PowerPoint™ Presentations prepared by: Naomi Young University of California, San Diego Human Communication: The Basic Course Twelfth Edition Joseph A. DeVito Hunter College of the City University of New York

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; any rental, lease, or lending of the program. Chapter Five: Verbal Messages

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 3 Chapter Goals Learn About:   How language works   The nature of disconfirmation and confirmations   The principles of message effectiveness Learn To:   Use language to best achieve your purposes   Express confirmation when appropriate   Use verbal messages more effectively Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Principles of Verbal Messages o Meanings are in people o Language is denotative and connotative o Messages depend on context o Messages vary in politeness o Messages vary in assertiveness o Messages can deceive

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. \ Meanings Are in People oTo uncover meaning, you need to look into people and not merely into words oMeanings can change over time oMeanings are different between cultures oBypassing

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Language Is Denotative and Connotative oDenotation refers to the meaning you’d find in the dictionary oConnotation refers to the emotional meaning that specific speakers and listeners give to a word

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Meaning Depends on Context

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Cultural Context   Culture teaches ways of using verbal messages as acceptable or not acceptable

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Cultural Context cont… oThe Principle of Cooperation -The maximum of quality -The maximum of relation -The maximum of manner oPrinciple of peaceful relations oPrinciple of face-saving oPrinciple of self-denigration When you violate these principles, you risk being seen as deviant or perhaps as insulting

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Gender Context oWomen seek agreement in conversations oMen appear to be more direct communicators oBoth men and women use politeness when communicating ‘bad news’

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Messages Vary in Politeness  Politeness and Directness –Direct messages –Indirect messages  Politeness Online –Netiquette

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Messages Vary in Assertiveness  Describe the problem  State how this problem affects you  Propose solutions  Confirm understanding

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Messages Can Deceive  Types of Lies –Pro-social deception –Self-enhancement deception –Selfish deception  The Behavior of Lies –Truth bias –Lie bias

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Disconfirmation and Confirmation Communication patterns in which messages are ignored or acknowledged

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Racism o Conscious or unconscious o Individual racism o Institutionalized racism

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Heterosexism o Individual heterosexism o Institutional heterosexism o Heterosexist language

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Ageism  Avoid talking down to or refreshing an older person’s memory  Avoid implying that relationships are no longer important  Speak at a normal volume and maintain a normal physical distance  Engage older people in conversation as you would wish to be engaged

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Sexism  Prejudicial attitudes and beliefs about men or women based on rigid beliefs about gender rules   Sexist language: language that puts down someone because of his or her gender   Use gender-free, gender-neutral, or sex-fair language

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Cultural Identifiers o Race and Nationality o Affectional Orientation o Age and Sex

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Using Verbal Messages Effectively Recognizing conceptual distortions or the mental mistakes, misinterpretations, reasoning fallacies

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Language Symbolizes Reality (Partially)  Intensional orientation  Extensional orientation  Allness

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.  Language Expresses Both Facts and Inferences –Fact Inference Confusion –Inferential statements –Factual statements  Language is Relatively Static –Static evaluation –Mental date  Language Can Obscure Distinctions –Indiscrimination –Polarization Using Verbal Messages Effectively cont…

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Polarization  Tendency to look at the world in terms of opposites  Tendency to view only extremes and to categorize people, objects, and events in terms of polar opposites To Correct Polarizing Tendencies  Beware of believing that two extreme classes include all possible classes  Believe that alternatives exist  Look for middle ground

Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Knowledge to Action Give some examples of verbal communication where offensive language can be replaced with confirming language.