Page 335 - Essentials of Human Communication

314 Glossary

friend feel good about a promotion. Use these ethically as security. At the same time, seek to serve similar needs that
well as effectively. Use facial expressions to communicate your friends have.
that you’re involved in the interaction. As a listener, look fundamental attribution error. The tendency to attribute a
to the emotional facial expressions of others as additional person’s behavior to the kind of person he or she is (to in-
cues to their meaning. ternal factors such as the person’s personality) and not to
fact–inference confusion. A misevaluation in which someone give sufficient importance to the situation the person is
makes an inference, regards it as a fact, and acts on it as if in. Avoid the fundamental attribution error by mindfully
it were a fact. Distinguish facts (i.e., verifiably true past focusing on the possible influence of situational forces.
events) from inferences (i.e., guesses, hypotheses, hunches),
and act on inferences with tentativeness and with mindful-
ness that they may turn out to be incorrect. game. A simulation of some situation with rules governing
factual statement. A statement made by an observer after an the behaviors of the participants and with some payoff for
observation and limited to what is observed. Contrast winning. In transactional analysis, a “game” is a series of
inferential statement. ulterior transactions that lead to a payoff; the term also
family. A group of people who consider themselves related refers to a basically dishonest kind of transaction in
and connected to one another and among whom the ac- which participants hide their true feelings.
tions of one person have consequences for others. general purpose. The major aim or objective of a public
fear appeal. An effort to exploit or create fear in an individ- speech; usually identified as to inform and to persuade.
ual or group of individuals in order to persuade them to general semantics. The study of the relationships among lan-
believe or act in a certain way. guage, thought, and behavior.
feedback. Information that is given back to the source. Feed- glittering generality. The opposite of name calling; a speaker’s
back may come from the source’s own messages (as when effort to gain your acceptance of an idea by associating it
we hear what we are saying) or from the receiver(s)—in with things you value highly.
forms such as applause, yawning, puzzled looks, ques- gobbledygook. Overly complex language that overwhelms
tions, pokes, retweets, increased followers, and so forth. the listener instead of communicating meaning. Sim-
Listen to both verbal and nonverbal feedback—from your- plify your own language and ask for clarification when
self and from others—and use these cues to help you adjust in doubt.
your messages for greatest effectiveness. See also negative gossip. Communication about someone who is not present,
feedback; positive feedback. usually about matters that are private to this third party.
feedforward. Information that is sent before a regular mes- grapevine. Informal routes by which messages in an organi-
sage telling the listener something about what is to follow. zation may travel; these informal lines resemble the phys-
Preface your messages with some kind of feedforward ical grapevine, with its unpredictable pattern of branches.
when you feel your listener needs some background or group. A collection of individuals who are related to one an-
when you want to ease into a particular topic, such as bad other by some common purpose and in which some
news. structure exists.
flexibility. The ability to adjust communication strategies on group norm. Rules or expectations for appropriate behavior
the basis of the unique situation. Because no two commu- for a member of a group. Actively seek to discover the
nication situations are identical, because everything is in a norms of a group, and take these norms into consideration
state of flux, and because everyone is different, cultivate when interacting in the group.
flexibility and adjust your communication to the unique groupthink. A tendency observed in some groups in which
situation. agreement among members becomes more important than
flirting. A type of communication that signals romantic interest. the exploration of the issues at hand. Recognize and actively
focus group. A group designed to explore the feelings and counter any groupthink tendencies evidenced in a group.
attitudes of its members; usually follows a question-and- gunnysacking. An unproductive conflict strategy of storing
answer format. up grievances—as if in a gunnysack—and holding them
force. An unproductive conflict strategy in which someone in readiness to dump on the other person in a conflict.
attempts to win an argument by physical force, threats of
force, or some type of psychological bullying.
forum. A small group format in which members of the group halo effect. The tendency to generalize an individual’s virtue
answer questions from the audience; often follows a or expertise from one area to another.
symposium. haptics. The study of touch communication.
friendship. An interpersonal relationship between two people heterosexist language. Language that assumes all people are
that is mutually productive, established and maintained heterosexual and that thereby denigrates lesbians and gay
through perceived mutual free choice, and characterized men.
by mutual positive regard. Establish friendships to help high-context culture. A culture in which much of the infor-
serve such needs as utility, ego support, stimulation, and mation in communication is in the context or in the