Ch 7 Conversation Flashcards
phatic conversation
opens the channel for communication
small talk
spontaneous conversation with another person; comes naturally to some but not to others; how conversations are initiated; lays the foundation for most of our interpersonal relationships
conversation deprivation
lack of aural communication
conversation
relatively informal social interaction in which the parties involved exchange the roles of sender and hearer collaboratively and spontaneously;
incorporates verbal and nonverbal messages
conversational rules, Steven Duck’s Serial construction of meaning model.
Steven Duck’s Serial construction of meaning model.
before we engage in conversation, we may share things in common with that person: expressed as commonality.
then establish mutuality
establish equivalence of our evaluations or shared meaning.
We create a shared world who resemble us and share our attitudes.
conversational structure
typical format for conversation;
includes greeting, topic priming, heart of conversation, preliminary processing, closing
greeting
part of structure; form of phatic conversation that enables people to interact; routine way to to begin conversation
three types of greeting (Murray)
- questions
- advertisements (introductions)
- compliments
three types of openers (Kleinke)
- cute/flippant,
- innocuous,
- direct (all rely on questions)
topic priming
part of structure; keeps channels open; previews topic of conversation;
kinds of topics usually discussed (ourselves, other person, particular situation);
we ask either open-ended or closed-ended questions
open-ended questions
gives person full freedom in expressing themselves
in Topic priming
closed-ended questions
forces respondent to choose a specific response
in Topic priming
heart of the conversation
part of structure; we find focus or goal of conversation (share new info, persuade person, offer help); how good we are at getting to this stage is related to conversational maintenance skills
preliminary processing
part of structure; flip side of topic priming; evaluate and assess conversation; we consider effects of conversations; we may decide to adjust/alter our message; we determine what we’ve learned
closing
part of structure; serves three functions (Knapp):
lets other party know conversation is nearing end,
expresses appreciation for conversation and desire to renew contact;
summarizes main topics discussed
conversational turn-taking
alternating speaking and listening cooperatively with someone else and engaging in dialogue
turn-maintaining signals
you want to keep talking; can be paralinguistic (tone of voice, pitch, inflection) or kinesic (gesture, body orientation); avoidance of eye contact
turn-yielding signals
let the other person talk; direct eye contact, drop in pitch, nod, silence
turn-requesting signals
use of vocalized filler; opening one’s mouth, leaning forward, gesturing for attention
turn-denying signals
signal reluctance to take over speaking role; avoid eye contact, shake head, keep taking notes
backchannel signals
verbalizations one uses to tell another person that one is listening; controls turn-taking
quality maxim (U.S.)
maintaining truthfulness
quantity maxim (U.S.)
neither too little nor too much talking from one person
relevancy maxim (U.S.)
not going off on tangents
manner maxim (U.S.)
diction is appropriate for audience and context
maxim of face-saving - in other cultures
avoiding contradicting, embarrassing, correcting someone
maxim of politeness - in other cultures
avoiding self-praise, focus on others instead
monologue
no interactivity; one person talks while other listens; person cares about personal conversational objectives, not others’
dialogue
involves speaking and listening; shows concern for relationship
conversational blunder
uttering of something someone else is apt to find objectionable
prejudiced talk
talk that includes comments denigrating any kind of group
interruptions
occur because of power play, control, encouragement, reinforcement
Tannen
gender differences in conversations
computer-mediated communication
uses computers as a means of linking individuals; when conversing online, we may not have full knowledge of who we are speaking with
