1. Looking Out/Looking In Eleventh Edition
Chapter Nine:
Improving Communication Climates
Ronald B. Adler, Russell F. Proctor II, and Neil Towne

2. Improving Communication Climates

3. Communication Climate: Confirming Communication
Recognition
Acknowledgement
Endorsement

4. Communication Climate: Disconfirming Communication
Verbal Abuse
Complaining
Impervious Responses
Interrupting
Irrelevant Responses
The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that’s the essence of inhumanity.
George Bernard

5. Communication Climate: Disconfirming Communication
Tangential Responses
Impersonal Responses
Ambiguous Responses
Incongruous Responses
The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that’s the essence of inhumanity.
George Bernard

6. Communication Climate: How Communication Climates Develop
Escalatory Conflict Spirals
De-Escalatory Conflict Spirals

7. Defensiveness: Causes & Remedies
Causes: Face-Threatening Acts

8. Defensiveness: Causes & Remedies Types of Defensive Reactions
Attacking the Critic
Verbal Aggression
Sarcasm
How Critical are You?

9. Defensiveness: Causes & Remedies Types of Defensive Reactions
Distorting Critical Information
Rationalization
Compensation
Regression

10. Question:
Gregor confronts his roommate, Patrick, with a complaint, “Pat, you haven’t taken out the trash or done any dishes in weeks. It’s starting to bug me.” Patrick knows he hasn’t done much around the house but he doesn’t want Gregor to think poorly of him. He makes up an explanation and responds, “Yeah, sorry about that, but I think I’ve been coming down with something.” Patrick’s response is an example of:
a. rationalization
b. compensation
c. repression
d. regression

11. Defensiveness: Causes & Remedies Types of Defensive Reactions
Avoiding Dissonant Information
Physical Avoidance
Repression
Apathy
Displacement

12. Defensiveness: Causes & Remedies Preventing Defensiveness in Others
Evaluation Versus Description
Control Versus Problem Orientation
Strategy Versus Spontaneity
Neutrality Versus Empathy
Superiority Versus Equality
Certainty Versus Provisionalism

13. Defensiveness: Causes & Remedies Saving Face
The Clear Message Format
Behavioral Description
Interpretation
Feeling
Consequence
Intention

14. Question:
What is missing from this clear message? “The other day when you left the office door open, I thought you were being careless about our agreement. I’m frustrated because my personal belongings could be stolen from my desk.”
a. It does not describe behavior.
b. It does not describe your interpretation of the behavior.
c. It does not describe your intention.
d. Nothing is missing from this clear message.

15. Defensiveness: Causes & Remedies Responding Nondefensively to Criticism
Seek More Information
Agree with the Critic

16. Responding Nondefensively to Criticism - Seek More Information
Ask for Specifics
Guess About Specifics
Paraphrase the Speaker’s Ideas
Ask What the Critic Wants
Ask About the Consequences of Your Behavior
Ask What Else is Wrong

17. Responding Nondefensively to Criticism - Agree with the Critic
Agree with the Facts
Agree with the Critic’s Perception

18. Question: Agreeing with the critic involves:
a. Agreeing with facts that are correct, even if they portray your behavior in a negative light
b. Agreeing that the critic should try to see things your way
c. Apologizing and verbally agreeing with the critic’s evaluation of your behavior, even if you don’t really believe it yourself
d. All of the above