Essentials of Human Communication: Ninth Edition

Essentials of Human Communication
Ninth Edition
Chapter 4
Verbal Messages
Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Learning Objectives
4.1 Paraphrase the principles of verbal messages
4.2 Define and distinguish between disconfirmation and
confirmation and provide examples of appropriate cultural
identifiers
4.3 Explain the ways in which language can distort thinking
and identify the suggestions for communicating more
logically
Principles of Verbal Messages (1 of 9)
4.1 Paraphrase the principles of verbal messages
•  Message Meanings Are in People
–  To discover a message’s meaning, it is necessary to
look into the person as well as the words
–  As you change, you also change the meanings you
created out of past messages
•  Messages Are Denotative and Connotative
–  Connotation is the subjective or emotional meaning
that specific speakers or listeners give to a word
–  Denotation has to do with the objective meaning of a
term, the meaning you would find in a dictionary
–  Snarl words, purr words: Do not describe objective
realities, but rather express the speaker’s feelings
•  Messages Vary in Abstraction
–  Verbal messages that use very general terms will
conjure up many different images in listeners’ minds
–  As you get more specific (less abstract), you more
effectively guide the images that come to your
listeners’ minds
•  Messages Can Deceive
•  Behaviors that most often accompany lying:
–  Liars hold back
–  Liars make less sense
–  Liars give a more negative impression
–  Liars are tense
–  Truth bias: Assumption that people are telling the
truth
•  Messages Vary in Politeness
–  Direct messages are usually less polite than indirect
messages
–  Indirect messages allow you to express a desire
without insulting or offending anyone
•  Internet communication has very specific rules for
politeness, called netiquette
–  Familiarize yourself with an online site before
contributing
–  Be brief
–  Don’t shout (by using all caps)
–  Don’t spam or flame
–  Avoid offensive language
–  Be polite
•  Messages Can Be Onymous or Anonymous
–  Onymous messages are signed; the author of the
message is clearly identified
–  Anonymous messages are unsigned; the author is
not identified
•  Messages Vary in Assertiveness
–  Assertiveness refers to a willingness to stand up for
your rights, but with respect for the rights of others
–  Suggestions for communicating assertiveness:
§  Describe the problem
§  State how this problem affects you
§  Propose solutions that are workable
§  Confirm understanding
Disconfirmation and Confirmation (1 of 8)
4.2 Define and distinguish between disconfirmation and
confirmation and provide examples of appropriate cultural
identifiers
•  Disconfirmation
–  A communication pattern in which you ignore
someone’s presence as well as that person’s
communications
•  Confirmation
–  The opposite of disconfirmation; you acknowledge the
presence of the other person and indicate your
acceptance of this person, of this person’s self-
definition, and of your relationship as defined or
viewed by this person
Figure 4.1 Disconfirmation with -Isms
•  Racist Speech
–  Speech that puts down, minimizes, and marginalizes
a person or group because of his or her race
§  Individual racism
§  Institutional racism
•  Here are some “obvious” suggestions for avoiding racist
speech:
–  Avoid using derogatory terms for members of a
particular race
–  Avoid basing your interactions with members of other
races on stereotypes
–  Avoid mentioning race when it is irrelevant
–  Avoid attributing individuals’ economic or social
problems to the race of the individuals
•  Heterosexist Speech
–  Derogatory terms used for lesbians and gay men
§  Individual heterosexism
§  Institutional heterosexism
•  Ageist Speech
–  Speech used to show prejudice against a group
purely because of the members’ ages
–  Used mainly against older people, but can also refer
to prejudice against other age groups, such as
teenagers
§  Individual ageism
§  Institutional ageism
•  Sexist Speech
–  Sexist language
disparages someone
because of his or her
gender
§  Individual sexism
§  Institutional sexism
•  Cultural Identifiers
–  Examine the preferred cultural identifiers to use in
talking to and about members of different groups
–  Include rather than exclude
Principles for Using Verbal Messages
Effectively (1 of 7)
4.3 Explain the ways in which language can distort thinking

and identify the suggestions for communicating more
logically
•  Extensionalize: Avoid Intensional Orientation

–  Intensional orientation: tendency to view people,
objects, and events in terms of how they are labeled
rather than how they actually exist
–  Extensional orientation: tendency to look first at the
actual people, objects, and events and then at the
labels
•  See the Individual: Avoid Allness

–  You may think you know all there is to know about
certain individuals, but you don’t know everything
–  A useful extensional device that can help you avoid
allness is to end each statement with an et cetera
(etc.)
§  A reminder that there is more to learn, know, and
say; that every statement is inevitably incomplete
•  Distinguish Between Facts and Inferences: Avoid

Fact–Inference Confusion
–  Language enables you to form statements of facts
and inferences without making any linguistic
distinction between the two
–  Barriers to clear thinking can result when inferences
are treated as facts, a tendency called fact–inference
confusion
•  Discriminate Among: Avoid Indiscrimination

–  Indiscrimination is a form of stereotyping in which
you focus on similarities within a group rather than
individuals’ differences
–  Antidote: Use an index, a spoken or mental subscript
that identifies each member of a group as an
individual
•  Talk About the Middle: Avoid Polarization

–  Polarization, often referred to as the fallacy of “either/
or,” is the tendency to look at the world and to
describe it in terms of extremes—good or bad,
positive or negative, healthy or sick, brilliant or stupid,
rich or poor, and so on
•  Update Messages: Avoid Static Evaluation

–  When you retain a judgment of a person, despite the
inevitable changes in the person, you are engaging in
static evaluation
–  To guard against static evaluation, use a device called
the date, a mental subscript that enables you to look
at your statement in the context of time
Summary of Concepts and Skills (1 of 3)
•  Message meanings are in people
•  Messages are denotative and connotative
•  Messages vary in abstraction
•  Messages vary in politeness
•  Messages can be onymous or anonymous
•  Messages vary in assertiveness
•  Disconfirmation is the process of ignoring the presence
and the communications of others
•  Confirmation means accepting, supporting, and
acknowledging others
•  Racist, heterosexist, ageist, and sexist language
disconfirms, puts down, and negatively evaluates various
groups
•  Avoid intensional orientation
•  Avoid allness
•  Avoid confusing facts with inferences
•  Avoid indiscrimination
•  Avoid polarization
•  Avoid static evaluation
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Essentials of Human Communication

4.3 Explain the ways in which language can distort thinking

•  Extensionalize: Avoid Intensional Orientation

•  See the Individual: Avoid Allness

•  Distinguish Between Facts and Inferences: Avoid

•  Discriminate Among: Avoid Indiscrimination

•  Talk About the Middle: Avoid Polarization

•  Update Messages: Avoid Static Evaluation

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Essentials of Human Communication: Ninth Edition

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Essentials of Human Communication

4.3 Explain the ways in which language can distort thinking

• Extensionalize: Avoid Intensional Orientation

• See the Individual: Avoid Allness

• Distinguish Between Facts and Inferences: Avoid

• Discriminate Among: Avoid Indiscrimination

• Talk About the Middle: Avoid Polarization

• Update Messages: Avoid Static Evaluation

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•  Extensionalize: Avoid Intensional Orientation

•  See the Individual: Avoid Allness

•  Distinguish Between Facts and Inferences: Avoid

•  Discriminate Among: Avoid Indiscrimination

•  Talk About the Middle: Avoid Polarization

•  Update Messages: Avoid Static Evaluation