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

2. Chapter Five: Verbal Messages
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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
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4. Principles of Verbal Messages
Meanings are in people
Language is denotative and connotative
Messages depend on context
Messages vary in politeness
Messages vary in assertiveness
Messages can deceive
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5. Meanings Are in People
To uncover meaning, you need to look into people and not merely into words
Meanings can change over time
Meanings are different between cultures
Bypassing
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6. Language Is Denotative and Connotative
Denotation refers to the meaning you’d find in the dictionary
Connotation refers to the emotional meaning that specific speakers and listeners give to a word
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7. Meaning Depends on Context
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8. The Cultural Context
Culture teaches ways of using verbal messages as acceptable or not acceptable
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9. The Cultural Context cont…
The Principle of Cooperation
The maximum of quality
The maximum of relation
The maximum of manner
Principle of peaceful relations
Principle of face-saving
Principle of self-denigration
When you violate these principles, you risk being seen as deviant or perhaps as insulting
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10. The Gender Context Women seek agreement in conversations
Men appear to be more direct communicators
Both men and women use politeness when communicating ‘bad news’
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11. Messages Vary in Politeness
Politeness and Directness
Direct messages
Indirect messages
Politeness Online
Netiquette
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12. Messages Vary in Assertiveness
Describe the problem
State how this problem affects you
Propose solutions
Confirm understanding
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13. Messages Can Deceive Types of Lies The Behavior of Lies
Pro-social deception
Self-enhancement deception
Selfish deception
The Behavior of Lies
Truth bias
Lie bias
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14. Disconfirmation and Confirmation
Communication patterns in which messages are ignored or acknowledged
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15. Racism Conscious or unconscious Individual racism
Institutionalized racism
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16. Heterosexism Individual heterosexism Institutional heterosexism
Heterosexist language
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17. 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
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18. 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
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19. Cultural Identifiers Race and Nationality Affectional Orientation
Age and Sex
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20. Using Verbal Messages Effectively
Recognizing conceptual distortions or the mental mistakes, misinterpretations, reasoning fallacies
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21. Language Symbolizes Reality (Partially)
Intensional orientation
Extensional orientation
Allness
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22. Using Verbal Messages Effectively cont…
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
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23. 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
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24. Knowledge to Action
Give some examples of verbal communication where offensive language can be replaced with confirming language.
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