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ACTIVITY 5.6 SELF-DISCLOSURE INTENTORY
Purpose: Students should be able to recognize their own behavior during self-
disclosure; to state the reason for disclosing or not disclosing specific types of
information; to list the factors that affect self-disclosure; to compare their own behavior
during self-disclosure with that of their classmates; and to discuss the effect of trust and
risk on self-disclosure.
Procedure: Have each student complete the “Self-Disclosure Inventory” that follows on
the next page
The discussion should then proceed to the nature of the risk, specifically: What are we
risking when we disclose ourselves? How do we decide which people we can trust?
What social sanctions inhibit our discussion of taboo topics? Why is some information
risky for us but not for others? What judgments do we make of others when they
disclose intimate information? What does the act of self-disclosure indicate about the
relationship? Is the act of self-disclosure as important, or perhaps more important, than
the information disclosed? The discussion may focus on one or more of these questions
to examine the factors that govern our willingness to tell others about ourselves.
Debriefing: This activity should help students become aware of their personal
tendencies toward self-disclosure. It also indicates the factors that influence the
appropriateness of the level of self-disclosure and is helpful in establishing concepts of
an open and supportive relationship.
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SELF-DISCLOSURE INVENTORY
Directions: Working alone, label each of the following statements according to the
following scale:
L (low risk): You believe it is appropriate to disclose this information to almost
any person.
Your rating should reflect what you normally do, rather than what you think is
appropriate or what social norms require.
___ 1. Your hobbies, or how you prefer to spend your spare time
___ 2. Your musical preferences and dislikes
___ 3. Your educational background and your feelings about it
___ 4. Your views about politics, the presidency, and foreign and domestic policies
___ 5. Your religious views and practices
___ 6. The habits and reactions in which you take pride
___ 7. The unhappiest moment of your life, described in detail
___ 8. The things you have most regretted doing, and why
___ 9. Your unfulfilled wishes and dreams
___ 10. Your sex life
___ 16. The happiest occasion in your life, described in detail
___ 17. The persons with whom you have been sexually intimate and the circumstances
of your relationship with them.
___ 18. Your marks in high school and your current marks
___ 19. The things that bother you about yourself, and why
___ 20. Your most embarrassing moment, described in detail
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ACTIVITY 5.7 YOU TALK TOO MUCH
Purpose: Students should be able to recognize the potential consequences of
inappropriate self-disclosure in varying circumstances.
Procedure: Before undertaking this activity, class discussion should focus on student
experiences with individuals who talk about themselves all the time. Class interaction
should center around the inappropriate timing, topics, and intimacies that these
individuals share with others.
Class discussion should center on the potential risks inherent in inappropriate self-
disclosure and how appropriate self-disclosure can facilitate each situation. Does an
over-disclosure ever reap valuable relationships? Can inappropriate self-disclosure lead
to a meaningful relationship? How does the context impact the amount and type of self-
disclosure? Cite examples.
Debriefing: Students will have a better understanding of when to self-disclose and
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ACTIVITY 5.8 GROUP BRAGGING
Purpose: Students should be able to discuss their feelings when disclosing positive
information about themselves; to state the reasons why people are uncomfortable about
disclosing positive information; and to recognize their own responses to positive
evaluations from others.
Procedure: Divide the students into groups of four or five. Have group members sit in a
After class discussion, have the students return to their groups and vary the exercise.
This time, they are to make positive comments about each other. The students should
focus on one person in a group at a time, and each group member should make one
positive comment about that person.
In discussing the first part of this activity, the students should identify the specific areas
of their self-images that were the topics of the statements. Did the comments tend to be
primarily about physical, personality, or role components of their self-images? If specific
In discussing the second part of this activity, the students should again describe their
feelings and nonverbal behavior as they received compliments from others. They should
compare the feelings that they had when they received positive evaluations of
Debriefing: This activity illustrates the ways in which positive self-disclosure affects our
communication with others. It gives the students a chance to explore their own behavior
during self-disclosure and to observe the behavior of others as they self-disclose.
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ACTIVITY 5.9 SEXUAL STEREOTYPES
Purpose: Students should be able to identify specific behavior and characteristics
associated with males and females; to discuss the validity of these stereotyped
characteristics; and to indicate how their stereotyped perception influences their
behavior.
Procedure: After a general discussion of stereotypes, divide the students into two
groups: males in one group and females in the other. This activity is more effective
when there are approximately equal numbers of males and females. Tell each group to
After both groups have spoken, permit free discussion. You should not participate in the
discussion unless necessary. After a few minutes, the students usually conclude that
their lists are stereotypes that don’t really reflect their attitudes or their behavior toward
Debriefing: This activity explores the nature of stereotypes and the influences that
stereotypes have on our communication and our interpersonal relationships. The activity
can lead into a discussion of self-concept and roles and can also be used to introduce
material about predicting and adapting to the behavior and expectations of others.
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ACTIVITY 5.10 IMPROVING CONVERSATIONAL SKILLS
Purpose: Students should be able to identify the roles self-disclosure, empathic
listening, and differing perceptions play in conversations; to identify ways to improve
verbal encoding; and to specify ways to adjust conversations for different conversational
partners.
Procedure: Duplicate and distribute to students the conversation that is on the next two
pages. This activity can be used as either a homework assignment or to promote group
discussion. Students should analyze the conversation and suggest ways to improve it.
Debriefing: This activity offers students an opportunity to apply their knowledge of
communication skills to a situation. They should draw on their knowledge of
interpersonal relationships and the skills they learned in previous chapters.
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IMPROVING CONVERSATIONAL SKILLS
We can improve our conversational skills with our friends. In the conversation that
follows, a man and a woman who are friends are having a disagreement. After you have
read the dialogue, analyze how this conversation could have been improved. The
questions at the end of the conversation will direct your consideration. Robin and Tim
met on campus and are walking back to the dormitories together. Their conversation
focuses on the topic of running.
Tim: Oh, him. Boy, does he have a funny running style.
Robin: What do you mean? I think he looks pretty good.
Tim: I’m on the track team and I run 10 miles almost every day, and I think he runs
funny. Anyway, what makes you such an expert on running?
Robin: Well, I started running last week and my running form is a lot like that man’s
style. My friends have told me that I run with perfect form.
Tim: It most certainly does! If you always run on your toes for long distances, you
could strain your Achilles tendon and you could also damage your calf muscles.
Robin: Well, is that all there is to know about running?
Tim: No, there’s a lot more, like how do your feet land with each step.
Robin: My feet kind of point out.
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Tim: You mean like a penguin?
Robin: Come on, Tim.
Tim: Okay. Did you know that the way you hold your arms and hands is very important
to the kind of runner you could become?
Robin: I know that. My friends told me to move my arms as fast as I could and to hold
my hands in tightly clenched fists. It makes me feel like I’m moving faster.
Tim: Who are these friends of yours?
Robin: Some people who live on the same dorm floor.
Robin: Personally, Tim, I think my friends have helped me a great deal, even more than
you have. I don’t want to be a great runner—I’m just running for fun.
Tim: Sure, running for fun to lose weight. All women try running at some point in their
lives; too bad it never works.
Robin: I’ve already lost five pounds in a little over a week.
Tim: That’s really good, Robin, but I don’t have time to get into a long conversation on
women and their weight problems with you. I’ve got to have lunch. I’ll walk you
home from class tomorrow, though.
Robin: Don’t bother.
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perceptions affect their conversation? Did both of the communicators demonstrate
active listening? Rewrite the dialogue in a manner that you believe is realistic for two
persons who are attempting to develop their friendship.
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ACTIVITY 5.1 1 FAMILY STORIES
Purpose: Students should be able to recognize and understand how family rituals help
to create family satisfaction and maintain unity throughout generations.
Procedure: Students are to collect a family story from a parent, grandparent, aunt,
uncle, cousin, etc., that is important to the storyteller and that they are willing to have
the student share with his or her class. This story may be about an important event in
the life of that person or another family member who is not present; it may be about a
• The original source of the story if different from the storyteller
• Any particular rules or conventions regarding the time, place, or situation where
the story is usually told.
• Special effects the storyteller used in relating the story—the dramatic behavior,
for example, accompanying “I was a big tree” (storyteller stands up and reaches
high into the air)
• Significance of the story; the reason it was shared
Divide the class into groups of four to six and have each student share his or her story
with the rest of the group. Those students listening to a story should ask questions
about the story, the situation, etc. What do they see as the importance of this story?
Debriefing: This activity illustrates the way families share meaning through rituals. It
also can involve discussion of nonverbal communication, self-disclosure, interpersonal
relationships, and overall communication patterns.
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Mini Prezi KNAPP’S STAGES OF RELATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Objective: This presentation helps students to think more about the distinct stages of
relational development and how communication evolves and changes through each
stage in the model.
Procedure: The mini prezi presentation can be accessed through the following website
link (http://tinyurl.com/msu8l8v). Listed below is possible presentation information that
can be used to explain each click through the presentation.
Presentation Script Information:
Introduction
• A noted communication theorist and research, Mark Knapp, has advanced a model that helps us
understand how people come together. The stages in his model include [click] the initiation stage,
Initiation Stage
• The first stage in Knapp’s model is the initiation stage. In this stage, [click] we make decisions about
beginning a relationship with someone. First impressions and other critical factors impact the degree
whereas your friends may look for complementarity in relationships--such as when a shy person is
drawn to someone who is naturally outgoing. [click]
Experimentation Stage
• The second stage is experimentation. In this stage [click] we make an effort to find out more about
the background, interests, attitudes, and values of another person in order to see if we share enough
that your differences in opinion are too great and the relationship is not worth pursuing. [click]
Intensification Stage
• In the intensification stage [click] the relationship between two people blossoms as the
Integration Stage
• The fourth stage is called the integration stage. In this stage [click] the two people begin to merge
their lives and use “couple language,” such as personalized nicknames, in order to demonstrate to
others that the relationship has grown more serious.
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Bonding Stage
• Bonding is the final relationship initiation stage [click]. In this stage the couple communicates their
relationship to others and begins to explore life together as a couple. [click]
Conclusion
• After a couple goes through Knapp’s five relational initiation stages, the newly bonded and
established couple finds ways to maintain their relational bond together and keep the spark alive into
the future.
• As a college student, you might consider if you think you and your friends typically progress through
these different stages in their own relationships. Have all of your romantic relationships progressed
linearly through Knapp’s stages of relational development?
