ITSINTER_ch05_lecppt.pptx

1. CHAPTER 5
Verbal Communication
Copyright © 2022 W. W. Norton & Company

2. Verbal Communication
• Using words to convey meaning
• Written, spoken, sung… any use of words
• I statements vs. You statements
• Absolute vs. Relative
• Connotation
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3. CHAPTER 6
Nonverbal Communication
Copyright © 2022 W. W. Norton & Company

4. Nonverbal Communication
• Everything except the words
• Kinesics – body movement & gestures
• Haptics - touch
• Proxemics – use of space and distance from others
• Chronemics - time
• Physical Appearance
• Artifacts
• Environmental Factors – everything external to us
• Paralanguage – tone, pitch, rate, volume, and non-word
sounds
• Silence
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5. Verbal communication
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6. 5.1 The significance of language
• Language is a system of words that are collectively
understood to have meaning.
• Verbal communication is the use of words to
convey meaning.
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7. Language is influential
• Words have power to affect thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors.
• Emotive language is language that both describes
something and reveals the speaker’s attitude about
what is being described.
• Reciprocity appeal vs. social validation appeal
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8. Language is affectionate (1)
• Affectionate language (AL) is the language you use
to express positive feelings you have toward
someone.
• AL reflects and fortifies relationship satisfaction.
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9. Language is affectionate (2)
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10. Language structures thought (1)
• Linguistic determinism is the idea that language
determines people’s ability to perceive and think.
• Linguistic relativism is the idea that language may
not determine one’s reality, but it does influence it.
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11. Language structures thought (2)
“I’m a big fisherman. My girlfriend
joined me and a few of my fishing
buddies one day for lunch. Just as we
sat down, I cracked a joke: ‘What do you
get when you cross a fishing lure with a
gym sock? A hook, line, and stink!’ My
friends laughed uproariously. My
girlfriend, who has never fished and
probably doesn’t know what a lure is,
kind of got it, but her reaction was
delayed and subdued.” —Tobin
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12. Language has layers of meaning (1)
• Content vs. relational message
• Denotation is the literal or dictionary meaning
assigned to a word.
• Connotation is the subjective or personal
meaning attached to a word.
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13. Language has layers of meaning (2)
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14. Language is interpretive (1)
• Every language has rules for its users to follow that
help interpret messages.
• Phonological rules
• Syntactic rules
• Semantic rules
• Pragmatic rules
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15. Language is interpretive (2)
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16. 5.2 Understanding language ambiguity
• Concrete language vs. abstract language
• You can add accuracy and precision to your
messages by using dating information that
specifies when something took place or will take
place.
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17. Concrete versus abstract language
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18. Types of ambiguous language (1)
• Cultural idioms or colloquialisms are words or phrases
whose meanings are unique to people who live in a certain
geographic region or society.
• People in close relationships also create words or phrases
whose meaning only they understand, which are called
interpersonal idioms.
• Slang vs. jargon
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19. Types of ambiguous language (2)
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20. Types of ambiguous language (3)
• Equivocation (also referred to as doublespeak) is
the intentional use of vague language in order to
avoid saying what you really think or feel.
• Euphemisms or kind speech are words a speaker
uses that are easier on the ears or heart.
• We may make our messages more ambiguous
whenever we use convoluted language.
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21. Types of ambiguous language (4)
“I try to simplify the product labels of
body building supplements for my
clients. It’s like the manufacturers want
us to think there is something very
scientific or revolutionary about their
‘whey or milk protein.’ The labels have
explanations like: ‘upregulates multiple
genetic signaling pathways’ or ‘uses
microsorb amino technology to
enhance anabolism.’ My clients often
say they appreciate that I clarify this
kind of stuff for them.” —Erica
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22. 5.3 Ways to improve verbal communication
• Direct language communicates a message in a
very straightforward and obvious way.
• Indirect language, on the other hand,
communicates a message in a subtle or suggestive
way.
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23. Using language strategically
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24. Monitor your use of powerless language (1)
• Powerless language is speech that makes the sender
of a message sound less confident, convincing,
resolute, or assertive.
• Powerful language is fluent, direct, and
straightforward.
• Watch the we and replace the but.
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25. Monitor your use of powerless language (2)
“I told my fiancé we needed to curb our
spending. The next day he canceled my
magazine subscriptions.” —Sheree
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26. Avoid put-downs (1)
• Put-downs are words that are demeaning or
hurtful; they suggest that someone is inferior, bad,
or flawed in some way.
• Trigger words are known to spark negative
emotional reactions (such as anger and
defensiveness) and intensify arguments.
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27. Avoid put-downs (2)
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28. Apply you-language effectively (1)
• You-language is a statement or question that
starts with the pronoun you.
• An accusation implies that your communication
partner did something bad or failed to do
something important.
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29. Apply you-language effectively (2)
• A negative blanket statement implies that a
person’s feelings or behavior occur all the time or
are unchanging.
• An uncomplimentary comparison is a
statement that compares the person on the
receiving end of the message to someone else in
an unflattering way.
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30. Apply I-language effectively (1)
• A positive alternative to an accusation, negative
blanket statement, or uncomplimentary
comparison is I-language that focuses on the
behavior or outcome you want from your
relational partner.
• Receivers are more likely to listen to and consider
these messages.
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31. Apply I-language effectively (2)
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32. Use the sandwich approach (1)
• One way to convey a critique with sensitivity and
tact is to use the sandwich approach: saying
something positive about your conversation
partner before and after delivering a suggestion.
• This is often delivered in a softer, gentler way.
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33. Use the sandwich approach (2)
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34. Use the sandwich approach (3)
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35. Credits
This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for Chapter 5.
For more resources, please visit It’s Interpersonal, An Introduction
to Relational Communication, at:
http://digital.wwnorton.com/interpersonal
Copyright © 2022 W. W. Norton & Company