Chapter 3 Homework Time Minutes Directions Ask Students Think About

Unlock access to all the studying documents.

View Full Document

CHAPTER THREE: MANAGING INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION IN THE

WORKPLACE

Objectives

Be aware of the communication climate.

Develop the skills needed to enhance communication in relationships.

Improve the openness of communication.

Ask for and give feedback.

Acquire appropriate assertiveness and immediacy behaviors.

Use clear language and improve verbal style to increase effectiveness.

Avoid communication omissions

Key Words

Interpersonal communication, expectations, interpersonal perceptions, information sharing,

relationship sharing, social exchange, communication climate, communication omission,

assertiveness skills, communication immediacy

Chapter Teaching Notes

I. Interpersonal Communication Principles in the Workplace

A. Managing your expectations -Pygmalion effect and self-fulfilling prophecy state

that expectation influences relationships

B. Interpersonal Attribution: I Know Why You Do That

1. Interpersonal attribution an early impression about a person s character

or some quality, often without the facts

2. Internal attribution reasons believed to explain the story because of a

person s character.

C. Managing Interpersonal Perceptions: Impression Formation

1. First impression experiments and your interpersonal impressions

D. Social Equity Theory

1. Evaluating relationships by taking into account the ratio of reward to

cost: over/under benefitted ratios

2. Relationships that have more personal rewards are more likely to last

E. Selectivity in listening to information we choose ideas and messages which

reinforce information already known, believed, or liked

1. Selective exposure individuals open themselves to information and

ideas consistent with previous knowledge, beliefs, or tastes

2. Selective attention we pay attention to or perceive only the things

II. Managing Your Interpersonal Communication

Skills

A. Develop a positive communication

climate

2. Non-evaluative communication skills that offer less of an evaluative

beginning to communication

4. Openness and numerous other variables listed in the chapter

B. Expand the awareness factor self and other awareness

2. Information sharing increases trust, liking, and reciprocal information

exchange

C. Initiate affinity-seeking

communication

D. Develop assertiveness skills sharing your thoughts while respecting the rights

and opinions of others

Advantages of being assertive

1. Provides energy in communicating

3. Becomes constructive for solutions

5. Improves decision-making

Assertive communication skills

2. Deal with one issue at a time

4. Be clear and direct

6. Have a coping outlook

7. Make statements

E. Practice immediacy communication perceived nearness or closeness in talking

and listening

F. Apply improved verbal and language

style

1. Talking down trap

2. Communication power game trap

4. The labeling trap

6. The word complexity trap

G. Improve Efficiency and Clarity

2. The praise/criticism ratio

4. Use more powerful speech

6. Signposts and enumeration

H. Improving Interpersonal Communication in Leadership

III. Managing Social Networking

A. Organizations Seeking IT and Social Media

Case Study

From the text: Case 3.2 Johnson and Johnson Want More of the Social Media Pie

The Johnson and Johnson company are using social media like Facebook and YouTube. They also are

inviting mothers testify to their products and targeting online users with mommy blogg who seem

excited about the J&J lineup of products these moms enthusiastically use for their kids.

Like Johnson and Johnson, other corporations are beginning to realize the power of social media

activities. What better sources than actual users to provide realism and unbiased and truthful opinions about

a product? After all, if the users are happy, the company is, too. The messages are customized and

influential.

So does this mean that the folks at Johnson and Johnson recognize a good thing when they see it (as far as

marketing goes), or do they want more exposure in the social arena? Or both?

Food for thought: is Johnson and Johnson doing a good thing? Do you see any value in offering

this type of incentive for the users? Or, is all the benefit for the company only? From Business

Communication Headline News, in a report from March 3, 2009.

Class Exercises

1. Objective: To help students understand the link between perceptions, actions, and

consequences in communication theory.

Time: 35 minutes

Directions: Ask students to write about an experience they had when someone judged them

too quickly.

a. Why might the person have made this attribution?

b. Was this attribution negative in some way?

Now have students write down a current situation in which they may be making a

negative interpersonal attribution of someone else.

c. Why have they made this attribution?

d. Why might they be wrong in their initial impression?

Now have the students tear up the piece of paper. This act is a physical reminder of the

2. Objective: How does it end? Reinforce the idea of impression formation in everyday

living. (Worksheet available)

Time: 30 minutes

Directions: For each scenario, ask students to guess how they think the situation will end. Do

not tell them before the activity why they are doing this. Afterwards, discuss the idea of

positive and negative impression formation and how their answers may indicate premature

impression formation.

a. Susan is a responsible person who studies hard at her university. She is a

sophomore who to this point has made a 4.0 GPA. She believes that she gets

good grades because she pays attention in class and studies a lot before tests.

Susan is tends to spend most of her free time with her friends. Recently Susan

has met some new friends in her history class who, in general, do not get as good

of grades as Susan. The night before the midterm exam, these new friends ask

Susan to go out to dinner and a late movie and then stay the night. The friends

assure her that after the movie they will study. What do you think Susan will do?

Why?

b. A computer graphics company in the northeastern U.S. employs Nathan. He is

very independent and carefree. He especially enjoys his career because there are

few rules and he is free to make most of his own decisions. Nathan likes to be

c. Jonathan has always been relatively lazy and unmotivated, although he is very

creative and intelligent. A new position is going to be created at his workplace

that is one level above him in his department. It is going to require a person that

3. Objective: Create a fuller understanding of selectivity in information sharing in real life

contexts.

Time: 40 minutes first class, 50 minutes second class

Directions: In one class period, have students watch a 30-minute video relating to business

and professional communication or a related topic. After they watch it, ask them to write

down a short summary and what they remember the most about it. In the next class period,

ask them to watch it again and while they watch make a brief outline of all the topics covered.

Then, discuss selectivity in information sharing. Did they tend to remember and relate mostly

the information that they already were familiar with? How did selective attention and

retention play a part in what hey remembered?

4. Objective: Allow students to see social exchange theory in practice.

Time: 15 minutes

Directions: Have students list their two closest relationships as well as at least two

5. Objective: Make connections between communication climate theories and its effects on

lives.

Time: 15 minutes

Directions: After discussing the elements of communication climate, ask students to think

6. Objectives: Relate the Johari window to student s personal experiences.

Time: 25 minutes

Directions: Ask students to think about two relationships that they have that are very different.

7. Objective: Make connections between communication climate theories and its effects on

lives.

Time: 10 minutes

Directions: Discuss the communication climate of your college or university. Which

8. Objective: Making statements. Create an understanding of assertiveness and how it can

be created. (Worksheet available)

Time: 15 minutes

Directions: Have students identify the following statements as aggressive or nonassertive and

then rewrite them as assertive statements.

a. don t care which one you like better because I want to buy this one and it is the

b. am really busy this week, but I guess I ll do the project whenever you want me

to do i

c. you choose is okay with m

9. Objective: Create an understanding of assertiveness and how it can be created.

Time: 30 minutes

Directions: Ask students to think of the last time they encountered a conversation that took a

turn for the worse. Have them write down what was said by each person to the best of their

10. Objective: Create an understanding of communication immediacy through personal

experiences.

Time: 15 minutes

Directions: Have students think of their favorite and least favorite professors or high school

teachers (without identifying names). Ask students to go through each item on the

Communication Immediacy Instrument. Is there a link between positive relationships and

immediacy? Is there a link between negative relationships and a lack of immediacy? Ask

11. Objective: Illustrate the results of participating in negative language styles.

Time: 5 minutes

Directions: Ask students to discuss the last time someone used negative language styles

around them. What might have caused this person to act that way? When was the last time

that the student participated in negative language styles? Why?

12. Objective: Create awareness of polarizing language in everyday use and its effects.

Time: 10 minutes

Directions: After discussing polarization, have students make a list of all the words and

sayings that contribute to either-or thinking. How many of these are common in everyday

language? What could students say instead?

13. Objective: To make a connection between actions and consequences of the

praise/criticism ratio theory.

Time: 15 minutes

Directions: Have students make a list of all of the positive things they said to three different

friends or family members the day before. Then have them make a list of anything negative

they may have said. Discuss the praise/criticism ratio. Do they have relationships where they

receive more criticism than praise? What could they do to change that ratio?

14. How does it End?

Directions: For each scenario, guess how you think the situation will end.

a. Susan is a responsible person who studies hard at her university. She is a

sophomore who to this point has made a 4.0 GPA. She believes that she gets good

grades because she pays attention in class and studies a lot before tests. Susan is

tends to spend most of her free time with her friends. Recently Susan has met some

b. Nathan is employed by a computer graphics company in the northeastern U.S. He is

very independent and carefree. He especially enjoys his career because there are few

c. Jonathan has always been relatively lazy and unmotivated, although he is very

creative and intelligent. A new position is going to be created at his workplace that is

15. Identify the following statements as aggressive or nonassertive and then rewrite them as

assertive statements.

don t care which one you like better because I want to buy this one and it is the

Assertive statement:

you choose is okay with m

Assertive statement:

is clear that no one here wants you to join this team and you are not helping the project,

so you might as well not come to the me

Discussion Questions

1. What is your definition of interpersonal communication?

2. When is a time in which you experienced the Pygmalion Effect?

3. What can be the consequences of a person self-attributing their failures to external

causes?

4. How do you believe that people first perceive you? Are these attributions correct? If they

5. Do you think that the four-minute barrier theory is accurate? Why or why not?

6. What instances of selective exposure do you experience on a regular basis? Do you think

that selective exposure limits you in any way?

7. What could you do to limit filtering because of selective attention?

8. If a relationship tends to have more costs than rewards, is it worth pursuing? What are

circumstances in which it would be worth it, and some that would not be worthwhile?

9. Which elements of communication climate do you think are the most important? Which

are the least? Why?

10. Can you think of a time when evaluative communication created a negative

communication climate? Discuss that time or discuss a time when non-evaluative

communication helped create a positive climate?

11. How could knowledge of the Johari window change early impression formation?

12. Why is it important to share information about yourself and about others?

13. How can an organization s social relationships benefit from communication?

14. What experiences have you had with communication omission? How did it affect the

outcome of the conversation or project? What could have eliminated the omission?

What could be a consequence of labeling?

19. If you had a job in a highly technical job, how could you avoid falling into the jargon

trap?

20. Think of a person that you generally do not get along with as well as other people. What

kind of language do you generally use with that person? Would improving your language

skills around that person change the nature of the relationship?