The document discusses communication climates and friendship communication. It defines communication climate as the emotional tone of a relationship, and identifies confirming and disconfirming messages. Disconfirming messages show a lack of regard and include impervious, interrupting, irrelevant, tangential, impersonal, ambiguous, and incongruous responses. The development of communication climates is influenced by verbal and nonverbal communication. Assertive communication and responding nondefensively to criticism are also covered. The document defines friendship and discusses the needs and types of friendships, including reciprocity, receptivity, and association. Friendships experience tensions between openness and self-protection.

1. Communication
Climates
Hoffman
SP 2016 – COM 125

2. Climate of Communication
Communication Climate
Refers to the emotional tone of a relationship
Levels of Message Confirmation
Confirming communication
Describes messages that convey valuing
Disconfirming Communication
Describes messages that show a lack of
regard

3. Disconfirming
Disconfirming Messages
Impervious Responses
Doesn’t acknowledge the other person’s
message
Interrupting
Beginning to speak before the other person has
finished
Irrelevant Responses
A comment unrelated to what the other person
has just said (i.e., Red Herring)

4. Disconfirming
Disconfirming
Messages
Tangential Responses
Impersonal Responses
Ambiguous Responses
Incongruous Responses
Contains two messages that deny or contradict each
other
Disconfirming Messages
Impervious Responses
Doesn’t acknowledge the other person’s message
Interrupting
Beginning to speak before the other person has
finished
Irrelevant Responses
A comment unrelated to what the other person
has just said (i.e., Red Herring)

5. Disagreeing
Disagreeing
Messages
Aggressiveness
Complaining
Argumentativeness

6. Confirming
Messages
Recognition
Acknowledgement
Endorsement

8. How Communication Climates Develop
When two people start to
communicate, a relational
climate begins to develop
Verbal and nonverbal
communication can be climate-
shaping
After a climate is formed, it can
take on a life of its own and become
a self-perpetuating spiral

9. Spirals
A reciprocating communication pattern in which
each person’s message reinforces the others
Escalatory conflict spirals
De-escalatory conflict spirals
Rarely go on indefinitely
Most relationships pass through cycles of
progression and regression

10. Face & Gibbs Types
 Face-Threatening Acts
 Messages that seem to challenge the image we want to
project
 Defensiveness becomes the process of protecting our
presenting self, our face
 Preventing Defensiveness in Others
 Jack Gibb isolated six types of defense-arousing
communication and six contrasting behaviors

11. Gibbs Categories
Gibb
Categories
Evaluation versus Description
Control versus Problem Orientation
Strategy versus Spontaneity
Neutrality versus Empathy
Superiority versus Equality
Certainty versus Provisionalism
Evaluation: You
don’t know what
you’re talking about!
Description: I don’t
see how you came to
that idea
Strategy: I’m moving on
Friday. What are you
doing after work that
day?
Spontaneity: I have to
move on Friday. Could
you stop by and help
after work?

12. Saving Face
The Assertive Message Format
The five parts of the assertive
message
Behavior
Interpretation
Feeling
Consequence
Intention
The Assertive Message Format
Consequence
Explains what happens as a result of the
situation you’ve described
What happens to you, the speaker
What happens to the person you’re addressing
What happens to others
Valuable
Help you understand more clearly
Can be sure you or your message leaves
nothing to listener’s imagination

13. Assertive Format
 Using the Assertive Message Format
 The elements may be delivered in
mixed order
 Word the message to suit your personal
style
 When appropriate, combine two
elements in a single phrase
 Take your time delivering the message
Responding Nondefensively to
Criticism
Seek 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
 Ask what else is
wrong
Where you stand on an issue
Requests of others
Descriptions of how you plan to
act in the future

14. Friendship
Communication

15. Friendship –
the interpersonal relationship between two
interdependent people that is mutually productive and
characterized by mutual positive regard.
“Personalistic focus” –
react to each other as complete persons, as unique,
genuine, and irreplaceable individuals.
Must be mutually productive.
Must be characterized by mutual positive regard.

16. Needs in Friendships
 Utility – someone with special skills who
can help you.
 Affirmation – someone who helps you
recognize your attributes.
 Ego-support – someone who behaves
supportively.
 Stimulation – someone who introduces
you to new ideas.
 Security – someone who does nothing to
hurt you.

17.  Friendship Types
 Reciprocity – the ideal type, characterized by loyalty, self-
sacrifice, mutual affection, and generosity. Based on
equality.
 Receptivity – an imbalance in giving and receiving with
both gaining; a difference in status is essential.
 Association – transitory, cordial but not intense.
Friendships include dynamic tensions between being open
and protecting the self. Friendships are major reason for
Internet communication.