of evidence and the opinions of others.
- domestic violence
-
The willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another.”29
- dominant culture
-
The established language, religion, behavior, values, rituals, and social customs of a society.
- dormant friendships
-
Type of stabilized friendship that “share either a valued history or a sufficient amount of sustained contact to anticipate or remain eligible for a resumption of the friendship at any time.”
- Dunning-Kruger effect
-
The tendency of some people to inflate their expertise when they really have nothing to support that perception.
- duration
-
The length in time of a relationship.
- dynamism
-
An indicator of credibility, it is a large measure of enthusiasm and animation.
- dysfluencies
-
Vocal fillers or sounds that we make to fill dead air while we are thinking of what to say next.
- ease of opportunity
-
When romantic workplace relationships happen because work fosters an environment where people are close to one another.
- effective communication
-
Communication that achieves the goal(s) at least one party had for an interaction.
- elaboration
-
The effortful and careful processing of information, alternatives, and possible outcomes, to make a decision.
- emblems
-
Gestures that are are clear and unambiguous and have a verbal equivalent in a given culture.
- emoticon
-
A series of characters and/or letters designed to help readers interpret a writer’s intended feelings and/or tone.
- emotional awareness
-
An individual’s ability to clearly express, in words, what they are feeling and why.
- emotional blackmail
-
Trying to influence someone’s behavior or persuade them to do something by making them feel guilty or exploiting their emotions.
- emotional intelligence
-
The ability to recognize your own emotions and the emotions of others.
- emotional jealousy
-
The affect dimension of jealousy that may carry feelings of anxiety, discomfort, anger, fear, sadness, shame, and guilt.
- emotional loneliness
-
Form of loneliness that occurs when an individual feels that he or she does not have an emotional connection with others.
- emotional vampires
-
A colloquial term used to describe individuals with whom we interact that use more of our emotional resources when interacting with people, which often causes an increase in our levels of stress.
- emotions
-
The physical reactions to stimuli in the outside environment.
- empathic listening
-
Attempting to put yourself in another person’s shoes or to provide a supportive listening environment.
- empathizing
-
This is used to show that you identify with the speaker’s information.
- empathy
-
The ability to recognize and mutually experience another person’s attitudes, emotions, experiences, and thoughts.
- environment
-
The context or situation where communication occurs.
- equivocation
-
Use of a statement that could be interpreted as having more than one meaning, for the sake of obscuring the whole truth.
- eros
-
The love style that emphasizes love and romance, physical beauty and attraction, emotional intensity, and strong commitment.
- ethics
-
The judgmental attachment to whether something is good, right, or just.
- ethnocentrism
-
The degree to which an individual views the world from their own culture’s perspective while evaluating different cultures according to their own culture’s preconceptions often accompanied by feelings of dislike, mistrust, or hate for cultures deemed inferior.
- euphemism
-
Replacing blunt words with more polite words.
- Evaluations
-
Messages that assess value or worth, which may be hurtful when delivering a negative assessment.
- evaluative listening
-
Listening for a speaker’s main points and determining the strengths and weaknesses to formulate a rebuttal or present important points that may not have been covered.
- excuse-making
-
Any time an individual attempts to shift the blame for an individual’s behavior from reasons more central to the individual to sources outside of their control in the attempt to make themselves look better and more in control.
- expectancy violation theory
-
An understanding of what happens when an individual within an interpersonal interaction violates the norms for that interaction.
- experimenting
-
The second stage of coming together when “small talk” happens and commonalities are discovered.
- expert power
-
The base of power that is the ability to influence others because of one's knowledge.
- explicitly previewing
-
clear and easy to follow statement of main points so that there is no question in your audience’s minds what they are.
- expressive communication
-
Messages that are sent either verbally or nonverbally related to an individual’s emotions and feelings.
- external locus of control
-
The belief that an individual’s behavior and circumstances exist because of forces outside the individual’s control.
- extraversion
-
An individual’s likelihood to be talkative, dynamic, and outgoing.
- eye gaze
-
The act of fixing your eyes on someone.
- face
-
The standing or position a person has in the eyes of others.
- Falsification
-
Deliberately presenting information that is untrue or fraudulent as factual.
- family
-
Two or more people tied by marriage, blood, adoption, or choice; living together or apart by choice or circumstance; having interaction within family roles; creating and maintaining a common culture; being characterized by economic cooperation; deciding to have or not to have children, either own or adopted; having boundaries; and claiming mutual affection.
- fearful attachment
-
Attachment style posed by Kim Bartholomew and Leonard Horowitz describing individuals who see themselves as unworthy of love and generally believe that others will react negatively through either deception or rejection.
- Features
-
options within a channel/mode, what can be done in the mode.
- feedback
-
The response to the message.
- feelings
-
The responses to thoughts and interpretations given to emotions based on experiences, memory, expectations, and personality.
- feminine
-
Cultures focused on having a good working relationship with one’s manager and coworkers, cooperating with people at work, and security (both job and familial).
- followership
-
The act or condition under which an individual helps or supports a leader in the accomplishment of organizational goals.
- formal language
-
Specific writing and spoken style that adheres to strict conventions of grammar that uses complex sentences, full words, and third-person pronouns.
- gaslighting
-
Falsely leading another to doubt their own ability to perceive reality accurately.
- gatekeeper
-
A "middleman" who passes along a message somewhere between the source and the receiver.
- gender
-
The behaviors and traits society considers masculine and feminine.
- general purpose
-
the overall goal of a presentation, usually limited to three categories: to inform, to persuade, or to entertain
- genogram
-
A pictorial representation of a family across generations that can be used to track generations of family interactions, medical issues, psychological issues, relationship patterns, and any other variable a researcher or clinician may be interested in studying.
- Gestures
-
Movements of the body, especially the arms and hands, that convey meaning.
- goals
-
Expectations and hopes for relational functions and outcomes.
- good will
-
An indicator of credibility, it is a desire to help another person, to leave them better off than you found them.
- group
-
Three or more people interacting together to achieve a common goal.
- haptics
-
The study of touch as a form of communication.
- hearing
-
A passive activity where an individual perceives sound by detecting vibrations through an ear.
- Hereonormativity
-
a bias whereby people assume that others are heterosexual
- heuristic function
-
The use of language to explore and investigate the world, solve problems, and learn from your discoveries and experiences.
- heuristics
-
Mental shortcuts for making decisions quickly and easily.
- high-context cultures
-
Cultures that interpret meaning by relying more on nonverbal context or behavior than on verbal symbols in communication.
- High-quality LMX relationships
-
relationships "characterized by greater input in decisions, mutual support, informal influence, trust, and greater negotiating latitude.”
- hyperpersonal
-
CMC interactions that exceed those possible of traditional FtF interactions.
- ideal-self
-
The version of yourself that you would like to be, which is created through our life experiences, cultural demands, and expectations of others.
- idealism
-
An indicator of credibility, it is the quality of being unlike the targets of persuasion but in ways that they will admire and/or aspire to.
- identification
-
When an individual accepts influence because they want to have a satisfying relationship with the influencer or influencing group.
- ideology of traditionalism
-
Marriages that are marked by a more historically traditional, conservative perspective of marriage.
- idiom
-
Expression or figure of speech whose meaning cannot be understood by looking at the individual words and interpreting them literally.
- illustrators
-
Kinesics that emphasize or explain a word.
- imaginative function
-
The use of language to play with ideas that do not exist in the real-world.
- Imaginative functions
-
language which helps to create imaginary constructs and tell stories
- importance to identity
-
The degree to which group membership is important to an individual.
- impression formation
-
How we present ourselves to others through our online persona.
- impression management
-
"The attempt to generate as favorable an impression of ourselves as possible, particularly through both verbal and nonverbal techniques of self-presentation."
- incentive value
-
The belief that knowing someone will benefit us in some way, thus boosting the need to reduce incertainty.
- independents
-
Marital definition where couples have a high level of interdependence, an unconventional ideology, and high levels of conflict engagement.
- indigenous peoples
-
Populations that originated in a particular place rather than moved there.
- indirect suggestions
-
Joking or hinting about more serious stages of a relationships such as marriage or having children.
- individualism
-
Characteristics of a culture that values being self-reliant and self-motivated, believes in personal freedom and privacy, and celebrates personal achievement.
- individuality
-
Aspect of Murray Bowen’s family system theory that emphasizes that there is a universal, biological life force that propels organisms toward separateness, uniqueness, and distinctiveness.
- indulgence
-
Cultural orientation marked by immediate gratification for individual desires.
- Infidelity
-
Behaviors of "cheating," being unfaithful to a committed spouse or other sexual partner.
- inflection
-
Changes in vocal pitch.
- influence
-
When an individual or group of people alters another person’s thinking, feelings, and/or behaviors through accidental, expressive, or rhetorical communication.
- informal language
-
Specific writing and spoken style that is more colloquial or common in tone; contains simple, direct sentences; uses contractions and abbreviations; and allows for a more personal approach that includes emotional displays.
- information peers
-
Type of coworker who we rely on for information about job tasks and the organization itself.
- informational power
-
The base of power that is an ability to bring about a change in thought, feeling, and/or behavior through the provision of information.
- informative statements
-
Reveal unwanted information.
- initiating
-
The first stage of coming together when making contact and signaling interest are the goals.
- instrumental function
-
The use of language as a means for meeting your needs, manipulating and controlling your environment, and expressing your feelings.
- integrating
-
The fourth stage of coming together when deeper levels of expectations and commitment, perhaps including exclusivity, are reached.
- integrative conflict
-
A win-win approach to conflict, whereby both parties attempt to come to a settled agreement that is mutually beneficial.
- intensifying
-
The third stage of coming together when identity as a couple is established and knowledge about partners increases greatly.
- intensity
-
The volume of your speech; how loudly or softly you express yourself.
- intention
-
Factor of mindful practice that involves being aware of why you are doing something.
- interaction model
-
Communication model that views the sender and the receiver as responsible for the effectiveness of the communication.
- interaction models
-
A category of communication models that portray both the sender AND the receiver as responsible for the effectiveness of the communication they share.
- interaction variability
-
The variety of interaction types experienced, and topics covered, with particular relational partners.
- interactional dialectics
-
Friendship dialectics that help us understand how communicative behavior happens within friendships
- interactional function
-
The use of language to help you form and maintain relationships.
- interactive
-
Strategy of participating in interaction with another person to learn information about them.
- interdependence
-
When individuals involved in a relationship characterize it as continuous and important.
- internal locus of control
-
The belief that an individual can control their behavior and life circumstances.
- Internal previews
-
Connective statements that let your audience know what is coming up next in the speech and what to expect with regard to the content of your speech.
- Internal summaries
-
Connective statements which emphasize what has come before and remind the audience of what has been covered.
- internalization
-
When an individual adopts influence and alters their thinking, feeling, and/or behaviors because doing so is intrinsically rewarding.
- interpersonal communication
-
Communication between a small number of people that is the essence of relationships and often face-to-face and synchronous.
- interpreting
-
Interpretation is the act of assigning meaning to a stimulus and then determining the worth of the object (evaluation).
- intrapersonal
-
Something that exists or occurs within an individual’s self or mind.
- intrapersonal communication
-
Communication phenomena that exist within or occurs because of an individual’s self or mind.
- introversion
-
An individual’s likelihood to be quiet, shy, and more reserved
- invulnerable responses
-
Range from ignoring the message to laughing.
- jargon
-
The specialized or technical language particular to a specific profession, occupation, or group that is either meaningless or difficult for outsiders to understand.
- jealousy
-
A set of "cognitive, emotional, and coping behaviors" in response to "a potential threat to, or an actual loss of a valued relationship due to a real or imagined rival for a partner's attention."12
- Johari Window
-
A model that illustrates self-disclosure and the process by which you interact with other people.
- Jokes
-
Hurtful messages that involve a prank or witticism.
- kinesics
-
The study of how the body is used in communication and includes facial expressions, eye behaviors, posture, and gestures.
- language
-
A system of human communication using a particular form of spoken or written words or other symbols.
- language adaptation
-
The ability to alter one’s linguistic choices in a communicatively competent manner
- language awareness
-
a person’s ability to be mindful and sensitive to all functions and forms of language.
- lateral reading
-
Fact-checking source claims by reading other sites and resources.
- launching stage
-
Period in a family life cycle when late adolescents leave the parental home and venture out into the world as young singles themselves.
- leader-member exchange
-
Theory of leadership that explores how leaders enter into two-way relationships with followers through a series of exchange agreements enabling followers to grow or be held back.
- legitimate power
-
The base of power that is the valid right to influence another person based on cultural or structural roles.
- Lies
-
deceptive speech acts that result in the hurt of recipients.
- linguistic determinism
-
The perspective that language influences thoughts.
- linguistic relativity
-
The argument that the structure of a language influences its speakers' worldview or cognition, and thus individuals' languages determine or influence their perceptions of the world.
- listening
-
A complex psychological process that can be defined as the process of physically hearing, interpreting that sound, and understanding the significance of it.
- locus of control
-
An individual’s perceived control over their behavior and life circumstances.
- loneliness
-
An individual’s emotional distress that results from a feeling of solitude or isolation from social relationships.
- long-term orientation
-
Cultural orientation where individuals focus on the future and not the present or past.
- looking glass self
-
The concept that recognizes our self-images are shaped by how others act around, and speak to, us as well as by what we inherently know about ourselves.
- love style
-
A persistent attitude about how love is perceived and valued, practiced and experienced, that is usually stable but may change over time.
- low-context cultures
-
Cultures that interpret meaning by placing a great deal of emphasis on the words someone uses.
- low-quality LMX relationships
-
relationships “characterized by less support, more formal supervision, little or no involvement in decisions, and less trust and attention from the leader.”
- ludic
-
The love style that features viewing of love as a game to be played according to rules that include acceptance of multiple partners, deception, and manipulation.
- Machiavellianism
-
Personality trait posed by Richard Christie where cunningness and deceit are exalted as a means of attaining and maintaining power to accomplish specific, self-centered goals.
- mania
-
The love style characterized by dependence, uncertainty, jealousy, and obsessive need for affirmation.
- masculine
-
Cultures focused on items like earnings, recognition, advancement, and challenge.
- Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
-
Theory of motivation proposed by Abraham Maslow comprising a five-tier, hierarchical pyramid of needs: physiological, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization.
- mass communication
-
The process by which sources use mediated channels to address large, diverse audiences whose members are usually anonymous, dispersed in space and possibly, time.
- matching hypothesis
-
A prediction that people are more likely to find themselves in romantic relationships with people who are perceived as similarly physically attractive.
- Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis
-
Hypothesis posed by John Bowlby that predicts that infants who are denied maternal attachment will experience problematic outcomes later in life.
- membership esteem
-
The degree to which an individual sees themself as a “good” member of a group.
- message
-
The information, meaning, and/or emotion conveyed by verbal or nonverbal means, the content of a communication interaction.
- message/bulletin boards
-
Online discussion sites where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages.
- metacognitive CQ
-
The degree to which an individual is consciously aware of their intercultural interactions in a manner that helps them have more effective interpersonal experiences with people from differing cultures.
- Metacommunication
-
communication about communication
- metamessage
-
The meaning beyond the words themselves.
- microculture
-
Cultural patterns of behavior influenced by cultural beliefs, values, norms, and rules based on a specific locality or within an organization.
- mindful awareness
-
To be consciously aware of your physical presence, cognitive processes, and emotional state while engaged in an activity.
- mindful communication
-
The process of interacting with others while engaging in mindful awareness and practice
- mindful practice
-
The conscious development of skills such as greater ability to direct and sustain our attention, less reactivity, greater discernment and compassion, and enhanced capacity to disidentify from one’s concept of self.
- model
-
A simplified representation (often graphic) of a system that highlights the crucial components and connections of concepts, which are used to help people understand an aspect of the real world.
- modes
-
a synonym for communication channels, like text messaging, phone calls, video calls, and email are all unique channels
- monotone
-
The quality of voice that features virtually no change in pitch and may be evaluated as droning and lifeless.
- motivational CQ
-
The degree to which an individual desires to engage in intercultural interactions and can easily adapt to differing cultural environments.
- narcissism
-
A psychological condition (or personality disorder) in which a person has a preoccupation with one’s self.
- netiquette
-
The set of professional and social rules and norms that are considered acceptable and polite when interacting with another person(s) through mediated technologies.
- Neuroticism
-
the degree to which an individual is vulnerable to anxiety, depression, and emotional instability.
- noise
-
Anything that interferes with, hinders, or distorts a message.
- Nonacademic information sources
-
Popular press information sources.
- nonjudging of inner experience
-
Being consciously aware of one’s thoughts, feelings, and attitudes without judging them.
- nonreactivity to inner experience
-
Taking a step back and evaluating things from a more logical, dispassionate perspective.
- Nonverbal communication
-
Communication that is produced by some means other than words such as eye contact, body language, or vocal cues.
- nonverbal immediacy
-
Physical and/or psychological closeness.
- nonverbal vocalization
-
A type of paralanguage that consists of sounds, noises, and behaviors that are often accompanied by body language.
- norms
-
Informal guidelines about what is acceptable or proper social behavior within a specific culture.
- observing
-
Being aware of what is going on inside yourself and in the external environment.
- oculesics
-
The study of how individuals communicate through eye behavior.
- olfactics
-
The study of scent and communication.
- One-way conversations
-
conversations where an individual is talking at the other person and not with the other person
- open system
-
Open system describes information that is publicly available and accessible.
- Openness
-
“openness to experience,” or the idea that some people are more welcoming of new things.
- operant conditioning
-
The process by which a behavior is so repetitively and consistently associated with a positive or a negative consequence that its continued performance is encouraged or discouraged effectively.
- organization
-
A social, structured collectivity in which activities are coordinated in order to achieve individual and collective goals
- organizational communication
-
The interaction between members of an organization.
- organizing
-
Organizing is making sense of the stimuli or assigning meaning to it.
- ostracized
-
Excluded or removed from a group by others in that group.
- outcomes
-
iohboihb
- outline
-
a visual structure where you can compile information into a well-organized document
- paralanguage
-
Voice characteristics and nonverbal vocalizations that communicate feelings, intentions, and meanings. In a speech, paralanguage involves things like inflection, stresses, volume, rate, pauses, rhythm, and creating variety.
- paraphrase
-
To restate what another person said using different words.
- passive
-
Strategy of observing another person to learn information about them.
- patterns of organization
-
Common ways to organize a speech logically, these include chronological, spatial, topical, cause-effect, and problem-solution formats.
- Perceived barriers
-
Anything a persuasive target feels will make the recommended behavior difficult or less likely to be performed, in the Health Belief Model.
- Perceived benefits
-
Anything the persuasive target feels will make the recommended behavior easier or more likely to be performed, in the Health Belief Model.
- Perceived severity
-
The degree to which a problem or threat is believed by a target of persuasion to be serious and bad, in the Health Belief Model.
- Perceived susceptibility
-
The degree to which a a target of persuasion believes they are vulnerable to a problem or threat, in the Health Belief Model.
- perception
-
The process of acquiring, interpreting, and organizing information that comes in through your five senses.
- peripheral route
-
From the Elaboration Likelihood Model, decision making or persuasion that relies on very little elaboration.
- personal function
-
The use of language to help you form your identity or sense of self.
- personal responsibility
-
An individual’s willingness to be accountable for how they feel, think, and behave.
- personal story
-
a story about yourself that is relevant to your topic
- personality
-
The combination of traits or qualities such as behavior, emotional stability, and mental attributes that make a person unique.
- Persuasion
-
The communicative process by which one person influences what another person thinks or believes, feels, or does.
- physical attraction
-
The degree to which one person finds another person aesthetically pleasing.
- physical bullying
-
Hitting, kicking, pulling hair, harming possessions, giving a “wedgie,” or a plethora of other acts of aggravation or violence.
- pitch
-
The placement of your voice on the musical scale; the basis on which singing voices are classified as soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, or bass voices.
- postmodern friendship
-
Friendship where the “participants co-construct the individual and dyadic realities within specific friendships. This co-construction involves negotiating and affirming (or not) identities and intersubjectively creating relational and personal realities through communication.”
- Posture
-
The shape of our bodies when standing or sitting and varies from curved and slouched to erect and straight.
- power
-
An indicator of credibility, it is the ability to reward or punish someone.
- power distance
-
The degree to which those people and organizations with less power within a culture accept and expect that power is unequally distributed within their culture.
- pragma
-
The love style that is practical, logical and rational, resulting sometimes in arranged relationships.
- preoccupied attachment
-
Attachment style posed by Kim Bartholomew and Leonard Horowitz describing individuals who do not perceive themselves as worthy of love, but do generally see people as trustworthy and available for interpersonal relationships.
- Preparation outlines
-
A written comprehensive outline that include all of the information in your speech. These are often full-sentences and include in-text citations and a reference page
- presentation aids
-
a form of supporting materials, visual and/or auditory examples and tools used to help your intended audience better understand and remember the key ideas in your speech.
- presenting the relationship to outsiders
-
Form of secret testing in which the partner publicly declares their relationship status to gauge a partner’s response.
- Privacy boundaries
-
Symbolically placed borders between personal private information and details that are shared with others.
- private collective esteem
-
The degree to which an individual positively evaluates their group.
- problem-solution pattern
-
A common organizational pattern asking the audience to address a problem with a concrete course of action
- procedural disagreements
-
Disagreements concerned with procedure, how a decision should be reached or how a policy should be implemented.
- process
-
Something that is ongoing, dynamic, and changing with a purpose or towards some end
- profession
-
An occupation that involves mastery of complex knowledge and skills through prolonged training, education, or practical experience.
- professionalism
-
The aims and behaviors that demonstrate an individual’s level of competence expected by a professional within a given profession.
- proxemics
-
The study of communication through the use and understanding of physical space.
- pseudonymity CMC identity
-
Identity that someone takes on that is beyond themself in the creation of CMC messages.
- public affairs and issue management
-
The communication employed as organizations as collectives interact with their publics such as citizens, consumers, government bodies, and the media.
- public collective self-esteem
-
The degree to which nonmembers of a group evaluate a group and its members either positively or negatively.
- public communication
-
A one-to-many mode of communicating that occurs when an individual addresses an entire audience in a public setting.
- questions
-
Asked in a way that implies something negative.
- racism
-
Bias against others on the basis of their race or ethnicity.
- racist language
-
Language that demeans or insults people based on their race or ethnicity.
- Rapport
-
Demonstrating care, concern, and interest in a partner. In a speech it is the relationship or connection you make with your audience.
- real-life CMC identity
-
When our CMC identity and our FtF identities are congruent.
- receiver
-
The individual who decodes the message and tries to understand the source of the message and the meaning they intended.
- referent power
-
The base of power that is an ability to influence another person based on their desire to be associated with the persuader.
- regulate
-
Nonverbal communication which controls the flow of conversation.
- regulators
-
Gestures like head nods and eye contact that help initiate, coordinate, or terminate the flow of conversational turn taking.
- regulatory function
-
The use of language to control behavior.
- rejection sensitivity
-
The degree to which an individual expects to be rejected, readily perceives rejection when occurring, and experiences an intensely negative reaction to that rejection.
- relational bullying
-
The manipulation of social relationships to inflict hurt upon another individual.
- relational dialectics
-
A “dynamic knot of contradictions in personal relationships; an unceasing interplay between contrary or opposing tendencies”20 such as integration vs. separation, expression vs. privacy, and stability vs. change.
- relational dispositions
-
General patterns of mental processes that impact how people view and organize themselves in relationships.
- relationship
-
A connection or association between people that is marked by affiliation, attachment, and commitment.
- relationship dialectic
-
Tensions in a relationship where individuals need to deal with integration vs. separation, expression vs. privacy, and stability vs. change.
- relationship maintenance
-
The behaviors and strategies that enable the stabilization point between relationship initiation and potential relationship destruction.
- relative language
-
Language that gains understanding by comparison.
- repeat
-
Nonverbal communication that repeats verbal communication, but could stand alone.
- representational function
-
The use of language to represent objects and ideas and to express your thoughts.
- Research
-
the process of discovering new knowledge and investigating a topic from different points of view
- responsiveness
-
The degree to which an individual considers other’s feelings, listens to what others have to say, and recognizes the needs of others during interpersonal interactions.
- restraint
-
Cultural orientation marked by the belief that gratification should not be instantaneous and should be regulated by cultural rules and norms.
- reward power
-
The base of power that is an ability to offer an individual rewards for complying with one’s influencing attempts.
- rhetoric
-
the practice, art, and study of using communication, particularly public address, to convince and persuade.
- rhetorical communication
-
Purposefully creating and sending messages to another person in the hopes of altering another person’s thinking, feelings, and/or behaviors.
- rhetorical question
-
a question to which no actual reply is expected.
- rhythm
-
Variation in the flow of your voice created by differences in the pitch, intensity, tempo, and length of word syllables.
- richness
-
The potential information carrying capacity of data.
- right-wing authoritarians
-
Individuals who believe in submitting themselves to established, legitimate authorities; strict adherence to social and cultural norms; and the need to punish those who do not submit to authorities or who violate social and cultural norms.
- romantic relationship
-
A union that features any or all of: affection, caregiving, shared relational identity, and intimacy in the form of emotional, intellectual, physical or sexual closeness.
- romantic relationships
-
Romantic relationships involve a bond of affection with a specific partner that researchers believe involves several psychological features: a desire for emotional closeness and union with the partner, caregiving, emotional dependency on the relationship and the partner, a separation anxiety when the other person is not there, and a willingness to sacrifice for the other love.
- romantic workplace relationship
-
When two employees have acknowledged their mutual attraction to one another and have physically acted upon their romantic feelings in the form of a dating or otherwise intimate association.
- rules
-
Explicit guidelines (generally written down) that govern acceptable or proper social behavior within a specific culture.
- Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
-
A theory that suggests that language impacts perceptions. Language is ascertained by the perceived reality of a culture.
- secret tests
-
Indirect strategies individuals use to assess the state of their relationship.
- secure attachment
-
Attachment style posed by Kim Bartholomew and Leonard Horowitz describing individuals who believe that they are loveable and expect that others will generally behave in accepting and responsive ways within interpersonal interactions.
- selective perception
-
Due to our limited cognitive abilities we are always focusing on a particular things and ignoring other things
- Self-Compassion
-
Being touched by the suffering of others, opening one’s awareness to others’ pain and not avoiding or disconnecting from it, so that feelings of kindness toward others and the desire to alleviate their suffering emerge.
- Self-compassion
-
Being touched by and open to one’s own suffering, not avoiding or disconnecting from it, generating the desire to alleviate one’s suffering and to heal oneself with kindness. Self-compassion also involves offering nonjudgmental understanding to one’s pain, inadequacies and failures, so that one’s experience is seen as part of the larger human experience.
- self-concept
-
An individual’s relatively stable mental picture of him or herself.
- self-conscious shyness
-
Feeling conspicuous or socially exposed when dealing with others face-to-face.
- self-disclosure
-
The process of sharing information with another person.
- self-esteem
-
An individual’s subjective evaluation of their abilities and limitations.
- self-image
-
The view an individual has of themself.
- Self-kindness
-
Extending the same level of care and understanding to ourselves as we would to others
- self-monitoring
-
The ability to focus on and recognize your own behavior, including communication.
- self-worth
-
The degree to which you see yourself as a good person who deserves to be valued and respected.
- semantic rules
-
the dictionary definition of the word
- sender
-
The person who decides to communicate, identifies the intent of the message (entertain, inform, distract), and constructs its content.
- separates
-
Marital definition where couples have low interdependence, conventional ideology, and low levels of conflict engagement.
- sex
-
A person's biological status as male or female, as determined by chromosomes and secondary sex characteristics.
- sexism
-
Bias of others based on their biological sex.
- sexist language
-
Language that excludes individuals on the basis of gender or shows a bias toward or against people due to their gender.
- sharing
-
The process of revealing and disclosing information about oneself to another.
- short messaging service (SMS)
-
Communication technology allowing for the exchange of short alphanumeric messages between digital and mobile devices found in phones, the Web, or in mobile communication systems (commonly referred to as “text messaging”).
- short-term orientation
-
Cultural orientation where individuals focus on the past or present and not in the future.
- shyness
-
Discomfort when an individual is interacting with another person(s) in a social situation.
- sibling hostility
-
Characteristic of sibiling relationships where sibling behaviors as causing trouble, getting into fights, teasing/name-calling, taking things without permission, etc.
- sibling warmth
-
Characteristic of sibiling relationships where sibling behaviors such as sharing secrets, helping each other, teaching each other, showing physical affection, sharing possessions, etc.
- signifier
-
something that represents or signifies something else (e.g., the word 'dog')
- Signposts
-
connective statements that emphasize the physical movement through the speech content and let the audience know exactly where they are. Signposting can be as simple as “First,” “Next,” “Lastly” or using numbers such as “First,” “Second,” Third,” and “Fourth.”
- silent listening
-
This occurs when you say nothing and is appropriate for certain situations.
- similarity
-
An indicator of credibility or romantic potential, it is the sharing of qualities so as to be like another person.
- similarity thesis
-
The idea that we tend to form relationships with others who are like us due to validation, predictability, and affiliation.
- slang
-
The nonstandard language of a particular culture or subculture.
- small group communication
-
Any interaction that involves at least three people interacting towards a common goal.
- social attraction
-
The degree to which an individual is seen as entertaining, intriguing, and/or fun to be around.
- Social Identity Theory
-
Explains how individuals develop their self-concept from social group membership.
- social loneliness
-
Form of loneliness that occurs from a lack of a satisfying social network.
- social penetration theory
-
Theory originally created by Altman and Taylor to explain how individuals gradually become more intimate as individuals self-disclose more and those self-disclosures become more intimate (deep).
- social presence
-
The degree to which we, as individuals, perceive another as a real person and any interaction between the two of us as a relationship.
- social support
-
The perception and actuality that an individual receives assistance, care, and help from those people within their life.
- social-personal dispositions
-
General patterns of mental processes that impact how people socially relate to others or view themselves.
- socio-orientation
-
Family communication pattern where similarity is valued over individuality and self-expression, and harmony is preferred over expression of opinion.
- sociocommunicative orientation
-
The degree to which an individual communicates using responsive or assertive communication techniques.
- source
-
The person who decides to communicate, identifies the intent of the message (entertain, inform, distract), and constructs its content.
- spatial pattern
-
A common organizational pattern which moves thorough the thought process based one movement in space or direction
- speaking outline
-
a keyword outline used to deliver a speech – often extemporaneous
- special peer
-
Type of coworker relationship marked by high levels of trust and self-disclosure; like a “best friend” in the workplace.
- specific purpose statement
-
builds on your general purpose (such as to inform) and makes it more specific (as the name suggests)
- spin
-
The manipulation of language to achieve the most positive interpretation of words, to gain political advantage, or to deceive others.
- stagnating
-
The third stage of Coming Apart when the relationship has stopped improving or growing and emotional inertia blocks hopes for reconciliation.
- state-of-the-relationship talk
-
A form of relational disengagement where an individual explains to a coworker that a workplace friendship is ending.
- statements of desire
-
Harmfully express an individual preference.
- static evaluation
-
Language shows that people and things change.
- stereotype
-
A set of beliefs about the personal attributes of a social group.
- storge
-
The love style that resembles, or develops slowly out of, friendship where stability and psychological closeness are valued more than passion.
- substantive disagreement
-
A disagreement that people have about a specific topic or issue.
- substitute
-
Nonverbal communication that has a direct verbal translation.
- support
-
Any message or behavior that conveys caring or comfort to another person so as to improve their condition.
- supportive leadership behavior
-
The factor of Hersey and Blanchard’s situational-leadership model that occurs when a leader is focused on providing relational support for their followers
- symbol
-
A mark, object, or sign that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention
- synchronous
-
A mediated form of communication in which the sender and receiver are concurrently engaged in communication.
- system
-
Sets of elements standing in interrelation.
- task attraction
-
The perception that another possesses specific knowledge, skills, and/or contacts that may help with accomplishing specific goals.
- temperament
-
The genetic predisposition that causes an individual to behave, react, and think in a specific manner.
- tempo
-
The rate of your speech; how slowly or quickly you talk.
- temporal regularity
-
The degree to which a couple sticks to a consistent schedule in their day-to-day lives.
- terminating
-
The fifth and final stage of Coming Apart, and tenth overall, when the parties end the relationship, gradually or suddenly, and make arrangements for life after the "break-up."
- the hookup
-
When romantic workplace relationships occur because individuals want to engage in casual sex without any romantic entanglements.
- thesis
-
a succinct, single-sentence, description of the main idea for the presentation. Thesis are often based on and very similar to the specific purpose for the presentation.
- third-culture
-
When a couple negotiates their cultural background with the cultural background of their partner essentially creating a third-culture or hybrid culture between the two.
- Threats
-
Messages that indicate a desire or the potential to inflict physical or psychological harm.
- timbre
-
(pronounced “TAM-ber”) The overall quality and tone, which is often called the “color” of your voice; the primary vocal quality that makes your voice either pleasant or disturbing to listen to.
- time
-
When romantic workplace relationships occur because people put in a great deal of time at work, so they are around and interact with potential romantic partners a great deal of the average workday.
- togetherness
-
Aspect of Murray Bowen’s family system theory that emphasizes the complementary, universal, biological life force that propels organisms toward relationship, attachment, and connectedness.
- tolerance for disagreement
-
The degree to which an individual can openly discuss differing opinions without feeling personally attacked or confronted.
- topical organizational pattern
-
A common organizational pattern that groups information logically into naturally divides such as “types of,” “kinds of,” “sorts of,” or “categories of.”
- traditionals
-
Marital definition where couples are highly interdependent, conventional ideology, and high levels of conflict engagement
- transaction models
-
A category of communication models that demonstrate how individuals often act as both sender and receiver simultaneously.
- Transitions
-
Connective statements that bridge between seemingly disconnected (but related) material, most commonly between your main points.
- trustworthiness
-
An indicator of credibility, it is the quality of others having faith in a person who is honest, consistent, and reliable.
- Two-way conversations
-
conversations where there is mutual involvement and interaction between conversation partners
- Uncertainty
-
An uncomfortable state of not knowing much or enough about something or someone.
- uncertainty avoidance
-
The extent to which cultures as a whole are fearful of ambiguous and unknown situations.
- uncertainty reduction theory
-
The tendency of human beings to eliminate unknown elements of individuals whom they have just met. Individuals wish to predict what another person thinks and how another person behaves. Strategies for reducing uncertainty include passive, active, and interactive.
- undifferentiated space
-
The degree to which spouses do not see her/his/their ownership of personal belongings as much as they do ownership as a couple.
- uses and gratifications theory
-
Theoretical explaination for why people use the types of mass media they do.
- values
-
Important and lasting principles or standards held by a culture about desirable and appropriate courses of action or outcomes.
- variety
-
Efforts to vary the stress, tone, rate, etc. of a speech to avoid sounding monotonous and repetitious.
- verbal aggression
-
The tendency to attack the self-concept of individuals instead of, or in addition to, their positions on topics of communication.
- verbal bullying
-
Threats, degrading comments, teasing, name-calling, putdowns or sarcastic comments.
- verbal surrogates
-
The sounds humans make as they attempt to fill dead air while they are thinking of what to say next (e.g., uhh, umm).
- versatility
-
The degree to which an individual can utilize both responsiveness and assertiveness that is appropriate and effective during various communication contexts and interpersonal interactions.
- vocabulary
-
All the words understood by a person or group of people.
- vocalics
-
Vocal utterances or characteristics, other than words, such as pitch, tempo, and volume, that serve as forms of communication.
- Volume
-
How loudly or softly an individual speaks.
- willingness to communicate
-
An individual’s tendency to initiate communicative interactions with other people.
- workplace bullying behaviors
-
Workplace bullying involves isolation and exclusion, intimidation and threats, verbal threats, damaging professional identity, limiting career opportunities, obstructing work or making work-life difficult, and denial of due process and natural justice.
- workplace socialization
-
The process by which new organizational members learn the rules (e.g., explicit policies, explicit procedures, etc.), norms (e.g., when you go on break, how to act at work, who to eat with, who not to eat with), and culture (e.g., innovation, risk-taking, team orientation, competitiveness) of an organization.