1. Communication Climates

2. Think back to Aristotle

3. Occasion Occasion Time Place Situation
Audience
Exigency
Constraint
Kairos: the right, critical, or opportune moment.

4. Communication Climate
A communication climate is the emotional tone of a relationship between people.
A constructive communication climate is created when individuals feel valued.
A destructive communication climate might include
feeling blamed by a supervisor
encountering a co-worker who feels superior
getting flamed online
being judged by a friend.

5. Communication climate
Buber: I/Thou
Interpersonal confirmation
Recognition
Acknowledgment
Endorsement

6. Communication Climate
Defensive vs. supportive climates
Evaluation vs. description
Certainty vs. provisionalism
Strategy vs. spontaneity
Control vs. problem orientation
Neutrality vs. empathy
Superiority vs. equality

7. Communication Climate
Conflict exists when people who depend on each other have different views, interests, values, responsibilities, or objectives and perceive those differences as incompatible.
Overt vs. covert conflict
Managing conflicts
Conflicts of interest
Conflict orientations
Conflict responses
Conflict outcomes

8. Communication Climate
In conflict mediation, context matters
Place—the physical place
Time—the temporal place
Mood—the socio-emotional place

9. Communication climate
Conflict and grace
Defined:
Grace is a willingness to sometimes excuse someone who has no right to expect your compassion and forgiveness.
Grace is given without an expectation of reward or reciprocity
Examples:
Granting forgiveness
Putting aside our needs
Helping another save face
Kindness that isn’t earned or requires