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msmarco_v2.1_doc_00_9468610#3_14364374
http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-communication-studies/s04-nonverbal-communication.html
Nonverbal Communication
Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication 4.1 Principles and Functions of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Principles of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Important Interpersonal and Emotional Messages Nonverbal Communication Is More Involuntary than Verbal Nonverbal Communication Is More Ambiguous Nonverbal Communication Is More Credible Functions of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Meaning Nonverbal Communication Influences Others Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversational Flow Nonverbal Communication Affects Relationships “Getting Real” Nonverbal Communication Expresses Our Identities Key Takeaways Exercises 4.2 Types of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Kinesics Gestures Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics “Getting Critical” Vocalics Proxemics Proxemic Distances Public Space (12 Feet or More) Social Space (4–12 Feet) Personal Space (1.5–4 Feet) Intimate Space Territoriality Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment “Getting Plugged In” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.3 Nonverbal Communication Competence Learning Objectives Guidelines for Sending Nonverbal Messages Understand That Nonverbal Communication Is Multichannel Understand That Nonverbal Communication Affects Our Interactions Understand How Nonverbal Communication Creates Rapport Understand How Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversations Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Listening Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Impression Management Increase Competence in Specific Channels of Nonverbal Communication Kinesics Gestures Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment Guidelines for Interpreting Nonverbal Messages There Is No Nonverbal Dictionary Recognize That Certain Nonverbal Signals Are Related Read Nonverbal Cues in Context Interpreting Cues within Specific Channels Kinesics Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Personal Presentation and Environment Detecting Deception “Getting Competent” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.4 Nonverbal Communication in Context Learning Objectives Nonverbal Communication in Relational Contexts Nonverbal Communication in Professional Contexts Nonverbal Communication and Culture Kinesics Gestures Video Clip 4.1 Head Movements Eye Contact Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Nonverbal Communication and Gender Kinesics Gestures Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Self-Presentation Key Takeaways Exercises
In terms of composition, although there are rules of grammar that structure our verbal communication, no such official guides govern our use of nonverbal signals. Likewise, there aren’t dictionaries and thesauruses of nonverbal communication like there are with verbal symbols. Finally, whereas we humans are unique in our capacity to abstract and transcend space and time using verbal symbols, we are not the only creatures that engage in nonverbal communication. Owen Hargie, Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice, 5th ed. ( London: Routledge, 2011), 49. These are just some of the characteristics that differentiate verbal communication from nonverbal, and in the remainder of this chapter we will discuss in more detail the principles, functions, and types of nonverbal communication and conclude with some guidance on how to improve our nonverbal communication competence. 4.1 Principles and Functions of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Define nonverbal communication. Compare and contrast verbal communication and nonverbal communication.
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http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-communication-studies/s04-nonverbal-communication.html
Nonverbal Communication
Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication 4.1 Principles and Functions of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Principles of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Important Interpersonal and Emotional Messages Nonverbal Communication Is More Involuntary than Verbal Nonverbal Communication Is More Ambiguous Nonverbal Communication Is More Credible Functions of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Meaning Nonverbal Communication Influences Others Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversational Flow Nonverbal Communication Affects Relationships “Getting Real” Nonverbal Communication Expresses Our Identities Key Takeaways Exercises 4.2 Types of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Kinesics Gestures Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics “Getting Critical” Vocalics Proxemics Proxemic Distances Public Space (12 Feet or More) Social Space (4–12 Feet) Personal Space (1.5–4 Feet) Intimate Space Territoriality Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment “Getting Plugged In” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.3 Nonverbal Communication Competence Learning Objectives Guidelines for Sending Nonverbal Messages Understand That Nonverbal Communication Is Multichannel Understand That Nonverbal Communication Affects Our Interactions Understand How Nonverbal Communication Creates Rapport Understand How Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversations Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Listening Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Impression Management Increase Competence in Specific Channels of Nonverbal Communication Kinesics Gestures Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment Guidelines for Interpreting Nonverbal Messages There Is No Nonverbal Dictionary Recognize That Certain Nonverbal Signals Are Related Read Nonverbal Cues in Context Interpreting Cues within Specific Channels Kinesics Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Personal Presentation and Environment Detecting Deception “Getting Competent” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.4 Nonverbal Communication in Context Learning Objectives Nonverbal Communication in Relational Contexts Nonverbal Communication in Professional Contexts Nonverbal Communication and Culture Kinesics Gestures Video Clip 4.1 Head Movements Eye Contact Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Nonverbal Communication and Gender Kinesics Gestures Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Self-Presentation Key Takeaways Exercises
London: Routledge, 2011), 49. These are just some of the characteristics that differentiate verbal communication from nonverbal, and in the remainder of this chapter we will discuss in more detail the principles, functions, and types of nonverbal communication and conclude with some guidance on how to improve our nonverbal communication competence. 4.1 Principles and Functions of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Define nonverbal communication. Compare and contrast verbal communication and nonverbal communication. Discuss the principles of nonverbal communication. Provide examples of the functions of nonverbal communication. As you’ll recall from our introductory chapter, a channel is the sensory route on which a message travels. Oral communication only relies on one channel, because spoken language is transmitted through sound and picked up by our ears. Nonverbal communication, on the other hand, can be taken in by all five of our senses.
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http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-communication-studies/s04-nonverbal-communication.html
Nonverbal Communication
Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication 4.1 Principles and Functions of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Principles of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Important Interpersonal and Emotional Messages Nonverbal Communication Is More Involuntary than Verbal Nonverbal Communication Is More Ambiguous Nonverbal Communication Is More Credible Functions of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Meaning Nonverbal Communication Influences Others Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversational Flow Nonverbal Communication Affects Relationships “Getting Real” Nonverbal Communication Expresses Our Identities Key Takeaways Exercises 4.2 Types of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Kinesics Gestures Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics “Getting Critical” Vocalics Proxemics Proxemic Distances Public Space (12 Feet or More) Social Space (4–12 Feet) Personal Space (1.5–4 Feet) Intimate Space Territoriality Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment “Getting Plugged In” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.3 Nonverbal Communication Competence Learning Objectives Guidelines for Sending Nonverbal Messages Understand That Nonverbal Communication Is Multichannel Understand That Nonverbal Communication Affects Our Interactions Understand How Nonverbal Communication Creates Rapport Understand How Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversations Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Listening Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Impression Management Increase Competence in Specific Channels of Nonverbal Communication Kinesics Gestures Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment Guidelines for Interpreting Nonverbal Messages There Is No Nonverbal Dictionary Recognize That Certain Nonverbal Signals Are Related Read Nonverbal Cues in Context Interpreting Cues within Specific Channels Kinesics Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Personal Presentation and Environment Detecting Deception “Getting Competent” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.4 Nonverbal Communication in Context Learning Objectives Nonverbal Communication in Relational Contexts Nonverbal Communication in Professional Contexts Nonverbal Communication and Culture Kinesics Gestures Video Clip 4.1 Head Movements Eye Contact Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Nonverbal Communication and Gender Kinesics Gestures Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Self-Presentation Key Takeaways Exercises
Discuss the principles of nonverbal communication. Provide examples of the functions of nonverbal communication. As you’ll recall from our introductory chapter, a channel is the sensory route on which a message travels. Oral communication only relies on one channel, because spoken language is transmitted through sound and picked up by our ears. Nonverbal communication, on the other hand, can be taken in by all five of our senses. Since most of our communication relies on visual and auditory channels, those will be the focus of this chapter. But we can also receive messages and generate meaning through touch, taste, and smell. Touch is an especially powerful form of nonverbal communication that we will discuss in this chapter, but we will not get into taste and smell, which have not received as much scholarly attention in relation to nonverbal communication as the other senses. To further define nonverbal communication, we need to distinguish between vocal and verbal aspects of communication. Verbal and nonverbal communication include both vocal and nonvocal elements, and Table 4.1 "Vocal and Nonvocal Elements of Communication" shows the relationship among vocal, nonvocal, verbal, and nonverbal aspects of communication.
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http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-communication-studies/s04-nonverbal-communication.html
Nonverbal Communication
Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication 4.1 Principles and Functions of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Principles of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Important Interpersonal and Emotional Messages Nonverbal Communication Is More Involuntary than Verbal Nonverbal Communication Is More Ambiguous Nonverbal Communication Is More Credible Functions of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Meaning Nonverbal Communication Influences Others Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversational Flow Nonverbal Communication Affects Relationships “Getting Real” Nonverbal Communication Expresses Our Identities Key Takeaways Exercises 4.2 Types of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Kinesics Gestures Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics “Getting Critical” Vocalics Proxemics Proxemic Distances Public Space (12 Feet or More) Social Space (4–12 Feet) Personal Space (1.5–4 Feet) Intimate Space Territoriality Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment “Getting Plugged In” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.3 Nonverbal Communication Competence Learning Objectives Guidelines for Sending Nonverbal Messages Understand That Nonverbal Communication Is Multichannel Understand That Nonverbal Communication Affects Our Interactions Understand How Nonverbal Communication Creates Rapport Understand How Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversations Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Listening Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Impression Management Increase Competence in Specific Channels of Nonverbal Communication Kinesics Gestures Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment Guidelines for Interpreting Nonverbal Messages There Is No Nonverbal Dictionary Recognize That Certain Nonverbal Signals Are Related Read Nonverbal Cues in Context Interpreting Cues within Specific Channels Kinesics Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Personal Presentation and Environment Detecting Deception “Getting Competent” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.4 Nonverbal Communication in Context Learning Objectives Nonverbal Communication in Relational Contexts Nonverbal Communication in Professional Contexts Nonverbal Communication and Culture Kinesics Gestures Video Clip 4.1 Head Movements Eye Contact Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Nonverbal Communication and Gender Kinesics Gestures Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Self-Presentation Key Takeaways Exercises
Since most of our communication relies on visual and auditory channels, those will be the focus of this chapter. But we can also receive messages and generate meaning through touch, taste, and smell. Touch is an especially powerful form of nonverbal communication that we will discuss in this chapter, but we will not get into taste and smell, which have not received as much scholarly attention in relation to nonverbal communication as the other senses. To further define nonverbal communication, we need to distinguish between vocal and verbal aspects of communication. Verbal and nonverbal communication include both vocal and nonvocal elements, and Table 4.1 "Vocal and Nonvocal Elements of Communication" shows the relationship among vocal, nonvocal, verbal, and nonverbal aspects of communication. A vocal element of verbal communication is spoken words—for example, “Come back here.” A vocal element of nonverbal communication is paralanguage The vocalized but not verbal part of a spoken message, such as speaking rate, volume, and pitch. , which is the vocalized but not verbal part of a spoken message, such as speaking rate, volume, and pitch. Nonvocal elements of verbal communication include the use of unspoken symbols to convey meaning. Writing and American Sign Language (ASL) are nonvocal examples of verbal communication and are not considered nonverbal communication.
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http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-communication-studies/s04-nonverbal-communication.html
Nonverbal Communication
Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication 4.1 Principles and Functions of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Principles of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Important Interpersonal and Emotional Messages Nonverbal Communication Is More Involuntary than Verbal Nonverbal Communication Is More Ambiguous Nonverbal Communication Is More Credible Functions of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Meaning Nonverbal Communication Influences Others Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversational Flow Nonverbal Communication Affects Relationships “Getting Real” Nonverbal Communication Expresses Our Identities Key Takeaways Exercises 4.2 Types of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Kinesics Gestures Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics “Getting Critical” Vocalics Proxemics Proxemic Distances Public Space (12 Feet or More) Social Space (4–12 Feet) Personal Space (1.5–4 Feet) Intimate Space Territoriality Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment “Getting Plugged In” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.3 Nonverbal Communication Competence Learning Objectives Guidelines for Sending Nonverbal Messages Understand That Nonverbal Communication Is Multichannel Understand That Nonverbal Communication Affects Our Interactions Understand How Nonverbal Communication Creates Rapport Understand How Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversations Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Listening Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Impression Management Increase Competence in Specific Channels of Nonverbal Communication Kinesics Gestures Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment Guidelines for Interpreting Nonverbal Messages There Is No Nonverbal Dictionary Recognize That Certain Nonverbal Signals Are Related Read Nonverbal Cues in Context Interpreting Cues within Specific Channels Kinesics Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Personal Presentation and Environment Detecting Deception “Getting Competent” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.4 Nonverbal Communication in Context Learning Objectives Nonverbal Communication in Relational Contexts Nonverbal Communication in Professional Contexts Nonverbal Communication and Culture Kinesics Gestures Video Clip 4.1 Head Movements Eye Contact Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Nonverbal Communication and Gender Kinesics Gestures Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Self-Presentation Key Takeaways Exercises
A vocal element of verbal communication is spoken words—for example, “Come back here.” A vocal element of nonverbal communication is paralanguage The vocalized but not verbal part of a spoken message, such as speaking rate, volume, and pitch. , which is the vocalized but not verbal part of a spoken message, such as speaking rate, volume, and pitch. Nonvocal elements of verbal communication include the use of unspoken symbols to convey meaning. Writing and American Sign Language (ASL) are nonvocal examples of verbal communication and are not considered nonverbal communication. Nonvocal elements of nonverbal communication include body language such as gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact. Gestures are nonvocal and nonverbal since most of them do not refer to a specific word like a written or signed symbol does. Table 4.1 Vocal and Nonvocal Elements of Communication Verbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Vocal Spoken words Paralanguage (pitch, volume, speaking rate, etc.) Nonvocal Writing, sign language Body language (gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, etc.) Source:
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http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-communication-studies/s04-nonverbal-communication.html
Nonverbal Communication
Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication 4.1 Principles and Functions of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Principles of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Important Interpersonal and Emotional Messages Nonverbal Communication Is More Involuntary than Verbal Nonverbal Communication Is More Ambiguous Nonverbal Communication Is More Credible Functions of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Meaning Nonverbal Communication Influences Others Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversational Flow Nonverbal Communication Affects Relationships “Getting Real” Nonverbal Communication Expresses Our Identities Key Takeaways Exercises 4.2 Types of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Kinesics Gestures Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics “Getting Critical” Vocalics Proxemics Proxemic Distances Public Space (12 Feet or More) Social Space (4–12 Feet) Personal Space (1.5–4 Feet) Intimate Space Territoriality Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment “Getting Plugged In” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.3 Nonverbal Communication Competence Learning Objectives Guidelines for Sending Nonverbal Messages Understand That Nonverbal Communication Is Multichannel Understand That Nonverbal Communication Affects Our Interactions Understand How Nonverbal Communication Creates Rapport Understand How Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversations Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Listening Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Impression Management Increase Competence in Specific Channels of Nonverbal Communication Kinesics Gestures Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment Guidelines for Interpreting Nonverbal Messages There Is No Nonverbal Dictionary Recognize That Certain Nonverbal Signals Are Related Read Nonverbal Cues in Context Interpreting Cues within Specific Channels Kinesics Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Personal Presentation and Environment Detecting Deception “Getting Competent” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.4 Nonverbal Communication in Context Learning Objectives Nonverbal Communication in Relational Contexts Nonverbal Communication in Professional Contexts Nonverbal Communication and Culture Kinesics Gestures Video Clip 4.1 Head Movements Eye Contact Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Nonverbal Communication and Gender Kinesics Gestures Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Self-Presentation Key Takeaways Exercises
Nonvocal elements of nonverbal communication include body language such as gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact. Gestures are nonvocal and nonverbal since most of them do not refer to a specific word like a written or signed symbol does. Table 4.1 Vocal and Nonvocal Elements of Communication Verbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Vocal Spoken words Paralanguage (pitch, volume, speaking rate, etc.) Nonvocal Writing, sign language Body language (gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, etc.) Source: Adapted from Owen Hargie, Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice (London: Routledge, 2011), 45. Principles of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal communication has a distinct history and serves separate evolutionary functions from verbal communication. For example, nonverbal communication is primarily biologically based while verbal communication is primarily culturally based.
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Nonverbal Communication
Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication 4.1 Principles and Functions of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Principles of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Important Interpersonal and Emotional Messages Nonverbal Communication Is More Involuntary than Verbal Nonverbal Communication Is More Ambiguous Nonverbal Communication Is More Credible Functions of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Meaning Nonverbal Communication Influences Others Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversational Flow Nonverbal Communication Affects Relationships “Getting Real” Nonverbal Communication Expresses Our Identities Key Takeaways Exercises 4.2 Types of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Kinesics Gestures Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics “Getting Critical” Vocalics Proxemics Proxemic Distances Public Space (12 Feet or More) Social Space (4–12 Feet) Personal Space (1.5–4 Feet) Intimate Space Territoriality Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment “Getting Plugged In” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.3 Nonverbal Communication Competence Learning Objectives Guidelines for Sending Nonverbal Messages Understand That Nonverbal Communication Is Multichannel Understand That Nonverbal Communication Affects Our Interactions Understand How Nonverbal Communication Creates Rapport Understand How Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversations Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Listening Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Impression Management Increase Competence in Specific Channels of Nonverbal Communication Kinesics Gestures Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment Guidelines for Interpreting Nonverbal Messages There Is No Nonverbal Dictionary Recognize That Certain Nonverbal Signals Are Related Read Nonverbal Cues in Context Interpreting Cues within Specific Channels Kinesics Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Personal Presentation and Environment Detecting Deception “Getting Competent” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.4 Nonverbal Communication in Context Learning Objectives Nonverbal Communication in Relational Contexts Nonverbal Communication in Professional Contexts Nonverbal Communication and Culture Kinesics Gestures Video Clip 4.1 Head Movements Eye Contact Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Nonverbal Communication and Gender Kinesics Gestures Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Self-Presentation Key Takeaways Exercises
Adapted from Owen Hargie, Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice (London: Routledge, 2011), 45. Principles of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal communication has a distinct history and serves separate evolutionary functions from verbal communication. For example, nonverbal communication is primarily biologically based while verbal communication is primarily culturally based. This is evidenced by the fact that some nonverbal communication has the same meaning across cultures while no verbal communication systems share that same universal recognizability. Peter A. Andersen, Nonverbal Communication: Forms and Functions (Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 1999), 17. Nonverbal communication also evolved earlier than verbal communication and served an early and important survival function that helped humans later develop verbal communication.
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Nonverbal Communication
Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication 4.1 Principles and Functions of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Principles of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Important Interpersonal and Emotional Messages Nonverbal Communication Is More Involuntary than Verbal Nonverbal Communication Is More Ambiguous Nonverbal Communication Is More Credible Functions of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Meaning Nonverbal Communication Influences Others Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversational Flow Nonverbal Communication Affects Relationships “Getting Real” Nonverbal Communication Expresses Our Identities Key Takeaways Exercises 4.2 Types of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Kinesics Gestures Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics “Getting Critical” Vocalics Proxemics Proxemic Distances Public Space (12 Feet or More) Social Space (4–12 Feet) Personal Space (1.5–4 Feet) Intimate Space Territoriality Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment “Getting Plugged In” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.3 Nonverbal Communication Competence Learning Objectives Guidelines for Sending Nonverbal Messages Understand That Nonverbal Communication Is Multichannel Understand That Nonverbal Communication Affects Our Interactions Understand How Nonverbal Communication Creates Rapport Understand How Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversations Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Listening Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Impression Management Increase Competence in Specific Channels of Nonverbal Communication Kinesics Gestures Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment Guidelines for Interpreting Nonverbal Messages There Is No Nonverbal Dictionary Recognize That Certain Nonverbal Signals Are Related Read Nonverbal Cues in Context Interpreting Cues within Specific Channels Kinesics Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Personal Presentation and Environment Detecting Deception “Getting Competent” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.4 Nonverbal Communication in Context Learning Objectives Nonverbal Communication in Relational Contexts Nonverbal Communication in Professional Contexts Nonverbal Communication and Culture Kinesics Gestures Video Clip 4.1 Head Movements Eye Contact Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Nonverbal Communication and Gender Kinesics Gestures Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Self-Presentation Key Takeaways Exercises
This is evidenced by the fact that some nonverbal communication has the same meaning across cultures while no verbal communication systems share that same universal recognizability. Peter A. Andersen, Nonverbal Communication: Forms and Functions (Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 1999), 17. Nonverbal communication also evolved earlier than verbal communication and served an early and important survival function that helped humans later develop verbal communication. While some of our nonverbal communication abilities, like our sense of smell, lost strength as our verbal capacities increased, other abilities like paralanguage and movement have grown alongside verbal complexity. The fact that nonverbal communication is processed by an older part of our brain makes it more instinctual and involuntary than verbal communication. Nonverbal Communication Conveys Important Interpersonal and Emotional Messages You’ve probably heard that more meaning is generated from nonverbal communication than from verbal. Some studies have claimed that 90 percent of our meaning is derived from nonverbal signals, but more recent and reliable findings claim that it is closer to 65 percent. Laura K. Guerrero and Kory Floyd, Nonverbal Communication in Close Relationships (Mahwah, NJ:
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Nonverbal Communication
Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication 4.1 Principles and Functions of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Principles of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Important Interpersonal and Emotional Messages Nonverbal Communication Is More Involuntary than Verbal Nonverbal Communication Is More Ambiguous Nonverbal Communication Is More Credible Functions of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Meaning Nonverbal Communication Influences Others Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversational Flow Nonverbal Communication Affects Relationships “Getting Real” Nonverbal Communication Expresses Our Identities Key Takeaways Exercises 4.2 Types of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Kinesics Gestures Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics “Getting Critical” Vocalics Proxemics Proxemic Distances Public Space (12 Feet or More) Social Space (4–12 Feet) Personal Space (1.5–4 Feet) Intimate Space Territoriality Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment “Getting Plugged In” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.3 Nonverbal Communication Competence Learning Objectives Guidelines for Sending Nonverbal Messages Understand That Nonverbal Communication Is Multichannel Understand That Nonverbal Communication Affects Our Interactions Understand How Nonverbal Communication Creates Rapport Understand How Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversations Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Listening Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Impression Management Increase Competence in Specific Channels of Nonverbal Communication Kinesics Gestures Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment Guidelines for Interpreting Nonverbal Messages There Is No Nonverbal Dictionary Recognize That Certain Nonverbal Signals Are Related Read Nonverbal Cues in Context Interpreting Cues within Specific Channels Kinesics Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Personal Presentation and Environment Detecting Deception “Getting Competent” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.4 Nonverbal Communication in Context Learning Objectives Nonverbal Communication in Relational Contexts Nonverbal Communication in Professional Contexts Nonverbal Communication and Culture Kinesics Gestures Video Clip 4.1 Head Movements Eye Contact Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Nonverbal Communication and Gender Kinesics Gestures Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Self-Presentation Key Takeaways Exercises
While some of our nonverbal communication abilities, like our sense of smell, lost strength as our verbal capacities increased, other abilities like paralanguage and movement have grown alongside verbal complexity. The fact that nonverbal communication is processed by an older part of our brain makes it more instinctual and involuntary than verbal communication. Nonverbal Communication Conveys Important Interpersonal and Emotional Messages You’ve probably heard that more meaning is generated from nonverbal communication than from verbal. Some studies have claimed that 90 percent of our meaning is derived from nonverbal signals, but more recent and reliable findings claim that it is closer to 65 percent. Laura K. Guerrero and Kory Floyd, Nonverbal Communication in Close Relationships (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2006): 2. We may rely more on nonverbal signals in situations where verbal and nonverbal messages conflict and in situations where emotional or relational communication is taking place. Owen Hargie, Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice, 5th ed. (
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Nonverbal Communication
Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication 4.1 Principles and Functions of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Principles of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Important Interpersonal and Emotional Messages Nonverbal Communication Is More Involuntary than Verbal Nonverbal Communication Is More Ambiguous Nonverbal Communication Is More Credible Functions of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Meaning Nonverbal Communication Influences Others Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversational Flow Nonverbal Communication Affects Relationships “Getting Real” Nonverbal Communication Expresses Our Identities Key Takeaways Exercises 4.2 Types of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Kinesics Gestures Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics “Getting Critical” Vocalics Proxemics Proxemic Distances Public Space (12 Feet or More) Social Space (4–12 Feet) Personal Space (1.5–4 Feet) Intimate Space Territoriality Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment “Getting Plugged In” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.3 Nonverbal Communication Competence Learning Objectives Guidelines for Sending Nonverbal Messages Understand That Nonverbal Communication Is Multichannel Understand That Nonverbal Communication Affects Our Interactions Understand How Nonverbal Communication Creates Rapport Understand How Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversations Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Listening Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Impression Management Increase Competence in Specific Channels of Nonverbal Communication Kinesics Gestures Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment Guidelines for Interpreting Nonverbal Messages There Is No Nonverbal Dictionary Recognize That Certain Nonverbal Signals Are Related Read Nonverbal Cues in Context Interpreting Cues within Specific Channels Kinesics Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Personal Presentation and Environment Detecting Deception “Getting Competent” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.4 Nonverbal Communication in Context Learning Objectives Nonverbal Communication in Relational Contexts Nonverbal Communication in Professional Contexts Nonverbal Communication and Culture Kinesics Gestures Video Clip 4.1 Head Movements Eye Contact Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Nonverbal Communication and Gender Kinesics Gestures Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Self-Presentation Key Takeaways Exercises
Lawrence Erlbaum, 2006): 2. We may rely more on nonverbal signals in situations where verbal and nonverbal messages conflict and in situations where emotional or relational communication is taking place. Owen Hargie, Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice, 5th ed. ( London: Routledge, 2011), 47. For example, when someone asks a question and we’re not sure about the “angle” they are taking, we may hone in on nonverbal cues to fill in the meaning. For example, the question “What are you doing tonight?” could mean any number of things, but we could rely on posture, tone of voice, and eye contact to see if the person is just curious, suspicious, or hinting that they would like company for the evening.
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Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication 4.1 Principles and Functions of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Principles of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Important Interpersonal and Emotional Messages Nonverbal Communication Is More Involuntary than Verbal Nonverbal Communication Is More Ambiguous Nonverbal Communication Is More Credible Functions of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Meaning Nonverbal Communication Influences Others Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversational Flow Nonverbal Communication Affects Relationships “Getting Real” Nonverbal Communication Expresses Our Identities Key Takeaways Exercises 4.2 Types of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Kinesics Gestures Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics “Getting Critical” Vocalics Proxemics Proxemic Distances Public Space (12 Feet or More) Social Space (4–12 Feet) Personal Space (1.5–4 Feet) Intimate Space Territoriality Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment “Getting Plugged In” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.3 Nonverbal Communication Competence Learning Objectives Guidelines for Sending Nonverbal Messages Understand That Nonverbal Communication Is Multichannel Understand That Nonverbal Communication Affects Our Interactions Understand How Nonverbal Communication Creates Rapport Understand How Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversations Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Listening Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Impression Management Increase Competence in Specific Channels of Nonverbal Communication Kinesics Gestures Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment Guidelines for Interpreting Nonverbal Messages There Is No Nonverbal Dictionary Recognize That Certain Nonverbal Signals Are Related Read Nonverbal Cues in Context Interpreting Cues within Specific Channels Kinesics Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Personal Presentation and Environment Detecting Deception “Getting Competent” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.4 Nonverbal Communication in Context Learning Objectives Nonverbal Communication in Relational Contexts Nonverbal Communication in Professional Contexts Nonverbal Communication and Culture Kinesics Gestures Video Clip 4.1 Head Movements Eye Contact Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Nonverbal Communication and Gender Kinesics Gestures Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Self-Presentation Key Takeaways Exercises
London: Routledge, 2011), 47. For example, when someone asks a question and we’re not sure about the “angle” they are taking, we may hone in on nonverbal cues to fill in the meaning. For example, the question “What are you doing tonight?” could mean any number of things, but we could rely on posture, tone of voice, and eye contact to see if the person is just curious, suspicious, or hinting that they would like company for the evening. We also put more weight on nonverbal communication when determining a person’s credibility. For example, if a classmate delivers a speech in class and her verbal content seems well-researched and unbiased, but her nonverbal communication is poor (her voice is monotone, she avoids eye contact, she fidgets), she will likely not be viewed as credible. Conversely, in some situations, verbal communication might carry more meaning than nonverbal. In interactions where information exchange is the focus, at a briefing at work, for example, verbal communication likely accounts for much more of the meaning generated. Despite this exception, a key principle of nonverbal communication is that it often takes on more meaning in interpersonal and/or emotional exchanges.
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Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication 4.1 Principles and Functions of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Principles of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Important Interpersonal and Emotional Messages Nonverbal Communication Is More Involuntary than Verbal Nonverbal Communication Is More Ambiguous Nonverbal Communication Is More Credible Functions of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Meaning Nonverbal Communication Influences Others Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversational Flow Nonverbal Communication Affects Relationships “Getting Real” Nonverbal Communication Expresses Our Identities Key Takeaways Exercises 4.2 Types of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Kinesics Gestures Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics “Getting Critical” Vocalics Proxemics Proxemic Distances Public Space (12 Feet or More) Social Space (4–12 Feet) Personal Space (1.5–4 Feet) Intimate Space Territoriality Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment “Getting Plugged In” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.3 Nonverbal Communication Competence Learning Objectives Guidelines for Sending Nonverbal Messages Understand That Nonverbal Communication Is Multichannel Understand That Nonverbal Communication Affects Our Interactions Understand How Nonverbal Communication Creates Rapport Understand How Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversations Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Listening Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Impression Management Increase Competence in Specific Channels of Nonverbal Communication Kinesics Gestures Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment Guidelines for Interpreting Nonverbal Messages There Is No Nonverbal Dictionary Recognize That Certain Nonverbal Signals Are Related Read Nonverbal Cues in Context Interpreting Cues within Specific Channels Kinesics Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Personal Presentation and Environment Detecting Deception “Getting Competent” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.4 Nonverbal Communication in Context Learning Objectives Nonverbal Communication in Relational Contexts Nonverbal Communication in Professional Contexts Nonverbal Communication and Culture Kinesics Gestures Video Clip 4.1 Head Movements Eye Contact Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Nonverbal Communication and Gender Kinesics Gestures Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Self-Presentation Key Takeaways Exercises
We also put more weight on nonverbal communication when determining a person’s credibility. For example, if a classmate delivers a speech in class and her verbal content seems well-researched and unbiased, but her nonverbal communication is poor (her voice is monotone, she avoids eye contact, she fidgets), she will likely not be viewed as credible. Conversely, in some situations, verbal communication might carry more meaning than nonverbal. In interactions where information exchange is the focus, at a briefing at work, for example, verbal communication likely accounts for much more of the meaning generated. Despite this exception, a key principle of nonverbal communication is that it often takes on more meaning in interpersonal and/or emotional exchanges. About 65 percent of the meaning we derive during interactions comes from nonverbal communication. © Thinkstock Nonverbal Communication Is More Involuntary than Verbal There are some instances in which we verbally communicate involuntarily. These types of exclamations are often verbal responses to a surprising stimulus. For example, we say “owww!” when we stub our toe or scream “stop!”
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Nonverbal Communication
Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication 4.1 Principles and Functions of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Principles of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Important Interpersonal and Emotional Messages Nonverbal Communication Is More Involuntary than Verbal Nonverbal Communication Is More Ambiguous Nonverbal Communication Is More Credible Functions of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Meaning Nonverbal Communication Influences Others Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversational Flow Nonverbal Communication Affects Relationships “Getting Real” Nonverbal Communication Expresses Our Identities Key Takeaways Exercises 4.2 Types of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Kinesics Gestures Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics “Getting Critical” Vocalics Proxemics Proxemic Distances Public Space (12 Feet or More) Social Space (4–12 Feet) Personal Space (1.5–4 Feet) Intimate Space Territoriality Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment “Getting Plugged In” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.3 Nonverbal Communication Competence Learning Objectives Guidelines for Sending Nonverbal Messages Understand That Nonverbal Communication Is Multichannel Understand That Nonverbal Communication Affects Our Interactions Understand How Nonverbal Communication Creates Rapport Understand How Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversations Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Listening Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Impression Management Increase Competence in Specific Channels of Nonverbal Communication Kinesics Gestures Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment Guidelines for Interpreting Nonverbal Messages There Is No Nonverbal Dictionary Recognize That Certain Nonverbal Signals Are Related Read Nonverbal Cues in Context Interpreting Cues within Specific Channels Kinesics Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Personal Presentation and Environment Detecting Deception “Getting Competent” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.4 Nonverbal Communication in Context Learning Objectives Nonverbal Communication in Relational Contexts Nonverbal Communication in Professional Contexts Nonverbal Communication and Culture Kinesics Gestures Video Clip 4.1 Head Movements Eye Contact Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Nonverbal Communication and Gender Kinesics Gestures Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Self-Presentation Key Takeaways Exercises
About 65 percent of the meaning we derive during interactions comes from nonverbal communication. © Thinkstock Nonverbal Communication Is More Involuntary than Verbal There are some instances in which we verbally communicate involuntarily. These types of exclamations are often verbal responses to a surprising stimulus. For example, we say “owww!” when we stub our toe or scream “stop!” when we see someone heading toward danger. Involuntary nonverbal signals are much more common, and although most nonverbal communication isn’t completely involuntary, it is more below our consciousness than verbal communication and therefore more difficult to control. The involuntary nature of much nonverbal communication makes it more difficult to control or “fake.” For example, although you can consciously smile a little and shake hands with someone when you first see them, it’s difficult to fake that you’re “happy” to meet someone. Nonverbal communication leaks out in ways that expose our underlying thoughts or feelings.
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Nonverbal Communication
Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication 4.1 Principles and Functions of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Principles of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Important Interpersonal and Emotional Messages Nonverbal Communication Is More Involuntary than Verbal Nonverbal Communication Is More Ambiguous Nonverbal Communication Is More Credible Functions of Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Conveys Meaning Nonverbal Communication Influences Others Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversational Flow Nonverbal Communication Affects Relationships “Getting Real” Nonverbal Communication Expresses Our Identities Key Takeaways Exercises 4.2 Types of Nonverbal Communication Learning Objectives Kinesics Gestures Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics “Getting Critical” Vocalics Proxemics Proxemic Distances Public Space (12 Feet or More) Social Space (4–12 Feet) Personal Space (1.5–4 Feet) Intimate Space Territoriality Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment “Getting Plugged In” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.3 Nonverbal Communication Competence Learning Objectives Guidelines for Sending Nonverbal Messages Understand That Nonverbal Communication Is Multichannel Understand That Nonverbal Communication Affects Our Interactions Understand How Nonverbal Communication Creates Rapport Understand How Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversations Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Listening Understand How Nonverbal Communication Relates to Impression Management Increase Competence in Specific Channels of Nonverbal Communication Kinesics Gestures Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Personal Presentation and Environment Guidelines for Interpreting Nonverbal Messages There Is No Nonverbal Dictionary Recognize That Certain Nonverbal Signals Are Related Read Nonverbal Cues in Context Interpreting Cues within Specific Channels Kinesics Head Movements and Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Personal Presentation and Environment Detecting Deception “Getting Competent” Key Takeaways Exercises 4.4 Nonverbal Communication in Context Learning Objectives Nonverbal Communication in Relational Contexts Nonverbal Communication in Professional Contexts Nonverbal Communication and Culture Kinesics Gestures Video Clip 4.1 Head Movements Eye Contact Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Chronemics Nonverbal Communication and Gender Kinesics Gestures Posture Eye Contact Facial Expressions Haptics Vocalics Proxemics Self-Presentation Key Takeaways Exercises
when we see someone heading toward danger. Involuntary nonverbal signals are much more common, and although most nonverbal communication isn’t completely involuntary, it is more below our consciousness than verbal communication and therefore more difficult to control. The involuntary nature of much nonverbal communication makes it more difficult to control or “fake.” For example, although you can consciously smile a little and shake hands with someone when you first see them, it’s difficult to fake that you’re “happy” to meet someone. Nonverbal communication leaks out in ways that expose our underlying thoughts or feelings. Spokespeople, lawyers, or other public representatives who are the “face” of a politician, celebrity, corporation, or organization must learn to control their facial expressions and other nonverbal communication so they can effectively convey the message of their employer or client without having their personal thoughts and feelings leak through. Poker players, therapists, police officers, doctors, teachers, and actors are also in professions that often require them to have more awareness of and control over their nonverbal communication. Have you ever tried to conceal your surprise, suppress your anger, or act joyful even when you
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Listening
Chapter 5 Listening Chapter 5 Listening 5.1 Understanding How and Why We Listen Learning Objectives The Listening Process Receiving Interpreting Recalling Evaluating Responding The Importance of Listening Listening Types Discriminative Listening Informational Listening Critical Listening Empathetic Listening Listening Styles People-Oriented Listeners Action-Oriented Listeners Content-Oriented Listeners Time-Oriented Listeners Key Takeaways Exercises 5.2 Barriers to Effective Listening Learning Objectives Environmental and Physical Barriers to Listening Cognitive and Personal Barriers to Listening Difference between Speech and Thought Rate “Getting Plugged In” Lack of Listening Preparation Bad Messages and/or Speakers Prejudice Bad Listening Practices Interrupting Distorted Listening Eavesdropping Aggressive Listening Narcissistic Listening Pseudo-listening Key Takeaways Exercises 5.3 Improving Listening Competence Learning Objectives Listening Competence at Each Stage of the Listening Process Active Listening Active Listening Can Help Overcome Barriers to Effective Listening Active Listening Behaviors “Getting Competent” Becoming a Better Critical Listener Other Tips to Help You Become a Better Critical Listener “Getting Critical” Becoming a Better Empathetic Listener Becoming a Better Contextual Listener Listening in Professional Contexts “Getting Real” Listening in Relational Contexts Listening and Culture Listening and Gender Key Takeaways Exercises 5.4 Listenable Messages and Effective Feedback Learning Objectives Creating Listenable Messages Giving Formal Feedback to Others When Giving Feedback to Others Giving Formal Feedback to Yourself When Giving Feedback to Yourself Key Takeaways Exercises
Listening Chapter 5 Listening In our sender-oriented society, listening is often overlooked as an important part of the communication process. Yet research shows that adults spend about 45 percent of their time listening, which is more than any other communicative activity. In some contexts, we spend even more time listening than that. On average, workers spend 55 percent of their workday listening, and managers spend about 63 percent of their day listening. Owen Hargie, Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice (London: Routledge, 2011), 177. Listening is a primary means through which we learn new information, which can help us meet instrumental needs as we learn things that helps us complete certain tasks at work or school and get things done in general. The act of listening to our relational partners provides support, which is an important part of relational maintenance and helps us meet our relational needs. Listening to what others say about us helps us develop an accurate self-concept, which can help us more strategically communicate for identity needs in order to project to others our desired self.
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Chapter 5 Listening Chapter 5 Listening 5.1 Understanding How and Why We Listen Learning Objectives The Listening Process Receiving Interpreting Recalling Evaluating Responding The Importance of Listening Listening Types Discriminative Listening Informational Listening Critical Listening Empathetic Listening Listening Styles People-Oriented Listeners Action-Oriented Listeners Content-Oriented Listeners Time-Oriented Listeners Key Takeaways Exercises 5.2 Barriers to Effective Listening Learning Objectives Environmental and Physical Barriers to Listening Cognitive and Personal Barriers to Listening Difference between Speech and Thought Rate “Getting Plugged In” Lack of Listening Preparation Bad Messages and/or Speakers Prejudice Bad Listening Practices Interrupting Distorted Listening Eavesdropping Aggressive Listening Narcissistic Listening Pseudo-listening Key Takeaways Exercises 5.3 Improving Listening Competence Learning Objectives Listening Competence at Each Stage of the Listening Process Active Listening Active Listening Can Help Overcome Barriers to Effective Listening Active Listening Behaviors “Getting Competent” Becoming a Better Critical Listener Other Tips to Help You Become a Better Critical Listener “Getting Critical” Becoming a Better Empathetic Listener Becoming a Better Contextual Listener Listening in Professional Contexts “Getting Real” Listening in Relational Contexts Listening and Culture Listening and Gender Key Takeaways Exercises 5.4 Listenable Messages and Effective Feedback Learning Objectives Creating Listenable Messages Giving Formal Feedback to Others When Giving Feedback to Others Giving Formal Feedback to Yourself When Giving Feedback to Yourself Key Takeaways Exercises
Research, Theory, and Practice (London: Routledge, 2011), 177. Listening is a primary means through which we learn new information, which can help us meet instrumental needs as we learn things that helps us complete certain tasks at work or school and get things done in general. The act of listening to our relational partners provides support, which is an important part of relational maintenance and helps us meet our relational needs. Listening to what others say about us helps us develop an accurate self-concept, which can help us more strategically communicate for identity needs in order to project to others our desired self. Overall, improving our listening skills can help us be better students, better relational partners, and more successful professionals. 5.1 Understanding How and Why We Listen Learning Objectives Describe the stages of the listening process. Discuss the four main types of listening. Compare and contrast the four main listening styles. Listening The learned process of receiving, interpreting, recalling, evaluating, and responding to verbal and nonverbal messages.
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Listening
Chapter 5 Listening Chapter 5 Listening 5.1 Understanding How and Why We Listen Learning Objectives The Listening Process Receiving Interpreting Recalling Evaluating Responding The Importance of Listening Listening Types Discriminative Listening Informational Listening Critical Listening Empathetic Listening Listening Styles People-Oriented Listeners Action-Oriented Listeners Content-Oriented Listeners Time-Oriented Listeners Key Takeaways Exercises 5.2 Barriers to Effective Listening Learning Objectives Environmental and Physical Barriers to Listening Cognitive and Personal Barriers to Listening Difference between Speech and Thought Rate “Getting Plugged In” Lack of Listening Preparation Bad Messages and/or Speakers Prejudice Bad Listening Practices Interrupting Distorted Listening Eavesdropping Aggressive Listening Narcissistic Listening Pseudo-listening Key Takeaways Exercises 5.3 Improving Listening Competence Learning Objectives Listening Competence at Each Stage of the Listening Process Active Listening Active Listening Can Help Overcome Barriers to Effective Listening Active Listening Behaviors “Getting Competent” Becoming a Better Critical Listener Other Tips to Help You Become a Better Critical Listener “Getting Critical” Becoming a Better Empathetic Listener Becoming a Better Contextual Listener Listening in Professional Contexts “Getting Real” Listening in Relational Contexts Listening and Culture Listening and Gender Key Takeaways Exercises 5.4 Listenable Messages and Effective Feedback Learning Objectives Creating Listenable Messages Giving Formal Feedback to Others When Giving Feedback to Others Giving Formal Feedback to Yourself When Giving Feedback to Yourself Key Takeaways Exercises
Overall, improving our listening skills can help us be better students, better relational partners, and more successful professionals. 5.1 Understanding How and Why We Listen Learning Objectives Describe the stages of the listening process. Discuss the four main types of listening. Compare and contrast the four main listening styles. Listening The learned process of receiving, interpreting, recalling, evaluating, and responding to verbal and nonverbal messages. is the learned process of receiving, interpreting, recalling, evaluating, and responding to verbal and nonverbal messages. We begin to engage with the listening process long before we engage in any recognizable verbal or nonverbal communication. It is only after listening for months as infants that we begin to consciously practice our own forms of expression. In this section we will learn more about each stage of the listening process, the main types of listening, and the main listening styles. The Listening Process Listening is a process and as such doesn’t have a defined start and finish.
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Listening
Chapter 5 Listening Chapter 5 Listening 5.1 Understanding How and Why We Listen Learning Objectives The Listening Process Receiving Interpreting Recalling Evaluating Responding The Importance of Listening Listening Types Discriminative Listening Informational Listening Critical Listening Empathetic Listening Listening Styles People-Oriented Listeners Action-Oriented Listeners Content-Oriented Listeners Time-Oriented Listeners Key Takeaways Exercises 5.2 Barriers to Effective Listening Learning Objectives Environmental and Physical Barriers to Listening Cognitive and Personal Barriers to Listening Difference between Speech and Thought Rate “Getting Plugged In” Lack of Listening Preparation Bad Messages and/or Speakers Prejudice Bad Listening Practices Interrupting Distorted Listening Eavesdropping Aggressive Listening Narcissistic Listening Pseudo-listening Key Takeaways Exercises 5.3 Improving Listening Competence Learning Objectives Listening Competence at Each Stage of the Listening Process Active Listening Active Listening Can Help Overcome Barriers to Effective Listening Active Listening Behaviors “Getting Competent” Becoming a Better Critical Listener Other Tips to Help You Become a Better Critical Listener “Getting Critical” Becoming a Better Empathetic Listener Becoming a Better Contextual Listener Listening in Professional Contexts “Getting Real” Listening in Relational Contexts Listening and Culture Listening and Gender Key Takeaways Exercises 5.4 Listenable Messages and Effective Feedback Learning Objectives Creating Listenable Messages Giving Formal Feedback to Others When Giving Feedback to Others Giving Formal Feedback to Yourself When Giving Feedback to Yourself Key Takeaways Exercises
is the learned process of receiving, interpreting, recalling, evaluating, and responding to verbal and nonverbal messages. We begin to engage with the listening process long before we engage in any recognizable verbal or nonverbal communication. It is only after listening for months as infants that we begin to consciously practice our own forms of expression. In this section we will learn more about each stage of the listening process, the main types of listening, and the main listening styles. The Listening Process Listening is a process and as such doesn’t have a defined start and finish. Like the communication process, listening has cognitive, behavioral, and relational elements and doesn’t unfold in a linear, step-by-step fashion. Models of processes are informative in that they help us visualize specific components, but keep in mind that they do not capture the speed, overlapping nature, or overall complexity of the actual process in action. The stages of the listening process are receiving, interpreting, recalling, evaluating, and responding. Receiving Before we can engage other steps in the listening process, we must take in stimuli through our senses. In any given communication encounter, it is likely that we will return to the receiving stage many times as we process incoming feedback and new messages.
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Chapter 5 Listening Chapter 5 Listening 5.1 Understanding How and Why We Listen Learning Objectives The Listening Process Receiving Interpreting Recalling Evaluating Responding The Importance of Listening Listening Types Discriminative Listening Informational Listening Critical Listening Empathetic Listening Listening Styles People-Oriented Listeners Action-Oriented Listeners Content-Oriented Listeners Time-Oriented Listeners Key Takeaways Exercises 5.2 Barriers to Effective Listening Learning Objectives Environmental and Physical Barriers to Listening Cognitive and Personal Barriers to Listening Difference between Speech and Thought Rate “Getting Plugged In” Lack of Listening Preparation Bad Messages and/or Speakers Prejudice Bad Listening Practices Interrupting Distorted Listening Eavesdropping Aggressive Listening Narcissistic Listening Pseudo-listening Key Takeaways Exercises 5.3 Improving Listening Competence Learning Objectives Listening Competence at Each Stage of the Listening Process Active Listening Active Listening Can Help Overcome Barriers to Effective Listening Active Listening Behaviors “Getting Competent” Becoming a Better Critical Listener Other Tips to Help You Become a Better Critical Listener “Getting Critical” Becoming a Better Empathetic Listener Becoming a Better Contextual Listener Listening in Professional Contexts “Getting Real” Listening in Relational Contexts Listening and Culture Listening and Gender Key Takeaways Exercises 5.4 Listenable Messages and Effective Feedback Learning Objectives Creating Listenable Messages Giving Formal Feedback to Others When Giving Feedback to Others Giving Formal Feedback to Yourself When Giving Feedback to Yourself Key Takeaways Exercises
Like the communication process, listening has cognitive, behavioral, and relational elements and doesn’t unfold in a linear, step-by-step fashion. Models of processes are informative in that they help us visualize specific components, but keep in mind that they do not capture the speed, overlapping nature, or overall complexity of the actual process in action. The stages of the listening process are receiving, interpreting, recalling, evaluating, and responding. Receiving Before we can engage other steps in the listening process, we must take in stimuli through our senses. In any given communication encounter, it is likely that we will return to the receiving stage many times as we process incoming feedback and new messages. This part of the listening process is more physiological than other parts, which include cognitive and relational elements. We primarily take in information needed for listening through auditory and visual channels. Although we don’t often think about visual cues as a part of listening, they influence how we interpret messages. For example, seeing a person’s face when we hear their voice allows us to take in nonverbal cues from facial expressions and eye contact. The fact that these visual cues are missing in e-mail, text, and phone interactions presents some difficulties for reading contextual clues into meaning received through only auditory channels.
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Listening
Chapter 5 Listening Chapter 5 Listening 5.1 Understanding How and Why We Listen Learning Objectives The Listening Process Receiving Interpreting Recalling Evaluating Responding The Importance of Listening Listening Types Discriminative Listening Informational Listening Critical Listening Empathetic Listening Listening Styles People-Oriented Listeners Action-Oriented Listeners Content-Oriented Listeners Time-Oriented Listeners Key Takeaways Exercises 5.2 Barriers to Effective Listening Learning Objectives Environmental and Physical Barriers to Listening Cognitive and Personal Barriers to Listening Difference between Speech and Thought Rate “Getting Plugged In” Lack of Listening Preparation Bad Messages and/or Speakers Prejudice Bad Listening Practices Interrupting Distorted Listening Eavesdropping Aggressive Listening Narcissistic Listening Pseudo-listening Key Takeaways Exercises 5.3 Improving Listening Competence Learning Objectives Listening Competence at Each Stage of the Listening Process Active Listening Active Listening Can Help Overcome Barriers to Effective Listening Active Listening Behaviors “Getting Competent” Becoming a Better Critical Listener Other Tips to Help You Become a Better Critical Listener “Getting Critical” Becoming a Better Empathetic Listener Becoming a Better Contextual Listener Listening in Professional Contexts “Getting Real” Listening in Relational Contexts Listening and Culture Listening and Gender Key Takeaways Exercises 5.4 Listenable Messages and Effective Feedback Learning Objectives Creating Listenable Messages Giving Formal Feedback to Others When Giving Feedback to Others Giving Formal Feedback to Yourself When Giving Feedback to Yourself Key Takeaways Exercises
This part of the listening process is more physiological than other parts, which include cognitive and relational elements. We primarily take in information needed for listening through auditory and visual channels. Although we don’t often think about visual cues as a part of listening, they influence how we interpret messages. For example, seeing a person’s face when we hear their voice allows us to take in nonverbal cues from facial expressions and eye contact. The fact that these visual cues are missing in e-mail, text, and phone interactions presents some difficulties for reading contextual clues into meaning received through only auditory channels. The first stage of the listening process is receiving stimuli through auditory and visual channels. © Thinkstock Our chapter on perception discusses some of the ways in which incoming stimuli are filtered. These perceptual filters also play a role in listening. Some stimuli never make it in, some are filtered into subconsciousness, and others are filtered into various levels of consciousness based on their salience. Recall that salience is the degree to which something attracts our attention in a particular context and that we tend to find salient things that are visually or audibly stimulating and things that meet our needs or interests.
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Chapter 5 Listening Chapter 5 Listening 5.1 Understanding How and Why We Listen Learning Objectives The Listening Process Receiving Interpreting Recalling Evaluating Responding The Importance of Listening Listening Types Discriminative Listening Informational Listening Critical Listening Empathetic Listening Listening Styles People-Oriented Listeners Action-Oriented Listeners Content-Oriented Listeners Time-Oriented Listeners Key Takeaways Exercises 5.2 Barriers to Effective Listening Learning Objectives Environmental and Physical Barriers to Listening Cognitive and Personal Barriers to Listening Difference between Speech and Thought Rate “Getting Plugged In” Lack of Listening Preparation Bad Messages and/or Speakers Prejudice Bad Listening Practices Interrupting Distorted Listening Eavesdropping Aggressive Listening Narcissistic Listening Pseudo-listening Key Takeaways Exercises 5.3 Improving Listening Competence Learning Objectives Listening Competence at Each Stage of the Listening Process Active Listening Active Listening Can Help Overcome Barriers to Effective Listening Active Listening Behaviors “Getting Competent” Becoming a Better Critical Listener Other Tips to Help You Become a Better Critical Listener “Getting Critical” Becoming a Better Empathetic Listener Becoming a Better Contextual Listener Listening in Professional Contexts “Getting Real” Listening in Relational Contexts Listening and Culture Listening and Gender Key Takeaways Exercises 5.4 Listenable Messages and Effective Feedback Learning Objectives Creating Listenable Messages Giving Formal Feedback to Others When Giving Feedback to Others Giving Formal Feedback to Yourself When Giving Feedback to Yourself Key Takeaways Exercises
The first stage of the listening process is receiving stimuli through auditory and visual channels. © Thinkstock Our chapter on perception discusses some of the ways in which incoming stimuli are filtered. These perceptual filters also play a role in listening. Some stimuli never make it in, some are filtered into subconsciousness, and others are filtered into various levels of consciousness based on their salience. Recall that salience is the degree to which something attracts our attention in a particular context and that we tend to find salient things that are visually or audibly stimulating and things that meet our needs or interests. Think about how it’s much easier to listen to a lecture on a subject that you find very interesting. It is important to consider noise as a factor that influences how we receive messages. Some noise interferes primarily with hearing, which is the physical process of receiving stimuli through internal and external components of the ears and eyes, and some interferes with listening, which is the cognitive process of processing the stimuli taken in during hearing. While hearing leads to listening, they are not the same thing. Environmental noise such as other people talking, the sounds of traffic, and music interfere with the physiological aspects of hearing.
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Listening
Chapter 5 Listening Chapter 5 Listening 5.1 Understanding How and Why We Listen Learning Objectives The Listening Process Receiving Interpreting Recalling Evaluating Responding The Importance of Listening Listening Types Discriminative Listening Informational Listening Critical Listening Empathetic Listening Listening Styles People-Oriented Listeners Action-Oriented Listeners Content-Oriented Listeners Time-Oriented Listeners Key Takeaways Exercises 5.2 Barriers to Effective Listening Learning Objectives Environmental and Physical Barriers to Listening Cognitive and Personal Barriers to Listening Difference between Speech and Thought Rate “Getting Plugged In” Lack of Listening Preparation Bad Messages and/or Speakers Prejudice Bad Listening Practices Interrupting Distorted Listening Eavesdropping Aggressive Listening Narcissistic Listening Pseudo-listening Key Takeaways Exercises 5.3 Improving Listening Competence Learning Objectives Listening Competence at Each Stage of the Listening Process Active Listening Active Listening Can Help Overcome Barriers to Effective Listening Active Listening Behaviors “Getting Competent” Becoming a Better Critical Listener Other Tips to Help You Become a Better Critical Listener “Getting Critical” Becoming a Better Empathetic Listener Becoming a Better Contextual Listener Listening in Professional Contexts “Getting Real” Listening in Relational Contexts Listening and Culture Listening and Gender Key Takeaways Exercises 5.4 Listenable Messages and Effective Feedback Learning Objectives Creating Listenable Messages Giving Formal Feedback to Others When Giving Feedback to Others Giving Formal Feedback to Yourself When Giving Feedback to Yourself Key Takeaways Exercises
Think about how it’s much easier to listen to a lecture on a subject that you find very interesting. It is important to consider noise as a factor that influences how we receive messages. Some noise interferes primarily with hearing, which is the physical process of receiving stimuli through internal and external components of the ears and eyes, and some interferes with listening, which is the cognitive process of processing the stimuli taken in during hearing. While hearing leads to listening, they are not the same thing. Environmental noise such as other people talking, the sounds of traffic, and music interfere with the physiological aspects of hearing. Psychological noise like stress and anger interfere primarily with the cognitive processes of listening. We can enhance our ability to receive, and in turn listen, by trying to minimize noise. Interpreting During the interpreting stage of listening, we combine the visual and auditory information we receive and try to make meaning out of that information using schemata. The interpreting stage engages cognitive and relational processing as we take in informational, contextual, and relational cues and try to connect them in meaningful ways to previous experiences. It is through the interpreting stage that we may begin to understand the stimuli we have received.
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Listening
Chapter 5 Listening Chapter 5 Listening 5.1 Understanding How and Why We Listen Learning Objectives The Listening Process Receiving Interpreting Recalling Evaluating Responding The Importance of Listening Listening Types Discriminative Listening Informational Listening Critical Listening Empathetic Listening Listening Styles People-Oriented Listeners Action-Oriented Listeners Content-Oriented Listeners Time-Oriented Listeners Key Takeaways Exercises 5.2 Barriers to Effective Listening Learning Objectives Environmental and Physical Barriers to Listening Cognitive and Personal Barriers to Listening Difference between Speech and Thought Rate “Getting Plugged In” Lack of Listening Preparation Bad Messages and/or Speakers Prejudice Bad Listening Practices Interrupting Distorted Listening Eavesdropping Aggressive Listening Narcissistic Listening Pseudo-listening Key Takeaways Exercises 5.3 Improving Listening Competence Learning Objectives Listening Competence at Each Stage of the Listening Process Active Listening Active Listening Can Help Overcome Barriers to Effective Listening Active Listening Behaviors “Getting Competent” Becoming a Better Critical Listener Other Tips to Help You Become a Better Critical Listener “Getting Critical” Becoming a Better Empathetic Listener Becoming a Better Contextual Listener Listening in Professional Contexts “Getting Real” Listening in Relational Contexts Listening and Culture Listening and Gender Key Takeaways Exercises 5.4 Listenable Messages and Effective Feedback Learning Objectives Creating Listenable Messages Giving Formal Feedback to Others When Giving Feedback to Others Giving Formal Feedback to Yourself When Giving Feedback to Yourself Key Takeaways Exercises
Psychological noise like stress and anger interfere primarily with the cognitive processes of listening. We can enhance our ability to receive, and in turn listen, by trying to minimize noise. Interpreting During the interpreting stage of listening, we combine the visual and auditory information we receive and try to make meaning out of that information using schemata. The interpreting stage engages cognitive and relational processing as we take in informational, contextual, and relational cues and try to connect them in meaningful ways to previous experiences. It is through the interpreting stage that we may begin to understand the stimuli we have received. When we understand something, we are able to attach meaning by connecting information to previous experiences. Through the process of comparing new information with old information, we may also update or revise particular schemata if we find the new information relevant and credible. If we have difficulty interpreting information, meaning we don’t have previous experience or information in our existing schemata to make sense of it, then it is difficult to transfer the information into our long-term memory for later recall. In situations where understanding the information we receive isn’t important or isn’t a goal, this stage may be fairly short or even skipped. After all, we can move something to our long-term memory by repetition and then later recall it without ever having understood it.
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Listening
Chapter 5 Listening Chapter 5 Listening 5.1 Understanding How and Why We Listen Learning Objectives The Listening Process Receiving Interpreting Recalling Evaluating Responding The Importance of Listening Listening Types Discriminative Listening Informational Listening Critical Listening Empathetic Listening Listening Styles People-Oriented Listeners Action-Oriented Listeners Content-Oriented Listeners Time-Oriented Listeners Key Takeaways Exercises 5.2 Barriers to Effective Listening Learning Objectives Environmental and Physical Barriers to Listening Cognitive and Personal Barriers to Listening Difference between Speech and Thought Rate “Getting Plugged In” Lack of Listening Preparation Bad Messages and/or Speakers Prejudice Bad Listening Practices Interrupting Distorted Listening Eavesdropping Aggressive Listening Narcissistic Listening Pseudo-listening Key Takeaways Exercises 5.3 Improving Listening Competence Learning Objectives Listening Competence at Each Stage of the Listening Process Active Listening Active Listening Can Help Overcome Barriers to Effective Listening Active Listening Behaviors “Getting Competent” Becoming a Better Critical Listener Other Tips to Help You Become a Better Critical Listener “Getting Critical” Becoming a Better Empathetic Listener Becoming a Better Contextual Listener Listening in Professional Contexts “Getting Real” Listening in Relational Contexts Listening and Culture Listening and Gender Key Takeaways Exercises 5.4 Listenable Messages and Effective Feedback Learning Objectives Creating Listenable Messages Giving Formal Feedback to Others When Giving Feedback to Others Giving Formal Feedback to Yourself When Giving Feedback to Yourself Key Takeaways Exercises
When we understand something, we are able to attach meaning by connecting information to previous experiences. Through the process of comparing new information with old information, we may also update or revise particular schemata if we find the new information relevant and credible. If we have difficulty interpreting information, meaning we don’t have previous experience or information in our existing schemata to make sense of it, then it is difficult to transfer the information into our long-term memory for later recall. In situations where understanding the information we receive isn’t important or isn’t a goal, this stage may be fairly short or even skipped. After all, we can move something to our long-term memory by repetition and then later recall it without ever having understood it. I remember earning perfect scores on exams in my anatomy class in college because I was able to memorize and recall, for example, all the organs in the digestive system. In fact, I might still be able to do that now over a decade later. But neither then nor now could I tell you the significance or function of most of those organs, meaning I didn’t really get to a level of understanding but simply stored the information for later recall. Recalling Our ability to recall information is dependent on some of the physiological limits of how memory works. Overall, our memories are known to be fallible.
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Listening
Chapter 5 Listening Chapter 5 Listening 5.1 Understanding How and Why We Listen Learning Objectives The Listening Process Receiving Interpreting Recalling Evaluating Responding The Importance of Listening Listening Types Discriminative Listening Informational Listening Critical Listening Empathetic Listening Listening Styles People-Oriented Listeners Action-Oriented Listeners Content-Oriented Listeners Time-Oriented Listeners Key Takeaways Exercises 5.2 Barriers to Effective Listening Learning Objectives Environmental and Physical Barriers to Listening Cognitive and Personal Barriers to Listening Difference between Speech and Thought Rate “Getting Plugged In” Lack of Listening Preparation Bad Messages and/or Speakers Prejudice Bad Listening Practices Interrupting Distorted Listening Eavesdropping Aggressive Listening Narcissistic Listening Pseudo-listening Key Takeaways Exercises 5.3 Improving Listening Competence Learning Objectives Listening Competence at Each Stage of the Listening Process Active Listening Active Listening Can Help Overcome Barriers to Effective Listening Active Listening Behaviors “Getting Competent” Becoming a Better Critical Listener Other Tips to Help You Become a Better Critical Listener “Getting Critical” Becoming a Better Empathetic Listener Becoming a Better Contextual Listener Listening in Professional Contexts “Getting Real” Listening in Relational Contexts Listening and Culture Listening and Gender Key Takeaways Exercises 5.4 Listenable Messages and Effective Feedback Learning Objectives Creating Listenable Messages Giving Formal Feedback to Others When Giving Feedback to Others Giving Formal Feedback to Yourself When Giving Feedback to Yourself Key Takeaways Exercises
I remember earning perfect scores on exams in my anatomy class in college because I was able to memorize and recall, for example, all the organs in the digestive system. In fact, I might still be able to do that now over a decade later. But neither then nor now could I tell you the significance or function of most of those organs, meaning I didn’t really get to a level of understanding but simply stored the information for later recall. Recalling Our ability to recall information is dependent on some of the physiological limits of how memory works. Overall, our memories are known to be fallible. We forget about half of what we hear immediately after hearing it, recall 35 percent after eight hours, and recall 20 percent after a day. Owen Hargie, Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice (London: Routledge, 2011), 189–99. Our memory consists of multiple “storage units,” including sensory storage, short-term memory, working memory, and long-term memory.
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Listening
Chapter 5 Listening Chapter 5 Listening 5.1 Understanding How and Why We Listen Learning Objectives The Listening Process Receiving Interpreting Recalling Evaluating Responding The Importance of Listening Listening Types Discriminative Listening Informational Listening Critical Listening Empathetic Listening Listening Styles People-Oriented Listeners Action-Oriented Listeners Content-Oriented Listeners Time-Oriented Listeners Key Takeaways Exercises 5.2 Barriers to Effective Listening Learning Objectives Environmental and Physical Barriers to Listening Cognitive and Personal Barriers to Listening Difference between Speech and Thought Rate “Getting Plugged In” Lack of Listening Preparation Bad Messages and/or Speakers Prejudice Bad Listening Practices Interrupting Distorted Listening Eavesdropping Aggressive Listening Narcissistic Listening Pseudo-listening Key Takeaways Exercises 5.3 Improving Listening Competence Learning Objectives Listening Competence at Each Stage of the Listening Process Active Listening Active Listening Can Help Overcome Barriers to Effective Listening Active Listening Behaviors “Getting Competent” Becoming a Better Critical Listener Other Tips to Help You Become a Better Critical Listener “Getting Critical” Becoming a Better Empathetic Listener Becoming a Better Contextual Listener Listening in Professional Contexts “Getting Real” Listening in Relational Contexts Listening and Culture Listening and Gender Key Takeaways Exercises 5.4 Listenable Messages and Effective Feedback Learning Objectives Creating Listenable Messages Giving Formal Feedback to Others When Giving Feedback to Others Giving Formal Feedback to Yourself When Giving Feedback to Yourself Key Takeaways Exercises
We forget about half of what we hear immediately after hearing it, recall 35 percent after eight hours, and recall 20 percent after a day. Owen Hargie, Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice (London: Routledge, 2011), 189–99. Our memory consists of multiple “storage units,” including sensory storage, short-term memory, working memory, and long-term memory. Owen Hargie, Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice (London: Routledge, 2011), 184. Our sensory storage is very large in terms of capacity but limited in terms of length of storage. We can hold large amounts of unsorted visual information but only for about a tenth of a second.
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Chapter 5 Listening Chapter 5 Listening 5.1 Understanding How and Why We Listen Learning Objectives The Listening Process Receiving Interpreting Recalling Evaluating Responding The Importance of Listening Listening Types Discriminative Listening Informational Listening Critical Listening Empathetic Listening Listening Styles People-Oriented Listeners Action-Oriented Listeners Content-Oriented Listeners Time-Oriented Listeners Key Takeaways Exercises 5.2 Barriers to Effective Listening Learning Objectives Environmental and Physical Barriers to Listening Cognitive and Personal Barriers to Listening Difference between Speech and Thought Rate “Getting Plugged In” Lack of Listening Preparation Bad Messages and/or Speakers Prejudice Bad Listening Practices Interrupting Distorted Listening Eavesdropping Aggressive Listening Narcissistic Listening Pseudo-listening Key Takeaways Exercises 5.3 Improving Listening Competence Learning Objectives Listening Competence at Each Stage of the Listening Process Active Listening Active Listening Can Help Overcome Barriers to Effective Listening Active Listening Behaviors “Getting Competent” Becoming a Better Critical Listener Other Tips to Help You Become a Better Critical Listener “Getting Critical” Becoming a Better Empathetic Listener Becoming a Better Contextual Listener Listening in Professional Contexts “Getting Real” Listening in Relational Contexts Listening and Culture Listening and Gender Key Takeaways Exercises 5.4 Listenable Messages and Effective Feedback Learning Objectives Creating Listenable Messages Giving Formal Feedback to Others When Giving Feedback to Others Giving Formal Feedback to Yourself When Giving Feedback to Yourself Key Takeaways Exercises
Owen Hargie, Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice (London: Routledge, 2011), 184. Our sensory storage is very large in terms of capacity but limited in terms of length of storage. We can hold large amounts of unsorted visual information but only for about a tenth of a second. By comparison, we can hold large amounts of unsorted auditory information for longer—up to four seconds. This initial memory storage unit doesn’t provide much use for our study of communication, as these large but quickly expiring chunks of sensory data are primarily used in reactionary and instinctual ways. As stimuli are organized and interpreted, they make their way to short-term memory where they either expire and are forgotten or are transferred to long-term memory. Short-term memory A mental storage capability that can retain stimuli for twenty seconds to one minute. is a mental storage capability that can retain stimuli for twenty seconds to one minute.
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Listening
Chapter 5 Listening Chapter 5 Listening 5.1 Understanding How and Why We Listen Learning Objectives The Listening Process Receiving Interpreting Recalling Evaluating Responding The Importance of Listening Listening Types Discriminative Listening Informational Listening Critical Listening Empathetic Listening Listening Styles People-Oriented Listeners Action-Oriented Listeners Content-Oriented Listeners Time-Oriented Listeners Key Takeaways Exercises 5.2 Barriers to Effective Listening Learning Objectives Environmental and Physical Barriers to Listening Cognitive and Personal Barriers to Listening Difference between Speech and Thought Rate “Getting Plugged In” Lack of Listening Preparation Bad Messages and/or Speakers Prejudice Bad Listening Practices Interrupting Distorted Listening Eavesdropping Aggressive Listening Narcissistic Listening Pseudo-listening Key Takeaways Exercises 5.3 Improving Listening Competence Learning Objectives Listening Competence at Each Stage of the Listening Process Active Listening Active Listening Can Help Overcome Barriers to Effective Listening Active Listening Behaviors “Getting Competent” Becoming a Better Critical Listener Other Tips to Help You Become a Better Critical Listener “Getting Critical” Becoming a Better Empathetic Listener Becoming a Better Contextual Listener Listening in Professional Contexts “Getting Real” Listening in Relational Contexts Listening and Culture Listening and Gender Key Takeaways Exercises 5.4 Listenable Messages and Effective Feedback Learning Objectives Creating Listenable Messages Giving Formal Feedback to Others When Giving Feedback to Others Giving Formal Feedback to Yourself When Giving Feedback to Yourself Key Takeaways Exercises
By comparison, we can hold large amounts of unsorted auditory information for longer—up to four seconds. This initial memory storage unit doesn’t provide much use for our study of communication, as these large but quickly expiring chunks of sensory data are primarily used in reactionary and instinctual ways. As stimuli are organized and interpreted, they make their way to short-term memory where they either expire and are forgotten or are transferred to long-term memory. Short-term memory A mental storage capability that can retain stimuli for twenty seconds to one minute. is a mental storage capability that can retain stimuli for twenty seconds to one minute. Long-term memory A mental storage capability to which stimuli in short-term memory can be transferred if they are connected to existing schema. Once there, they can be stored indefinitely. is a mental storage capability to which stimuli in short-term memory can be transferred if they are connected to existing schema and in which information can be stored indefinitely. Owen Hargie, Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice (London:
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Listening
Chapter 5 Listening Chapter 5 Listening 5.1 Understanding How and Why We Listen Learning Objectives The Listening Process Receiving Interpreting Recalling Evaluating Responding The Importance of Listening Listening Types Discriminative Listening Informational Listening Critical Listening Empathetic Listening Listening Styles People-Oriented Listeners Action-Oriented Listeners Content-Oriented Listeners Time-Oriented Listeners Key Takeaways Exercises 5.2 Barriers to Effective Listening Learning Objectives Environmental and Physical Barriers to Listening Cognitive and Personal Barriers to Listening Difference between Speech and Thought Rate “Getting Plugged In” Lack of Listening Preparation Bad Messages and/or Speakers Prejudice Bad Listening Practices Interrupting Distorted Listening Eavesdropping Aggressive Listening Narcissistic Listening Pseudo-listening Key Takeaways Exercises 5.3 Improving Listening Competence Learning Objectives Listening Competence at Each Stage of the Listening Process Active Listening Active Listening Can Help Overcome Barriers to Effective Listening Active Listening Behaviors “Getting Competent” Becoming a Better Critical Listener Other Tips to Help You Become a Better Critical Listener “Getting Critical” Becoming a Better Empathetic Listener Becoming a Better Contextual Listener Listening in Professional Contexts “Getting Real” Listening in Relational Contexts Listening and Culture Listening and Gender Key Takeaways Exercises 5.4 Listenable Messages and Effective Feedback Learning Objectives Creating Listenable Messages Giving Formal Feedback to Others When Giving Feedback to Others Giving Formal Feedback to Yourself When Giving Feedback to Yourself Key Takeaways Exercises
Long-term memory A mental storage capability to which stimuli in short-term memory can be transferred if they are connected to existing schema. Once there, they can be stored indefinitely. is a mental storage capability to which stimuli in short-term memory can be transferred if they are connected to existing schema and in which information can be stored indefinitely. Owen Hargie, Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice (London: Routledge, 2011), 184. Working memory is a temporarily accessed memory storage space that is activated during times of high cognitive demand. When using working memory, we can temporarily store information and process and use it at the same time. This is different from our typical memory function in that information usually has to make it to long-term memory before we can call it back up to apply to a current situation. People with good working memories are able to keep recent information in mind and process it and apply it to other incoming information.
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Listening
Chapter 5 Listening Chapter 5 Listening 5.1 Understanding How and Why We Listen Learning Objectives The Listening Process Receiving Interpreting Recalling Evaluating Responding The Importance of Listening Listening Types Discriminative Listening Informational Listening Critical Listening Empathetic Listening Listening Styles People-Oriented Listeners Action-Oriented Listeners Content-Oriented Listeners Time-Oriented Listeners Key Takeaways Exercises 5.2 Barriers to Effective Listening Learning Objectives Environmental and Physical Barriers to Listening Cognitive and Personal Barriers to Listening Difference between Speech and Thought Rate “Getting Plugged In” Lack of Listening Preparation Bad Messages and/or Speakers Prejudice Bad Listening Practices Interrupting Distorted Listening Eavesdropping Aggressive Listening Narcissistic Listening Pseudo-listening Key Takeaways Exercises 5.3 Improving Listening Competence Learning Objectives Listening Competence at Each Stage of the Listening Process Active Listening Active Listening Can Help Overcome Barriers to Effective Listening Active Listening Behaviors “Getting Competent” Becoming a Better Critical Listener Other Tips to Help You Become a Better Critical Listener “Getting Critical” Becoming a Better Empathetic Listener Becoming a Better Contextual Listener Listening in Professional Contexts “Getting Real” Listening in Relational Contexts Listening and Culture Listening and Gender Key Takeaways Exercises 5.4 Listenable Messages and Effective Feedback Learning Objectives Creating Listenable Messages Giving Formal Feedback to Others When Giving Feedback to Others Giving Formal Feedback to Yourself When Giving Feedback to Yourself Key Takeaways Exercises
Routledge, 2011), 184. Working memory is a temporarily accessed memory storage space that is activated during times of high cognitive demand. When using working memory, we can temporarily store information and process and use it at the same time. This is different from our typical memory function in that information usually has to make it to long-term memory before we can call it back up to apply to a current situation. People with good working memories are able to keep recent information in mind and process it and apply it to other incoming information. This can be very useful during high-stress situations. A person in control of a command center like the White House Situation Room should have a good working memory in order to take in, organize, evaluate, and then immediately use new information instead of having to wait for that information to make it to long-term memory and then be retrieved and used. Although recall is an important part of the listening process, there isn’t a direct correlation between being good at recalling information and being a good listener. Some people have excellent memories and recall abilities and can tell you a very accurate story from ma
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Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions
10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions 10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions Learning Objectives Delivery Methods Impromptu Delivery Strengths of Impromptu Delivery Weaknesses of Impromptu Delivery Manuscript Delivery Strengths of Manuscript Delivery Weaknesses of Manuscript Delivery Memorized Delivery Strengths of Memorized Delivery Weaknesses of Memorized Delivery Extemporaneous Delivery Strengths of Extemporaneous Delivery Weaknesses of Extemporaneous Delivery Practicing Your Speech Some “Dos” and “Don’ts” for Effective Speech Practice Sessions Key Takeaways Exercises
Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions 10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions Learning Objectives Identify the four methods of speech delivery. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each delivery method. Discuss strategies for making speech practice sessions more effective. There are many decisions that must be made during the speech-making process. Making informed decisions about delivery can help boost your confidence and manage speaking anxiety. In this section, we will learn some strengths and weaknesses of various delivery methods and how to make the most of your practice sessions. Delivery Methods Different speaking occasions call for different delivery methods. While it may be acceptable to speak from memory in some situations, lengthy notes may be required in others. The four most common delivery methods are impromptu, manuscript, memorized, and extemporaneous. Impromptu Delivery When using impromptu delivery Delivering a speech with little to no time to prepare.
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Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions
10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions 10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions Learning Objectives Delivery Methods Impromptu Delivery Strengths of Impromptu Delivery Weaknesses of Impromptu Delivery Manuscript Delivery Strengths of Manuscript Delivery Weaknesses of Manuscript Delivery Memorized Delivery Strengths of Memorized Delivery Weaknesses of Memorized Delivery Extemporaneous Delivery Strengths of Extemporaneous Delivery Weaknesses of Extemporaneous Delivery Practicing Your Speech Some “Dos” and “Don’ts” for Effective Speech Practice Sessions Key Takeaways Exercises
In this section, we will learn some strengths and weaknesses of various delivery methods and how to make the most of your practice sessions. Delivery Methods Different speaking occasions call for different delivery methods. While it may be acceptable to speak from memory in some situations, lengthy notes may be required in others. The four most common delivery methods are impromptu, manuscript, memorized, and extemporaneous. Impromptu Delivery When using impromptu delivery Delivering a speech with little to no time to prepare. , a speaker has little to no time to prepare for a speech. This means there is little time for research, audience analysis, organizing, and practice. For this reason, impromptu speaking often evokes higher degrees of speaking anxiety than other delivery types. Although impromptu speaking arouses anxiety, it is also a good way to build public speaking skills. Using some of the exercises for managing speaking anxiety that were discussed earlier in this chapter can help a speaker better manage the challenges of impromptu speaking.
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Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions
10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions 10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions Learning Objectives Delivery Methods Impromptu Delivery Strengths of Impromptu Delivery Weaknesses of Impromptu Delivery Manuscript Delivery Strengths of Manuscript Delivery Weaknesses of Manuscript Delivery Memorized Delivery Strengths of Memorized Delivery Weaknesses of Memorized Delivery Extemporaneous Delivery Strengths of Extemporaneous Delivery Weaknesses of Extemporaneous Delivery Practicing Your Speech Some “Dos” and “Don’ts” for Effective Speech Practice Sessions Key Takeaways Exercises
, a speaker has little to no time to prepare for a speech. This means there is little time for research, audience analysis, organizing, and practice. For this reason, impromptu speaking often evokes higher degrees of speaking anxiety than other delivery types. Although impromptu speaking arouses anxiety, it is also a good way to build public speaking skills. Using some of the exercises for managing speaking anxiety that were discussed earlier in this chapter can help a speaker better manage the challenges of impromptu speaking. Only skilled public speakers with much experience are usually able to “pull off” an impromptu delivery without looking unprepared. Otherwise, a speaker who is very familiar with the subject matter can sometimes be a competent impromptu speaker, because their expertise can compensate for the lack of research and organizing time. When Mark Twain famously said, “It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech,” he was jokingly pointing out the difficulties of giving a good impromptu speech, essentially saying that there is no such thing as a good impromptu speech, as good speeches take time to prepare. We don’t always have the luxury of preparation, though. So when speaking impromptu, be brief, stick to what you know, and avoid rambling.
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Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions
10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions 10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions Learning Objectives Delivery Methods Impromptu Delivery Strengths of Impromptu Delivery Weaknesses of Impromptu Delivery Manuscript Delivery Strengths of Manuscript Delivery Weaknesses of Manuscript Delivery Memorized Delivery Strengths of Memorized Delivery Weaknesses of Memorized Delivery Extemporaneous Delivery Strengths of Extemporaneous Delivery Weaknesses of Extemporaneous Delivery Practicing Your Speech Some “Dos” and “Don’ts” for Effective Speech Practice Sessions Key Takeaways Exercises
Only skilled public speakers with much experience are usually able to “pull off” an impromptu delivery without looking unprepared. Otherwise, a speaker who is very familiar with the subject matter can sometimes be a competent impromptu speaker, because their expertise can compensate for the lack of research and organizing time. When Mark Twain famously said, “It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech,” he was jokingly pointing out the difficulties of giving a good impromptu speech, essentially saying that there is no such thing as a good impromptu speech, as good speeches take time to prepare. We don’t always have the luxury of preparation, though. So when speaking impromptu, be brief, stick to what you know, and avoid rambling. Quickly organize your thoughts into an introduction, body, and conclusion. Try to determine three key ideas that will serve as the basis of your main points. In what situations would impromptu speaking be used? Since we’ve already started thinking of the similarities between public speaking and conversations, we can clearly see that most of our day-to-day interactions involve impromptu speaking. When your roommate asks you what your plans for the weekend are, you don’t pull a few note cards out of your back pocket to prompt your response.
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Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions
10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions 10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions Learning Objectives Delivery Methods Impromptu Delivery Strengths of Impromptu Delivery Weaknesses of Impromptu Delivery Manuscript Delivery Strengths of Manuscript Delivery Weaknesses of Manuscript Delivery Memorized Delivery Strengths of Memorized Delivery Weaknesses of Memorized Delivery Extemporaneous Delivery Strengths of Extemporaneous Delivery Weaknesses of Extemporaneous Delivery Practicing Your Speech Some “Dos” and “Don’ts” for Effective Speech Practice Sessions Key Takeaways Exercises
Quickly organize your thoughts into an introduction, body, and conclusion. Try to determine three key ideas that will serve as the basis of your main points. In what situations would impromptu speaking be used? Since we’ve already started thinking of the similarities between public speaking and conversations, we can clearly see that most of our day-to-day interactions involve impromptu speaking. When your roommate asks you what your plans for the weekend are, you don’t pull a few note cards out of your back pocket to prompt your response. This type of conversational impromptu speaking isn’t anxiety inducing because we’re talking about our lives, experiences, or something we’re familiar with. This is also usually the case when we are asked to speak publicly with little to no advance warning. For example, if you are at a meeting for work and you are representing the public relations department, a colleague may ask you to say a few words about a recent news story involving a public relations misstep of a competing company. In this case, you are being asked to speak on the spot because of your expertise. A competent communicator should anticipate instances like this when they might be called on to speak, so they won’t be so surprised.
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Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions
10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions 10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions Learning Objectives Delivery Methods Impromptu Delivery Strengths of Impromptu Delivery Weaknesses of Impromptu Delivery Manuscript Delivery Strengths of Manuscript Delivery Weaknesses of Manuscript Delivery Memorized Delivery Strengths of Memorized Delivery Weaknesses of Memorized Delivery Extemporaneous Delivery Strengths of Extemporaneous Delivery Weaknesses of Extemporaneous Delivery Practicing Your Speech Some “Dos” and “Don’ts” for Effective Speech Practice Sessions Key Takeaways Exercises
This type of conversational impromptu speaking isn’t anxiety inducing because we’re talking about our lives, experiences, or something we’re familiar with. This is also usually the case when we are asked to speak publicly with little to no advance warning. For example, if you are at a meeting for work and you are representing the public relations department, a colleague may ask you to say a few words about a recent news story involving a public relations misstep of a competing company. In this case, you are being asked to speak on the spot because of your expertise. A competent communicator should anticipate instances like this when they might be called on to speak, so they won’t be so surprised. Of course, being caught completely off guard or being asked to comment on something unfamiliar to you creates more anxiety. In such cases, do not pretend to know something you don’t, as that may come back to hurt you later. You can usually mention that you do not have the necessary background information at that time but will follow up later with your comments. Salespeople on home-shopping television shows are masters of impromptu speaking. They obviously have sales training and have built up a repertoire of adjectives and sayings that entice an audience to buy.
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Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions
10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions 10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions Learning Objectives Delivery Methods Impromptu Delivery Strengths of Impromptu Delivery Weaknesses of Impromptu Delivery Manuscript Delivery Strengths of Manuscript Delivery Weaknesses of Manuscript Delivery Memorized Delivery Strengths of Memorized Delivery Weaknesses of Memorized Delivery Extemporaneous Delivery Strengths of Extemporaneous Delivery Weaknesses of Extemporaneous Delivery Practicing Your Speech Some “Dos” and “Don’ts” for Effective Speech Practice Sessions Key Takeaways Exercises
Of course, being caught completely off guard or being asked to comment on something unfamiliar to you creates more anxiety. In such cases, do not pretend to know something you don’t, as that may come back to hurt you later. You can usually mention that you do not have the necessary background information at that time but will follow up later with your comments. Salespeople on home-shopping television shows are masters of impromptu speaking. They obviously have sales training and have built up a repertoire of adjectives and sayings that entice an audience to buy. But they are often speaking impromptu when interacting with a guest on the show or the customers who call in. Their ability to remain animated and fluent in their delivery with little time to prepare comes from much experience. Politicians, lawyers, teachers, journalists, and spokespeople engage in impromptu speaking regularly. Strengths of Impromptu Delivery Content and delivery are spontaneous, which can make the speech more engaging (if a speaker’s anxiety is under control). It enhances public speaking skills because speakers have to “think on their feet.”
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Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions
10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions 10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions Learning Objectives Delivery Methods Impromptu Delivery Strengths of Impromptu Delivery Weaknesses of Impromptu Delivery Manuscript Delivery Strengths of Manuscript Delivery Weaknesses of Manuscript Delivery Memorized Delivery Strengths of Memorized Delivery Weaknesses of Memorized Delivery Extemporaneous Delivery Strengths of Extemporaneous Delivery Weaknesses of Extemporaneous Delivery Practicing Your Speech Some “Dos” and “Don’ts” for Effective Speech Practice Sessions Key Takeaways Exercises
But they are often speaking impromptu when interacting with a guest on the show or the customers who call in. Their ability to remain animated and fluent in their delivery with little time to prepare comes from much experience. Politicians, lawyers, teachers, journalists, and spokespeople engage in impromptu speaking regularly. Strengths of Impromptu Delivery Content and delivery are spontaneous, which can make the speech more engaging (if a speaker’s anxiety is under control). It enhances public speaking skills because speakers have to “think on their feet.” Weaknesses of Impromptu Delivery It is typically the most anxiety-inducing delivery method, since speakers do not have time to prepare or practice the speech. Speakers may get off topic or ramble if they did not set up some structure to guide them. Speakers may be tempted to overstate or mislead an audience about the extent of their knowledge or expertise if asked to speak about something they aren’t familiar with. Manuscript Delivery Speaking from a written or printed document that contains the entirety of a speech is known as manuscript delivery Delivering a speech from a written or printed document that contains the entirety of the speech. .
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Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions
10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions 10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions Learning Objectives Delivery Methods Impromptu Delivery Strengths of Impromptu Delivery Weaknesses of Impromptu Delivery Manuscript Delivery Strengths of Manuscript Delivery Weaknesses of Manuscript Delivery Memorized Delivery Strengths of Memorized Delivery Weaknesses of Memorized Delivery Extemporaneous Delivery Strengths of Extemporaneous Delivery Weaknesses of Extemporaneous Delivery Practicing Your Speech Some “Dos” and “Don’ts” for Effective Speech Practice Sessions Key Takeaways Exercises
Weaknesses of Impromptu Delivery It is typically the most anxiety-inducing delivery method, since speakers do not have time to prepare or practice the speech. Speakers may get off topic or ramble if they did not set up some structure to guide them. Speakers may be tempted to overstate or mislead an audience about the extent of their knowledge or expertise if asked to speak about something they aren’t familiar with. Manuscript Delivery Speaking from a written or printed document that contains the entirety of a speech is known as manuscript delivery Delivering a speech from a written or printed document that contains the entirety of the speech. . Manuscript delivery can be the best choice when a speech has complicated information and/or the contents of the speech are going to be quoted or published. Despite the fact that most novice speakers are not going to find themselves in that situation, many are drawn to this delivery method because of the security they feel with having everything they’re going to say in front of them. Unfortunately, the security of having every word you want to say at your disposal translates to a poorly delivered and unengaging speech. Even with every word written out, speakers can still have fluency hiccups and verbal fillers as they lose their place in the manuscript or get tripped up over their words. The alternative, of course, is that a speaker reads the manuscript the whole time, effectively cutting himself or herself off from the audience.
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Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions
10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions 10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions Learning Objectives Delivery Methods Impromptu Delivery Strengths of Impromptu Delivery Weaknesses of Impromptu Delivery Manuscript Delivery Strengths of Manuscript Delivery Weaknesses of Manuscript Delivery Memorized Delivery Strengths of Memorized Delivery Weaknesses of Memorized Delivery Extemporaneous Delivery Strengths of Extemporaneous Delivery Weaknesses of Extemporaneous Delivery Practicing Your Speech Some “Dos” and “Don’ts” for Effective Speech Practice Sessions Key Takeaways Exercises
Manuscript delivery can be the best choice when a speech has complicated information and/or the contents of the speech are going to be quoted or published. Despite the fact that most novice speakers are not going to find themselves in that situation, many are drawn to this delivery method because of the security they feel with having everything they’re going to say in front of them. Unfortunately, the security of having every word you want to say at your disposal translates to a poorly delivered and unengaging speech. Even with every word written out, speakers can still have fluency hiccups and verbal fillers as they lose their place in the manuscript or get tripped up over their words. The alternative, of course, is that a speaker reads the manuscript the whole time, effectively cutting himself or herself off from the audience. One way to make a manuscript delivery more engaging is through the use of a teleprompter. Almost all politicians who give televised addresses use teleprompters. In Figure 10.1 "President Obama’s Teleprompter System", you can see President Obama’s teleprompter system. Figure 10.1 President Obama’s Teleprompter System Newscasters and politicians frequently use teleprompters so they can use manuscript delivery but still engage with the audience. Source:
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Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions
10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions 10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions Learning Objectives Delivery Methods Impromptu Delivery Strengths of Impromptu Delivery Weaknesses of Impromptu Delivery Manuscript Delivery Strengths of Manuscript Delivery Weaknesses of Manuscript Delivery Memorized Delivery Strengths of Memorized Delivery Weaknesses of Memorized Delivery Extemporaneous Delivery Strengths of Extemporaneous Delivery Weaknesses of Extemporaneous Delivery Practicing Your Speech Some “Dos” and “Don’ts” for Effective Speech Practice Sessions Key Takeaways Exercises
One way to make a manuscript delivery more engaging is through the use of a teleprompter. Almost all politicians who give televised addresses use teleprompters. In Figure 10.1 "President Obama’s Teleprompter System", you can see President Obama’s teleprompter system. Figure 10.1 President Obama’s Teleprompter System Newscasters and politicians frequently use teleprompters so they can use manuscript delivery but still engage with the audience. Source: Photo courtesy of Chad Davis, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20080603_Obama_Speaks_on_Nomination_Victory_Night.jpg. You may not even notice them, as the technology has improved to give the illusion that a speaker is engaged with the audience and delivering a speech from memory. The Plexiglas sheets on poles that surround the president during the inauguration and State of the Union addresses are cleverly hidden teleprompters. Even these useful devices can fail. A quick search for “teleprompter fail” on YouTube will yield many examples of politicians and newscasters who probably wish they had a paper backup of their speech.
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Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions
10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions 10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions Learning Objectives Delivery Methods Impromptu Delivery Strengths of Impromptu Delivery Weaknesses of Impromptu Delivery Manuscript Delivery Strengths of Manuscript Delivery Weaknesses of Manuscript Delivery Memorized Delivery Strengths of Memorized Delivery Weaknesses of Memorized Delivery Extemporaneous Delivery Strengths of Extemporaneous Delivery Weaknesses of Extemporaneous Delivery Practicing Your Speech Some “Dos” and “Don’ts” for Effective Speech Practice Sessions Key Takeaways Exercises
Photo courtesy of Chad Davis, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20080603_Obama_Speaks_on_Nomination_Victory_Night.jpg. You may not even notice them, as the technology has improved to give the illusion that a speaker is engaged with the audience and delivering a speech from memory. The Plexiglas sheets on poles that surround the president during the inauguration and State of the Union addresses are cleverly hidden teleprompters. Even these useful devices can fail. A quick search for “teleprompter fail” on YouTube will yield many examples of politicians and newscasters who probably wish they had a paper backup of their speech. Since most of us will likely not have opportunities to speak using a teleprompter, great care should be taken to ensure that the delivery is effective. To make the delivery seem more natural, print the speech out in a larger-than-typical font, triple-space between lines so you can easily find your place, use heavier-than-normal paper so it’s easy to pick up and turn the pages as needed, and use a portfolio so you can carry the manuscript securely. Strengths of Manuscript Delivery The speaker can include precise or complex information such as statistics or quotes. The entire content of the speech is available for reference during the delivery. The speech will be consistent in terms of content and time length, which is beneficial if a speech will be delivered multiple times.
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Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions
10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions 10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions Learning Objectives Delivery Methods Impromptu Delivery Strengths of Impromptu Delivery Weaknesses of Impromptu Delivery Manuscript Delivery Strengths of Manuscript Delivery Weaknesses of Manuscript Delivery Memorized Delivery Strengths of Memorized Delivery Weaknesses of Memorized Delivery Extemporaneous Delivery Strengths of Extemporaneous Delivery Weaknesses of Extemporaneous Delivery Practicing Your Speech Some “Dos” and “Don’ts” for Effective Speech Practice Sessions Key Takeaways Exercises
Since most of us will likely not have opportunities to speak using a teleprompter, great care should be taken to ensure that the delivery is effective. To make the delivery seem more natural, print the speech out in a larger-than-typical font, triple-space between lines so you can easily find your place, use heavier-than-normal paper so it’s easy to pick up and turn the pages as needed, and use a portfolio so you can carry the manuscript securely. Strengths of Manuscript Delivery The speaker can include precise or complex information such as statistics or quotes. The entire content of the speech is available for reference during the delivery. The speech will be consistent in terms of content and time length, which is beneficial if a speech will be delivered multiple times. Weaknesses of Manuscript Delivery Engagement with the audience is challenging, because the speaker must constantly reference the manuscript (unless a teleprompter is used). Speakers are unable to adapt information to audience reactions, since they are confined to the content of the manuscript. Speakers may be tempted to read the entire speech because they didn’t practice enough or because they get nervous. Speakers who are able to make eye contact with the audience may still sound like they are reading the speech unless they employ proper vocal variety, pacing, and pauses. Memorized Delivery Completely memorizing a speech and delivering it without notes is known as memorized delivery Delivering a speech word for word from memory.
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Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions
10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions 10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions Learning Objectives Delivery Methods Impromptu Delivery Strengths of Impromptu Delivery Weaknesses of Impromptu Delivery Manuscript Delivery Strengths of Manuscript Delivery Weaknesses of Manuscript Delivery Memorized Delivery Strengths of Memorized Delivery Weaknesses of Memorized Delivery Extemporaneous Delivery Strengths of Extemporaneous Delivery Weaknesses of Extemporaneous Delivery Practicing Your Speech Some “Dos” and “Don’ts” for Effective Speech Practice Sessions Key Takeaways Exercises
Weaknesses of Manuscript Delivery Engagement with the audience is challenging, because the speaker must constantly reference the manuscript (unless a teleprompter is used). Speakers are unable to adapt information to audience reactions, since they are confined to the content of the manuscript. Speakers may be tempted to read the entire speech because they didn’t practice enough or because they get nervous. Speakers who are able to make eye contact with the audience may still sound like they are reading the speech unless they employ proper vocal variety, pacing, and pauses. Memorized Delivery Completely memorizing a speech and delivering it without notes is known as memorized delivery Delivering a speech word for word from memory. . Some students attempt to memorize their speech because they think it will make them feel more confident to not have to look at their notes; however, when their anxiety level spikes at the beginning of their speech and their mind goes blank for a minute, many admit they should have chosen a different delivery method. When using any of the other delivery methods, speakers still need to rely on their memory. An impromptu speaker must recall facts or experiences related to their topic, and speakers using a manuscript want to have some of their content memorized so they do not read their entire speech to their audience.
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Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions
10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions 10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions Learning Objectives Delivery Methods Impromptu Delivery Strengths of Impromptu Delivery Weaknesses of Impromptu Delivery Manuscript Delivery Strengths of Manuscript Delivery Weaknesses of Manuscript Delivery Memorized Delivery Strengths of Memorized Delivery Weaknesses of Memorized Delivery Extemporaneous Delivery Strengths of Extemporaneous Delivery Weaknesses of Extemporaneous Delivery Practicing Your Speech Some “Dos” and “Don’ts” for Effective Speech Practice Sessions Key Takeaways Exercises
. Some students attempt to memorize their speech because they think it will make them feel more confident to not have to look at their notes; however, when their anxiety level spikes at the beginning of their speech and their mind goes blank for a minute, many admit they should have chosen a different delivery method. When using any of the other delivery methods, speakers still need to rely on their memory. An impromptu speaker must recall facts or experiences related to their topic, and speakers using a manuscript want to have some of their content memorized so they do not read their entire speech to their audience. The problem with memorized delivery overall is that it puts too much responsibility on our memory, which we all know from experience is fallible. When memorizing, most people use rote memorization techniques, which entail reading and then reciting something over and over until it is committed to memory. One major downfall of this technique is its effect on speaking rate. When we memorize this way, we end up going over the early parts of a speech many more times than the later parts. As you memorize one sentence, you add on another, and so on.
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Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions
10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions 10.2 Delivery Methods and Practice Sessions Learning Objectives Delivery Methods Impromptu Delivery Strengths of Impromptu Delivery Weaknesses of Impromptu Delivery Manuscript Delivery Strengths of Manuscript Delivery Weaknesses of Manuscript Delivery Memorized Delivery Strengths of Memorized Delivery Weaknesses of Memorized Delivery Extemporaneous Delivery Strengths of Extemporaneous Delivery Weaknesses of Extemporaneous Delivery Practicing Your Speech Some “Dos” and “Don’ts” for Effective Speech Practice Sessions Key Takeaways Exercises
The problem with memorized delivery overall is that it puts too much responsibility on our memory, which we all know from experience is fallible. When memorizing, most people use rote memorization techniques, which entail reading and then reciting something over and over until it is committed to memory. One major downfall of this technique is its effect on speaking rate. When we memorize this way, we end up going over the early parts of a speech many more times than the later parts. As you memorize one sentence, you add on another, and so on. By the time you’re adding o
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Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems Learning Objectives The Sociological Imagination Theoretical Perspectives Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Applying the Three Perspectives Key Takeaways
Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems Learning Objectives Define the sociological imagination. Explain what is meant by the blaming-the-victim belief. Summarize the most important beliefs and assumptions of functionalism and conflict theory. Summarize the most important beliefs and assumptions of symbolic interactionism and exchange theory. The sociological understanding of social problems rests heavily on the concept of the sociological imagination. We discuss this concept in some detail before turning to various theoretical perspectives that provide a further context for understanding social problems. The Sociological Imagination Many individuals experience one or more social problems personally. For example, many people are poor and unemployed, many are in poor health, and many have family problems, drink too much alcohol, or commit crime. When we hear about these individuals, it is easy to think that their problems are theirs alone, and that they and other individuals with the same problems are entirely to blame for their difficulties. Sociology takes a different approach, as it stresses that individual problems are often rooted in problems stemming from aspects of society itself.
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Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems Learning Objectives The Sociological Imagination Theoretical Perspectives Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Applying the Three Perspectives Key Takeaways
We discuss this concept in some detail before turning to various theoretical perspectives that provide a further context for understanding social problems. The Sociological Imagination Many individuals experience one or more social problems personally. For example, many people are poor and unemployed, many are in poor health, and many have family problems, drink too much alcohol, or commit crime. When we hear about these individuals, it is easy to think that their problems are theirs alone, and that they and other individuals with the same problems are entirely to blame for their difficulties. Sociology takes a different approach, as it stresses that individual problems are often rooted in problems stemming from aspects of society itself. This key insight informed C. Wright Mills’s (1959) Mills, C. W. (1959). The sociological imagination. London, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. classic distinction between personal troubles C. Wright Mills’s term for the personal problems that many individuals experience.
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Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems Learning Objectives The Sociological Imagination Theoretical Perspectives Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Applying the Three Perspectives Key Takeaways
This key insight informed C. Wright Mills’s (1959) Mills, C. W. (1959). The sociological imagination. London, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. classic distinction between personal troubles C. Wright Mills’s term for the personal problems that many individuals experience. and public issues C. Wright Mills’s term for problems in society that underlie personal troubles. . Personal troubles refer to a problem affecting individuals that the affected individual, as well as other members of society, typically blame on the individual’s own personal and moral failings. Examples include such different problems as eating disorders, divorce, and unemployment. Public issues, whose source lies in the social structure and culture of a society, refer to social problems affecting many individuals.
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Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems Learning Objectives The Sociological Imagination Theoretical Perspectives Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Applying the Three Perspectives Key Takeaways
and public issues C. Wright Mills’s term for problems in society that underlie personal troubles. . Personal troubles refer to a problem affecting individuals that the affected individual, as well as other members of society, typically blame on the individual’s own personal and moral failings. Examples include such different problems as eating disorders, divorce, and unemployment. Public issues, whose source lies in the social structure and culture of a society, refer to social problems affecting many individuals. Problems in society thus help account for problems that individuals experience. Mills felt that many problems ordinarily considered private troubles are best understood as public issues, and he coined the term sociological imagination From C. Wright Mills, the realization that personal troubles are rooted in public issues. to refer to the ability to appreciate the structural basis for individual problems. To illustrate Mills’s viewpoint, let’s use our sociological imaginations to understand some contemporary social problems. We will start with unemployment, which Mills himself discussed.
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Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems Learning Objectives The Sociological Imagination Theoretical Perspectives Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Applying the Three Perspectives Key Takeaways
Problems in society thus help account for problems that individuals experience. Mills felt that many problems ordinarily considered private troubles are best understood as public issues, and he coined the term sociological imagination From C. Wright Mills, the realization that personal troubles are rooted in public issues. to refer to the ability to appreciate the structural basis for individual problems. To illustrate Mills’s viewpoint, let’s use our sociological imaginations to understand some contemporary social problems. We will start with unemployment, which Mills himself discussed. If only a few people were unemployed, Mills wrote, we could reasonably explain their unemployment by saying they were lazy, lacked good work habits, and so forth. If so, their unemployment would be their own personal trouble. But when millions of people are out of work, unemployment is best understood as a public issue because, as Mills (1959, p. 9) Mills, C. W. (1959). The sociological imagination. London, United Kingdom:
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Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems Learning Objectives The Sociological Imagination Theoretical Perspectives Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Applying the Three Perspectives Key Takeaways
If only a few people were unemployed, Mills wrote, we could reasonably explain their unemployment by saying they were lazy, lacked good work habits, and so forth. If so, their unemployment would be their own personal trouble. But when millions of people are out of work, unemployment is best understood as a public issue because, as Mills (1959, p. 9) Mills, C. W. (1959). The sociological imagination. London, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. put it, “the very structure of opportunities has collapsed. Both the correct statement of the problem and the range of possible solutions require us to consider the economic and political institutions of the society, and not merely the personal situation and character of a scatter of individuals.” When only a few people are out of work, it is fair to say that their unemployment is their personal trouble. However, when millions of people are out of work, as has been true since the economic downturn began in 2008, this massive unemployment is more accurately viewed as a public issue.
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Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems Learning Objectives The Sociological Imagination Theoretical Perspectives Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Applying the Three Perspectives Key Takeaways
Oxford University Press. put it, “the very structure of opportunities has collapsed. Both the correct statement of the problem and the range of possible solutions require us to consider the economic and political institutions of the society, and not merely the personal situation and character of a scatter of individuals.” When only a few people are out of work, it is fair to say that their unemployment is their personal trouble. However, when millions of people are out of work, as has been true since the economic downturn began in 2008, this massive unemployment is more accurately viewed as a public issue. As such, its causes lie not in the unemployed individuals but rather in our society’s economic and social systems. © Thinkstock The high US unemployment rate stemming from the severe economic downturn that began in 2008 provides a telling example of the point Mills was making. Millions of people lost their jobs through no fault of their own. While some individuals are undoubtedly unemployed because they are lazy or lack good work habits, a more structural explanation focusing on lack of opportunity is needed to explain why so many people were out of work. If so, unemployment is best understood as a public issue rather than a personal trouble.
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Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems Learning Objectives The Sociological Imagination Theoretical Perspectives Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Applying the Three Perspectives Key Takeaways
As such, its causes lie not in the unemployed individuals but rather in our society’s economic and social systems. © Thinkstock The high US unemployment rate stemming from the severe economic downturn that began in 2008 provides a telling example of the point Mills was making. Millions of people lost their jobs through no fault of their own. While some individuals are undoubtedly unemployed because they are lazy or lack good work habits, a more structural explanation focusing on lack of opportunity is needed to explain why so many people were out of work. If so, unemployment is best understood as a public issue rather than a personal trouble. Another social problem is eating disorders. We usually consider a person’s eating disorder to be a personal trouble that stems from a lack of control, low self-esteem, or another personal problem. This explanation may be OK as far as it goes, but it does not help us understand why so many people have the personal problems that lead to eating disorders. Perhaps more important, this belief also neglects the larger social and cultural forces that help explain such disorders. For example, most Americans with eating disorders are women, not men.
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Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems Learning Objectives The Sociological Imagination Theoretical Perspectives Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Applying the Three Perspectives Key Takeaways
Another social problem is eating disorders. We usually consider a person’s eating disorder to be a personal trouble that stems from a lack of control, low self-esteem, or another personal problem. This explanation may be OK as far as it goes, but it does not help us understand why so many people have the personal problems that lead to eating disorders. Perhaps more important, this belief also neglects the larger social and cultural forces that help explain such disorders. For example, most Americans with eating disorders are women, not men. This gender difference forces us to ask what it is about being a woman in American society that makes eating disorders so much more common. To begin to answer this question, we need to look to the standard of beauty for women that emphasizes a slender body (Boyd, Reynolds, Tillman, & Martin, 2011). Boyd, E. M., Reynolds, J. R., Tillman, K. H., & Martin, P. Y. (2011). Adolescent girls’ race/ethnic status, identities, and drive for thinness. Social Science Research, 40(2), 667–684.
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Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems Learning Objectives The Sociological Imagination Theoretical Perspectives Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Applying the Three Perspectives Key Takeaways
This gender difference forces us to ask what it is about being a woman in American society that makes eating disorders so much more common. To begin to answer this question, we need to look to the standard of beauty for women that emphasizes a slender body (Boyd, Reynolds, Tillman, & Martin, 2011). Boyd, E. M., Reynolds, J. R., Tillman, K. H., & Martin, P. Y. (2011). Adolescent girls’ race/ethnic status, identities, and drive for thinness. Social Science Research, 40(2), 667–684. If this cultural standard did not exist, far fewer American women would suffer from eating disorders than do now. Because it does exist, even if every girl and woman with an eating disorder were cured, others would take their places unless we could somehow change this standard. Viewed in this way, eating disorders are best understood as a public issue, not just as a personal trouble. Picking up on Mills’s insights, William Ryan (1976) Ryan, W. (1976). Blaming the victim (Rev. ed.).
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Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems Learning Objectives The Sociological Imagination Theoretical Perspectives Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Applying the Three Perspectives Key Takeaways
If this cultural standard did not exist, far fewer American women would suffer from eating disorders than do now. Because it does exist, even if every girl and woman with an eating disorder were cured, others would take their places unless we could somehow change this standard. Viewed in this way, eating disorders are best understood as a public issue, not just as a personal trouble. Picking up on Mills’s insights, William Ryan (1976) Ryan, W. (1976). Blaming the victim (Rev. ed.). New York, NY: Vintage Books. pointed out that Americans typically think that social problems such as poverty and unemployment stem from personal failings of the people experiencing these problems, not from structural problems in the larger society. Using Mills’s terms, Americans tend to think of social problems as personal troubles rather than public issues. As Ryan put it, they tend to believe in blaming the victim The belief that people experiencing difficulties are to blame for these problems.
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Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems Learning Objectives The Sociological Imagination Theoretical Perspectives Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Applying the Three Perspectives Key Takeaways
New York, NY: Vintage Books. pointed out that Americans typically think that social problems such as poverty and unemployment stem from personal failings of the people experiencing these problems, not from structural problems in the larger society. Using Mills’s terms, Americans tend to think of social problems as personal troubles rather than public issues. As Ryan put it, they tend to believe in blaming the victim The belief that people experiencing difficulties are to blame for these problems. rather than blaming the system The belief that personal difficulties stem from problems in society. . To help us understand a blaming-the-victim ideology, let’s consider why poor children in urban areas often learn very little in their schools. According to Ryan, a blaming-the-victim approach would say the children’s parents do not care about their learning, fail to teach them good study habits, and do not encourage them to take school seriously. This type of explanation, he wrote, may apply to some parents, but it ignores a much more important reason:
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Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems Learning Objectives The Sociological Imagination Theoretical Perspectives Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Applying the Three Perspectives Key Takeaways
rather than blaming the system The belief that personal difficulties stem from problems in society. . To help us understand a blaming-the-victim ideology, let’s consider why poor children in urban areas often learn very little in their schools. According to Ryan, a blaming-the-victim approach would say the children’s parents do not care about their learning, fail to teach them good study habits, and do not encourage them to take school seriously. This type of explanation, he wrote, may apply to some parents, but it ignores a much more important reason: the sad shape of America’s urban schools, which, he said, are overcrowded, decrepit structures housing old textbooks and out-of-date equipment. To improve the schooling of children in urban areas, he wrote, we must improve the schools themselves and not just try to “improve” the parents. As this example suggests, a blaming-the-victim approach points to solutions to social problems such as poverty and illiteracy that are very different from those suggested by a more structural approach that blames the system. If we blame the victim, we would spend our limited dollars to address the personal failings of individuals who suffer from poverty, illiteracy, poor health, eating disorders, and other difficulties. If instead we blame the system, we would focus our attention on the various social conditions (decrepit schools, cultural standards of female beauty, and the like) that account for these difficulties.
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Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems Learning Objectives The Sociological Imagination Theoretical Perspectives Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Applying the Three Perspectives Key Takeaways
the sad shape of America’s urban schools, which, he said, are overcrowded, decrepit structures housing old textbooks and out-of-date equipment. To improve the schooling of children in urban areas, he wrote, we must improve the schools themselves and not just try to “improve” the parents. As this example suggests, a blaming-the-victim approach points to solutions to social problems such as poverty and illiteracy that are very different from those suggested by a more structural approach that blames the system. If we blame the victim, we would spend our limited dollars to address the personal failings of individuals who suffer from poverty, illiteracy, poor health, eating disorders, and other difficulties. If instead we blame the system, we would focus our attention on the various social conditions (decrepit schools, cultural standards of female beauty, and the like) that account for these difficulties. A sociological understanding suggests that the latter approach is ultimately needed to help us deal successfully with the social problems facing us today. Theoretical Perspectives Three theoretical perspectives guide sociological thinking on social problems: functionalist theory, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionist theory. These perspectives look at the same social problems, but they do so in different ways. Their views taken together offer a fuller understanding of social problems than any of the views can offer alone.
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Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems Learning Objectives The Sociological Imagination Theoretical Perspectives Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Applying the Three Perspectives Key Takeaways
A sociological understanding suggests that the latter approach is ultimately needed to help us deal successfully with the social problems facing us today. Theoretical Perspectives Three theoretical perspectives guide sociological thinking on social problems: functionalist theory, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionist theory. These perspectives look at the same social problems, but they do so in different ways. Their views taken together offer a fuller understanding of social problems than any of the views can offer alone. Table 1.1 "Theory Snapshot" summarizes the three perspectives. Table 1.1 Theory Snapshot Theoretical perspective Major assumptions Views of social problems Functionalism Social stability is necessary for a strong society, and adequate socialization and social integration are necessary for social stability. Society’s social institutions perform important functions to help ensure social stability. Slow social change is desirable, but rapid social change threatens social order. Social problems weaken a society’s stability but do not reflect fundamental faults in how the society is structured.
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Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems Learning Objectives The Sociological Imagination Theoretical Perspectives Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Applying the Three Perspectives Key Takeaways
Table 1.1 "Theory Snapshot" summarizes the three perspectives. Table 1.1 Theory Snapshot Theoretical perspective Major assumptions Views of social problems Functionalism Social stability is necessary for a strong society, and adequate socialization and social integration are necessary for social stability. Society’s social institutions perform important functions to help ensure social stability. Slow social change is desirable, but rapid social change threatens social order. Social problems weaken a society’s stability but do not reflect fundamental faults in how the society is structured. Solutions to social problems should take the form of gradual social reform rather than sudden and far-reaching change. Despite their negative effects, social problems often also serve important functions for society. Conflict theory Society is characterized by pervasive inequality based on social class, race, gender, and other factors. Far-reaching social change is needed to reduce or eliminate social inequality and to create an egalitarian society. Social problems arise from fundamental faults in the structure of a society and both reflect and reinforce inequalities based on social class, race, gender, and other dimensions.
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Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems Learning Objectives The Sociological Imagination Theoretical Perspectives Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Applying the Three Perspectives Key Takeaways
Solutions to social problems should take the form of gradual social reform rather than sudden and far-reaching change. Despite their negative effects, social problems often also serve important functions for society. Conflict theory Society is characterized by pervasive inequality based on social class, race, gender, and other factors. Far-reaching social change is needed to reduce or eliminate social inequality and to create an egalitarian society. Social problems arise from fundamental faults in the structure of a society and both reflect and reinforce inequalities based on social class, race, gender, and other dimensions. Successful solutions to social problems must involve far-reaching change in the structure of society. Symbolic interactionism People construct their roles as they interact; they do not merely learn the roles that society has set out for them. As this interaction occurs, individuals negotiate their definitions of the situations in which they find themselves and socially construct the reality
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Explain why males commit more crime than females. Discuss whether social class differences exist in crime rates. Discuss whether racial/ethnic differences exist in crime rates. While people from all walks of life commit street crime, some people are still more likely than others to break the law because of their social backgrounds. These social backgrounds include their gender, age, social class, urban/rural residence, and race and ethnicity. Despite their inaccuracies, the three data sources discussed in the first section of this chapter all provide a similar picture of what kinds of people, in terms of their social backgrounds, are more or less likely to commit street crime. We briefly discuss each background in turn. Gender Simply put, males commit much more crime than females.
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
While people from all walks of life commit street crime, some people are still more likely than others to break the law because of their social backgrounds. These social backgrounds include their gender, age, social class, urban/rural residence, and race and ethnicity. Despite their inaccuracies, the three data sources discussed in the first section of this chapter all provide a similar picture of what kinds of people, in terms of their social backgrounds, are more or less likely to commit street crime. We briefly discuss each background in turn. Gender Simply put, males commit much more crime than females. In UCR data, men comprise about 81 percent of all arrests for violent crime and about 63 percent of all arrests for property crime. ( See Figure 8.3 "Gender and Arrest (Percentage of All Arrests)" .) In the NCVS, victims report that males commit most of the violent crimes they experienced, and self-report studies find that males far outpace females in the commission of serious street offenses. When it comes to breaking the law, crime is a man’s world. Figure 8.3 Gender and Arrest (Percentage of All Arrests) Source:
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
In UCR data, men comprise about 81 percent of all arrests for violent crime and about 63 percent of all arrests for property crime. ( See Figure 8.3 "Gender and Arrest (Percentage of All Arrests)" .) In the NCVS, victims report that males commit most of the violent crimes they experienced, and self-report studies find that males far outpace females in the commission of serious street offenses. When it comes to breaking the law, crime is a man’s world. Figure 8.3 Gender and Arrest (Percentage of All Arrests) Source: Data from Federal Bureau of Investigation. ( 2011). Crime in the United States, 2010. Washington, DC: Author.
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
Data from Federal Bureau of Investigation. ( 2011). Crime in the United States, 2010. Washington, DC: Author. The key question is why such a large gender difference exists. Some scholars attribute this difference to biological differences between the sexes, but most criminologists attribute it to sociological factors. One of these is gender role socialization: Despite greater recognition of gender roles, we continue to raise our boys to be assertive and aggressive, while we raise our girls to be gentle and nurturing (Lindsey, 2011). Lindsey, L. L. (2011).
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
The key question is why such a large gender difference exists. Some scholars attribute this difference to biological differences between the sexes, but most criminologists attribute it to sociological factors. One of these is gender role socialization: Despite greater recognition of gender roles, we continue to raise our boys to be assertive and aggressive, while we raise our girls to be gentle and nurturing (Lindsey, 2011). Lindsey, L. L. (2011). Gender roles: A sociological perspective (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Such gender socialization has many effects, and one of these is a large gender difference in criminal behavior.
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
Gender roles: A sociological perspective (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Such gender socialization has many effects, and one of these is a large gender difference in criminal behavior. A second factor is opportunity. Studies find that parents watch their daughters more closely than they watch their sons, who are allowed to stay out later at night and thus have more opportunity to break the law. Males have higher crime rates than females. An important reason for this gender difference is that boys are socialized to be assertive and aggressive, while girls are socialized to be gentle and nurturing. © Thinkstock Age Age also makes a difference in criminal behavior:
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
A second factor is opportunity. Studies find that parents watch their daughters more closely than they watch their sons, who are allowed to stay out later at night and thus have more opportunity to break the law. Males have higher crime rates than females. An important reason for this gender difference is that boys are socialized to be assertive and aggressive, while girls are socialized to be gentle and nurturing. © Thinkstock Age Age also makes a difference in criminal behavior: Offending rates are highest in the late teens and early twenties and decline thereafter. Accordingly, people in the 15–24 age range account for about 40 percent of all arrests even though they comprise only about 14 percent of the population. Several factors again seem to account for this pattern (Shoemaker, 2010). Shoemaker, D. J. (2010). Theories of delinquency:
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
Offending rates are highest in the late teens and early twenties and decline thereafter. Accordingly, people in the 15–24 age range account for about 40 percent of all arrests even though they comprise only about 14 percent of the population. Several factors again seem to account for this pattern (Shoemaker, 2010). Shoemaker, D. J. (2010). Theories of delinquency: An examination of explanations of delinquent behavior (6th ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. First, peer relationships matter more during this time of one’s life than later, and peers are also more likely during this period than later to be offenders themselves. For both reasons, our peer relationships during our teens and early twenties are more likely than those in our later years to draw us into crime.
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
An examination of explanations of delinquent behavior (6th ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. First, peer relationships matter more during this time of one’s life than later, and peers are also more likely during this period than later to be offenders themselves. For both reasons, our peer relationships during our teens and early twenties are more likely than those in our later years to draw us into crime. Second, adolescents and young adults are more likely than older adults to lack full-time jobs; for this reason, they are more likely to need money and thus to commit offenses to obtain money and other possessions. Third, as we age out of our early twenties, our ties to conventional society increase: Many people marry, have children, and begin full-time employment, though not necessarily in that order. These events and bonds increase our stakes in conformity, to use some social science jargon, and thus reduce our desire to break the law (Laub, Sampson, & Sweeten, 2006).
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
Second, adolescents and young adults are more likely than older adults to lack full-time jobs; for this reason, they are more likely to need money and thus to commit offenses to obtain money and other possessions. Third, as we age out of our early twenties, our ties to conventional society increase: Many people marry, have children, and begin full-time employment, though not necessarily in that order. These events and bonds increase our stakes in conformity, to use some social science jargon, and thus reduce our desire to break the law (Laub, Sampson, & Sweeten, 2006). Laub, J. H., Sampson, R. J., & Sweeten, G. A. (2006). Assessing Sampson and Laub’s life-course theory of crime. In F. T. Cullen (Ed.), Taking stock: The status of criminological theory (Vol.
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
Laub, J. H., Sampson, R. J., & Sweeten, G. A. (2006). Assessing Sampson and Laub’s life-course theory of crime. In F. T. Cullen (Ed.), Taking stock: The status of criminological theory (Vol. 15, pp. 313–333). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction. Social Class Findings on social class differences in crime are less clear than they are for gender or age differences.
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
15, pp. 313–333). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction. Social Class Findings on social class differences in crime are less clear than they are for gender or age differences. Arrests statistics and much research indicate that poor people are much more likely than wealthier people to commit street crime. However, some scholars attribute the greater arrests of poor people to social class bias against them. Despite this possibility, most criminologists would probably agree that social class differences in criminal offending are “unmistakable” (Harris & Shaw, 2000, p. 138). Harris, A. R., & Shaw, J. A. W. (2000). Looking for patterns:
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
Arrests statistics and much research indicate that poor people are much more likely than wealthier people to commit street crime. However, some scholars attribute the greater arrests of poor people to social class bias against them. Despite this possibility, most criminologists would probably agree that social class differences in criminal offending are “unmistakable” (Harris & Shaw, 2000, p. 138). Harris, A. R., & Shaw, J. A. W. (2000). Looking for patterns: Race, class, and crime. In J. F.Sheley (Ed.), Criminology: A contemporary handbook (3rd ed., pp.
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
Race, class, and crime. In J. F.Sheley (Ed.), Criminology: A contemporary handbook (3rd ed., pp. 129–163). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Reflecting this conclusion, one sociologist has even noted, with tongue only partly in cheek, that social scientists know they should not “stroll the streets at night in certain parts of town or even to park there” and that areas of cities that frighten them are “not upper-income neighborhoods” (Stark, 1987, p. 894). Stark, R. (1987).
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
129–163). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Reflecting this conclusion, one sociologist has even noted, with tongue only partly in cheek, that social scientists know they should not “stroll the streets at night in certain parts of town or even to park there” and that areas of cities that frighten them are “not upper-income neighborhoods” (Stark, 1987, p. 894). Stark, R. (1987). Deviant places: A theory of the ecology of crime. Criminology, 25, 893–911. Thus social class does seem to be associated with street crime, with poor individuals doing more than their fair share. Explanations of this relationship center on the effects of poverty, which, as the next section will discuss further, is said to produce anger, frustration, and economic need and to be associated with a need for respect and with poor parenting skills and other problems that make children more likely to commit antisocial behavior when they reach adolescence and beyond.
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
Deviant places: A theory of the ecology of crime. Criminology, 25, 893–911. Thus social class does seem to be associated with street crime, with poor individuals doing more than their fair share. Explanations of this relationship center on the effects of poverty, which, as the next section will discuss further, is said to produce anger, frustration, and economic need and to be associated with a need for respect and with poor parenting skills and other problems that make children more likely to commit antisocial behavior when they reach adolescence and beyond. These effects combine to lead poor people to be more likely than wealthier people to commit street crime, even if it is true that most poor people do not commit street crime at all. Although the poor are more likely than the wealthy to commit street crime, it is also true that the wealthy are much more likely than the poor to commit white-collar crime, which, as argued earlier, can be much more harmful than street crime. If we consider both street crime and white-collar crime, then there does not appear to be a social class-crime relationship, since the poor have higher rates of the former and the wealthy have higher rates of the latter. Urban versus Rural Residence Where we live also makes a difference for our likelihood of committing crime. We saw earlier that big cities have a much higher homicide rate than small towns.
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
These effects combine to lead poor people to be more likely than wealthier people to commit street crime, even if it is true that most poor people do not commit street crime at all. Although the poor are more likely than the wealthy to commit street crime, it is also true that the wealthy are much more likely than the poor to commit white-collar crime, which, as argued earlier, can be much more harmful than street crime. If we consider both street crime and white-collar crime, then there does not appear to be a social class-crime relationship, since the poor have higher rates of the former and the wealthy have higher rates of the latter. Urban versus Rural Residence Where we live also makes a difference for our likelihood of committing crime. We saw earlier that big cities have a much higher homicide rate than small towns. This trend exists for violent crime and property crime more generally. Urban areas have high crime rates in part because they are poor, but poverty by itself does not completely explain the urban-rural difference in crime, since many rural areas are poor as well. A key factor that explains the higher crime rates of urban areas is their greater population density (Stark 1987). Stark, R. (1987). Deviant places:
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
This trend exists for violent crime and property crime more generally. Urban areas have high crime rates in part because they are poor, but poverty by itself does not completely explain the urban-rural difference in crime, since many rural areas are poor as well. A key factor that explains the higher crime rates of urban areas is their greater population density (Stark 1987). Stark, R. (1987). Deviant places: A theory of the ecology of crime. Criminology, 25, 893–911. When many people live close together, they come into contact with one another more often. This fact means that teenagers and young adults have more peers to influence them to commit crime, and it also means that potential criminals have more targets (people and homes) for their criminal activity. Urban areas also have many bars, convenience stores, and other businesses that can become targets for potential criminals, and bars, taverns, and other settings for drinking can obviously become settings where tempers flare and violence ensues.
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
A theory of the ecology of crime. Criminology, 25, 893–911. When many people live close together, they come into contact with one another more often. This fact means that teenagers and young adults have more peers to influence them to commit crime, and it also means that potential criminals have more targets (people and homes) for their criminal activity. Urban areas also have many bars, convenience stores, and other businesses that can become targets for potential criminals, and bars, taverns, and other settings for drinking can obviously become settings where tempers flare and violence ensues. Race and Ethnicity In discussing who commits crime, any discussion of race and ethnicity is bound to arouse controversy because of the possibility of racial and ethnic stereotyping. But if we can say that men and younger people have relatively high crime rates without necessarily sounding biased against individuals who are male or younger, then it should be possible to acknowledge that certain racial and ethnic groups have higher crime rates without sounding biased against them. Keeping this in mind, race and ethnicity do seem to be related to criminal offending. In particular, much research finds that African Americans and Latinos have higher rates of street crime than non-Latino whites. For example, although African Americans comprise about 13 percent of the US population, they account for about 39 percent of all arrests for violent crime (see Figure 8.4 "Race and Arrest for Violent Crime (Percentage of All Violent Crime Arrests)" ).
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
Race and Ethnicity In discussing who commits crime, any discussion of race and ethnicity is bound to arouse controversy because of the possibility of racial and ethnic stereotyping. But if we can say that men and younger people have relatively high crime rates without necessarily sounding biased against individuals who are male or younger, then it should be possible to acknowledge that certain racial and ethnic groups have higher crime rates without sounding biased against them. Keeping this in mind, race and ethnicity do seem to be related to criminal offending. In particular, much research finds that African Americans and Latinos have higher rates of street crime than non-Latino whites. For example, although African Americans comprise about 13 percent of the US population, they account for about 39 percent of all arrests for violent crime (see Figure 8.4 "Race and Arrest for Violent Crime (Percentage of All Violent Crime Arrests)" ). Figure 8.4 Race and Arrest for Violent Crime (Percentage of All Violent Crime Arrests) Source: Data from Federal Bureau of Investigation. ( 2011). Crime in the United States, 2010. Washington, DC:
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
Figure 8.4 Race and Arrest for Violent Crime (Percentage of All Violent Crime Arrests) Source: Data from Federal Bureau of Investigation. ( 2011). Crime in the United States, 2010. Washington, DC: Author. Latinos also have higher crime rates than non-Latino whites, but lower rates than those for African Americans. Although racial and ethnic bias by the criminal justice system may account for some of these racial/ethnic differences in offending, most criminologists agree that such differences do in fact exist for serious street crimes (Walker, Spohn, & DeLone, 2012). Walker, S., Spohn, C., & DeLone, M. (2012). The color of justice:
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
Author. Latinos also have higher crime rates than non-Latino whites, but lower rates than those for African Americans. Although racial and ethnic bias by the criminal justice system may account for some of these racial/ethnic differences in offending, most criminologists agree that such differences do in fact exist for serious street crimes (Walker, Spohn, & DeLone, 2012). Walker, S., Spohn, C., & DeLone, M. (2012). The color of justice: Race, ethnicity, and crime in America (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Why do these differences exist? A racist explanation would attribute them to biological inferiority of the groups, African Americans and Latinos, with the relatively high rates of offending.
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
Race, ethnicity, and crime in America (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Why do these differences exist? A racist explanation would attribute them to biological inferiority of the groups, African Americans and Latinos, with the relatively high rates of offending. Such explanations were popular several generations ago but fortunately lost favor as time passed and attitudes changed. Today, scholars attribute racial/ethnic differences in offending to several sociological factors (Unnever & Gabbidon, 2011). Unnever, J. D., & Gabbidon, S. L. (2011). A theory of African American offending: Race, racism, and crime.
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Who Commits Crime?
8.3 Who Commits Crime? 8.3 Who Commits Crime? Learning Objectives Gender Age Social Class Urban versus Rural Residence Race and Ethnicity Key Takeaways
Such explanations were popular several generations ago but fortunately lost favor as time passed and attitudes changed. Today, scholars attribute racial/ethnic differences in offending to several sociological factors (Unnever & Gabbidon, 2011). Unnever, J. D., & Gabbidon, S. L. (2011). A theory of African American offending: Race, racism, and crime. New York, NY: Routledge. First, African Americans and Latinos are much poorer than whites on the ave
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Sociological Perspectives on the Family
10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family 10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family Learning Objective Social Functions of the Family The Family and Conflict Applying Social Research Families and Social Interaction Key Takeaways
Sociological Perspectives on the Family 10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family Learning Objective Summarize understandings of the family as presented by functional, conflict, and social interactionist theories. Sociological views on today’s families and their problems generally fall into the functional, conflict, and social interactionist approaches introduced in Chapter 1 "Understanding Social Problems". Let’s review these views, which are summarized in Table 10.1 "Theory Snapshot". Table 10.1 Theory Snapshot Theoretical perspective Major assumptions Functionalism The family performs several essential functions for society. It socializes children, it provides emotional and practical support for its members, it helps regulate sexual activity and sexual reproduction, and it provides its members with a social identity. Family problems stem from sudden or far-reaching changes in the family’s structure or processes; these problems threaten the family’s stability and weaken society. Conflict theory The family contributes to social inequality by reinforcing economic inequality and by reinforcing patriarchy. Family problems stem from economic inequality and from patriarchal ideology. The family can also be a source of conflict, including physical violence and emotional cruelty, for its own members.
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Sociological Perspectives on the Family
10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family 10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family Learning Objective Social Functions of the Family The Family and Conflict Applying Social Research Families and Social Interaction Key Takeaways
Family problems stem from sudden or far-reaching changes in the family’s structure or processes; these problems threaten the family’s stability and weaken society. Conflict theory The family contributes to social inequality by reinforcing economic inequality and by reinforcing patriarchy. Family problems stem from economic inequality and from patriarchal ideology. The family can also be a source of conflict, including physical violence and emotional cruelty, for its own members. Symbolic interactionism The interaction of family members and intimate couples involves shared understandings of their situations. Wives and husbands have different styles of communication, and social class affects the expectations that spouses have of their marriages and of each other. Family problems stem from different understandings and expectations that spouses have of their marriage. Social Functions of the Family Recall that the functional perspective emphasizes that social institutions perform several important functions to help preserve social stability and otherwise keep a society working. A functional understanding of the family thus stresses the ways in which the family as a social institution helps make society possible.
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Sociological Perspectives on the Family
10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family 10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family Learning Objective Social Functions of the Family The Family and Conflict Applying Social Research Families and Social Interaction Key Takeaways
Symbolic interactionism The interaction of family members and intimate couples involves shared understandings of their situations. Wives and husbands have different styles of communication, and social class affects the expectations that spouses have of their marriages and of each other. Family problems stem from different understandings and expectations that spouses have of their marriage. Social Functions of the Family Recall that the functional perspective emphasizes that social institutions perform several important functions to help preserve social stability and otherwise keep a society working. A functional understanding of the family thus stresses the ways in which the family as a social institution helps make society possible. As such, the family performs several important functions. First, the family is the primary unit for socializing children. No society is possible without adequate socialization of its young. In most societies, the family is the major unit in which socialization happens. Parents, siblings, and, if the family is extended rather than nuclear, other relatives all help socialize children from the time they are born.
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Sociological Perspectives on the Family
10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family 10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family Learning Objective Social Functions of the Family The Family and Conflict Applying Social Research Families and Social Interaction Key Takeaways
As such, the family performs several important functions. First, the family is the primary unit for socializing children. No society is possible without adequate socialization of its young. In most societies, the family is the major unit in which socialization happens. Parents, siblings, and, if the family is extended rather than nuclear, other relatives all help socialize children from the time they are born. One of the most important functions of the family is the socialization of children. In most societies the family is the major unit through which socialization occurs. © Thinkstock Second, the family is ideally a major source of practical and emotional support for its members. It provides them food, clothing, shelter, and other essentials, and it also provides them love, comfort, and help in times of emotional distress, and other types of support. Third, the family helps regulate sexual activity and sexual reproduction.
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Sociological Perspectives on the Family
10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family 10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family Learning Objective Social Functions of the Family The Family and Conflict Applying Social Research Families and Social Interaction Key Takeaways
One of the most important functions of the family is the socialization of children. In most societies the family is the major unit through which socialization occurs. © Thinkstock Second, the family is ideally a major source of practical and emotional support for its members. It provides them food, clothing, shelter, and other essentials, and it also provides them love, comfort, and help in times of emotional distress, and other types of support. Third, the family helps regulate sexual activity and sexual reproduction. All societies have norms governing with whom and how often a person should have sex. The family is the major unit for teaching these norms and the major unit through which sexual reproduction occurs. One reason for this is to ensure that infants have adequate emotional and practical care when they are born. Fourth, the family provides its members with a social identity. Children are born into their parents’ social class, race and ethnicity, religion, and so forth.
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Sociological Perspectives on the Family
10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family 10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family Learning Objective Social Functions of the Family The Family and Conflict Applying Social Research Families and Social Interaction Key Takeaways
All societies have norms governing with whom and how often a person should have sex. The family is the major unit for teaching these norms and the major unit through which sexual reproduction occurs. One reason for this is to ensure that infants have adequate emotional and practical care when they are born. Fourth, the family provides its members with a social identity. Children are born into their parents’ social class, race and ethnicity, religion, and so forth. Some children have advantages throughout life because of the social identity they acquire from their parents, while others face many obstacles because the social class or race/ethnicity into which they are born is at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Beyond discussing the family’s functions, the functional perspective on the family maintains that sudden or far-reaching changes in conventional family structure and processes threaten the family’s stability and thus that of society. For example, most sociology and marriage-and-family textbooks during the 1950s maintained that the male breadwinner–female homemaker nuclear family was the best arrangement for children, as it provided for a family’s economic and child-rearing needs. Any shift in this arrangement, they warned, would harm children and, by extension, the family as a social institution and even society itself. Textbooks no longer contain this warning, but many conservative observers continue to worry about the impact on children of working mothers and one-parent families.
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Sociological Perspectives on the Family
10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family 10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family Learning Objective Social Functions of the Family The Family and Conflict Applying Social Research Families and Social Interaction Key Takeaways
Some children have advantages throughout life because of the social identity they acquire from their parents, while others face many obstacles because the social class or race/ethnicity into which they are born is at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Beyond discussing the family’s functions, the functional perspective on the family maintains that sudden or far-reaching changes in conventional family structure and processes threaten the family’s stability and thus that of society. For example, most sociology and marriage-and-family textbooks during the 1950s maintained that the male breadwinner–female homemaker nuclear family was the best arrangement for children, as it provided for a family’s economic and child-rearing needs. Any shift in this arrangement, they warned, would harm children and, by extension, the family as a social institution and even society itself. Textbooks no longer contain this warning, but many conservative observers continue to worry about the impact on children of working mothers and one-parent families. We return to their concerns shortly. The Family and Conflict Conflict theorists agree that the family serves the important functions just listed, but they also point to problems within the family that the functional perspective minimizes or overlooks altogether. First, the family as a social institution contributes to social inequality. Because families pass along their wealth to their children, and because families differ greatly in the amount of wealth they have, the family helps reinforce existing inequality. As it developed through the centuries, and especially during industrialization, the family also became more and more of a patriarchal unit (since men made money working in factories while women stayed home), helping to reinforce men’s status at the top of the social hierarchy.
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Sociological Perspectives on the Family
10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family 10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family Learning Objective Social Functions of the Family The Family and Conflict Applying Social Research Families and Social Interaction Key Takeaways
We return to their concerns shortly. The Family and Conflict Conflict theorists agree that the family serves the important functions just listed, but they also point to problems within the family that the functional perspective minimizes or overlooks altogether. First, the family as a social institution contributes to social inequality. Because families pass along their wealth to their children, and because families differ greatly in the amount of wealth they have, the family helps reinforce existing inequality. As it developed through the centuries, and especially during industrialization, the family also became more and more of a patriarchal unit (since men made money working in factories while women stayed home), helping to reinforce men’s status at the top of the social hierarchy. Second, the family can also be a source of conflict for its own members. Although the functional perspective assumes the family provides its members emotional comfort and support, many families do just the opposite and are far from the harmonious, happy groups depicted in the 1950s television shows. Instead, they argue, shout, and use emotional cruelty and physical violence. We return to family violence later in this chapter. The conflict perspective emphasizes that many of the problems we see in today’s families stem from economic inequality and from patriarchy.
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Sociological Perspectives on the Family
10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family 10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family Learning Objective Social Functions of the Family The Family and Conflict Applying Social Research Families and Social Interaction Key Takeaways
Second, the family can also be a source of conflict for its own members. Although the functional perspective assumes the family provides its members emotional comfort and support, many families do just the opposite and are far from the harmonious, happy groups depicted in the 1950s television shows. Instead, they argue, shout, and use emotional cruelty and physical violence. We return to family violence later in this chapter. The conflict perspective emphasizes that many of the problems we see in today’s families stem from economic inequality and from patriarchy. The problems that many families experience reflect the fact that they live in poverty or near poverty. Money does not always bring happiness, but a dire lack of money produces stress and other difficulties that impair a family’s functioning and relationships. The Note 10.9 "Applying Social Research" box discusses other ways in which social class influences the family. Conflict within a family also stems from patriarchy. Husbands usually earn more money than wives, and many men continue to feel that they are the head of their families.
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Sociological Perspectives on the Family
10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family 10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family Learning Objective Social Functions of the Family The Family and Conflict Applying Social Research Families and Social Interaction Key Takeaways
The problems that many families experience reflect the fact that they live in poverty or near poverty. Money does not always bring happiness, but a dire lack of money produces stress and other difficulties that impair a family’s functioning and relationships. The Note 10.9 "Applying Social Research" box discusses other ways in which social class influences the family. Conflict within a family also stems from patriarchy. Husbands usually earn more money than wives, and many men continue to feel that they are the head of their families. When women resist this old-fashioned notion, spousal conflict occurs. Applying Social Research Social Class and the Family A growing amount of social science research documents social class differences in how well a family functions: the quality of its relationships and the cognitive, psychological, and social development of its children. This focus reflects the fact that what happens during the first months and years of life may have profound effects on how well a newborn prospers during childhood, adolescence, and beyond. To the extent this is true, the social class differences that have been found have troublesome implications.
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Sociological Perspectives on the Family
10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family 10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family Learning Objective Social Functions of the Family The Family and Conflict Applying Social Research Families and Social Interaction Key Takeaways
When women resist this old-fashioned notion, spousal conflict occurs. Applying Social Research Social Class and the Family A growing amount of social science research documents social class differences in how well a family functions: the quality of its relationships and the cognitive, psychological, and social development of its children. This focus reflects the fact that what happens during the first months and years of life may have profound effects on how well a newborn prospers during childhood, adolescence, and beyond. To the extent this is true, the social class differences that have been found have troublesome implications. According to sociologist Frank E. Furstenberg Jr., “steep differences exist across social classes” in mothers’ prenatal experiences, such as the quality of their diet and health care, as well as in the health care that their infants receive. As a result, he says, “children enter the world endowed unequally.” This inequality worsens after they are born for several reasons. First, low-income families are much more likely to experience negative events, such as death, poor health, unemployment, divorce, and criminal victimization. When these negative events do occur, says Furstenberg, “social class affects a family’s ability to cushion their blow…Life is simply harder and more brutish at the bottom.”
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Sociological Perspectives on the Family
10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family 10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family Learning Objective Social Functions of the Family The Family and Conflict Applying Social Research Families and Social Interaction Key Takeaways
According to sociologist Frank E. Furstenberg Jr., “steep differences exist across social classes” in mothers’ prenatal experiences, such as the quality of their diet and health care, as well as in the health care that their infants receive. As a result, he says, “children enter the world endowed unequally.” This inequality worsens after they are born for several reasons. First, low-income families are much more likely to experience negative events, such as death, poor health, unemployment, divorce, and criminal victimization. When these negative events do occur, says Furstenberg, “social class affects a family’s ability to cushion their blow…Life is simply harder and more brutish at the bottom.” These negative events produce great amounts of stress; as Chapter 2 "Poverty" discussed, this stress in turn causes children to experience various developmental problems. Second, low-income parents are much less likely to read and speak regularly to their infants and young children, who thus are slower to develop cognitive and reading skills; this problem in turn impairs their school performance when they enter elementary school. Third, low-income parents are also less able to expose their children to cultural experiences (e.g., museum visits) outside the home, to develop their talents in the arts and other areas, and to otherwise be involved in the many nonschool activities that are important for a child’s development.
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http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-social-problems/s13-02-sociological-perspectives-on-t.html
Sociological Perspectives on the Family
10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family 10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family Learning Objective Social Functions of the Family The Family and Conflict Applying Social Research Families and Social Interaction Key Takeaways
These negative events produce great amounts of stress; as Chapter 2 "Poverty" discussed, this stress in turn causes children to experience various developmental problems. Second, low-income parents are much less likely to read and speak regularly to their infants and young children, who thus are slower to develop cognitive and reading skills; this problem in turn impairs their school performance when they enter elementary school. Third, low-income parents are also less able to expose their children to cultural experiences (e.g., museum visits) outside the home, to develop their talents in the arts and other areas, and to otherwise be involved in the many nonschool activities that are important for a child’s development. In contrast, wealthier parents keep their children very busy in these activities in a pattern that sociologist Annette Lareau calls concerted cultivation. These children’s involvement in these activities provides them various life skills that help enhance their performance in school and later in the workplace. Fourth, low-income children grow up in low-income neighborhoods, which often have inadequate schools and many other problems, including toxins such as lead paint, that impair a child’s development. In contrast, says Furstenberg, children from wealthier families “are very likely to attend better schools and live in better neighborhoods. It is as if the playing field for families is tilted in ways that are barely visible to the naked eye.”
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