1. Communication Climate: Confirming Communication
Recognition
Acknowledgement
Endorsement

2. Communication Climate: Disconfirming Communication
Verbal Abuse
Complaining
Impervious Responses
Interrupting
Irrelevant Responses
The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that’s the essence of inhumanity.
George Bernard

3. Communication Climate: Disconfirming Communication
Tangential Responses
Impersonal Responses
Ambiguous Responses
Incongruous Responses
The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that’s the essence of inhumanity.
George Bernard

4. Communication Climate: How Communication Climates Develop
Escalatory Conflict Spirals
De-Escalatory Conflict Spirals

5. Defensiveness: Causes & Remedies
Causes: Face-Threatening Acts

6. Defensiveness: Causes & Remedies Types of Defensive Reactions
Attacking the Critic
Verbal Aggression
Sarcasm
How Critical are You?

7. Defensiveness: Causes & Remedies Types of Defensive Reactions
Distorting Critical Information
Rationalization
Compensation
Regression

8. Defensiveness: Causes & Remedies Types of Defensive Reactions
Avoiding Dissonant Information
Physical Avoidance
Repression
Apathy
Displacement

9. Defensiveness: Causes & Remedies Preventing Defensiveness in Others
Evaluation Versus Description
Control Versus Problem Orientation
Strategy Versus Spontaneity
Neutrality Versus Empathy
Superiority Versus Equality
Certainty Versus Provisionalism

10. Defensiveness: Causes & Remedies Saving Face
The Clear Message Format
Behavioral Description
Interpretation
Feeling
Consequence
Intention

11. Defensiveness: Causes & Remedies Responding Nondefensively to Criticism
Seek More Information
Agree with the Critic

12. 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

13. Responding Nondefensively to Criticism - Agree with the Critic
Agree with the Facts
Agree with the Critic’s Perception