COMM 115 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: The Strongest
Document Summary
Climates exist on a continuum from confirming to disconfirming; most fall somewhere in between. Relationships usually don"t move abruptly from one spot on the continuum to a different spot; usually it is a gradual flow. The climates are based on martin buber"s relational levels of communication: The most basic form of confirmation is recognizing that another person exists. We do this with nonverbal behaviours and verbal communication. The second level of confirmation is acknowledgment of what another feels, thinks, or says. The strongest level of confirmation is endorsement; accepting another"s feelings or thoughts. Endorsement is not always possible if we are trying to be honest with others. Sometimes we cannot accept what another feels or thinks, so we cannot give an endorsing response. Jack gibb studied the relationship between communication and interpersonal climates. He identified six types of communication that foster confirming climates and six opposite types of communication that foster disconfirming climates.
