CHAPTER THREE: Communication Principles for Small Groups

W HAT IS “C OMMUNICATION ”? The transactional process of simultaneously creating, interpreting, and negotiating shared meaning through interaction

CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMUNICATION Symbolic Abstract, arbitrary Mostly words Personal Meanings are in people Transactional Multidirectional Meaning between people Shared meaning Content and relational dimensions “what” “how”

LISTENING The process that involves perceiving, interpreting, and responding to messages Is listening the same as hearing??  Activity  Effective listening  Influencing factors  Listening between the lines

LISTENING PREFERENCES  Identify, and shift  People-oriented listeners  Action-oriented listeners  Content-oriented listeners  Time-oriented listeners

ACTIVE LISTENING Listening to understand a message before critically judging it Paraphrase Confirm Sensitive or controversial issues

VERBAL COMMUNICATION Actual spoken words to communicate a message  Bypassing  Organizing  Being sensitive  Group rules

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION Anything in a message that is NOT a word  Ambiguous  Cannot not communicate  Nonverbals reign! Functions  Emotions  Supplement  Substitute  Regulate  Contradict

NONVERBAL CATEGORIES  Appearance  Space & seating  Facial expressions  Eye contact  Body movement  Voice  Timing

NONVERBAL CATEGORIES  Appearance  Space & seating  Facial expressions  Eye contact  Body movement  Voice  Timing