Communication 101
Communication is considered competent when it is both ________ and ________.
What are effective and appropriate?
You immediately form an impression of someone without deliberately thinking through it. What type of social cognition is this?
What is automatic cognition?
The dictionary or literal meaning of a word is called its ________.
What is denotation?
An event or moment that marks a change in a relationship—whether toward greater closeness, greater distance, or simply a different understanding—is called what?
What is a turning point?
Receiving sound is called hearing. Actively making sense of and responding to a message is called what?
What is listening?
During a conversation, Maya notices her friend becomes quiet after a joke, so Maya changes her tone and explains what she meant. Maya is adjusting her communication based on her friend’s reaction. What communication concept is she using?
What is feedback?
During a meeting, you notice that your classmate looked at their phone three times while you were speaking. Is that statement an observation or an interpretation?
What is an observation?
Someone says, “I’m fine,” but their voice is unusually quiet, their arms are crossed, and they avoid looking at you. The nonverbal message does not match the verbal message. What function is the nonverbal communication serving?
What is contradicting?
You want to spend more time with a close friend, but your friend wants more independence and time to themselves. Which relational dialectic does this tension represent?
What is connection–autonomy?
While your friend is explaining a problem, you are mentally planning what you are going to say as soon as they stop talking. What is interfering with your ability to listen effectively?
What is planning your response instead of attending to the speaker?
Two people hear the exact same statement—“That’s fine”—but interpret it differently because of the situation in which it was said. What communication concept helps explain why the same message can have different meanings?
What is context?
Your roommate leaves dirty dishes in the sink, and you immediately decide, “They’re just a lazy person,” without considering that they’ve been working double shifts all week. What perception error are you making?
What is the fundamental attribution error?
Instead of saying, “You’re unreliable,” you say, “You arrived after our agreed meeting time on Monday and Wednesday.” What communication improvement did you make?
What is using specific, behavior-focused language?
You tell a close friend about something personal that you normally would not share with most people. What relationship-development behavior are you demonstrating?
What is self-disclosure?
Your classmate says, “I’ve been working extra hours lately, and I’m having a hard time keeping up with school.” You respond, “It sounds like balancing work and school has become overwhelming for you.” What active-listening skill are you using?
What is paraphrasing?
A student understands several communication strategies and knows how to use them, but chooses not to put any effort into communicating effectively during a group project. Which part of communication competence is missing?
What is motivation?
A coworker arrives late to a meeting. Instead of assuming they are irresponsible, you consider that unusually heavy traffic may have delayed them. What type of attribution are you making?
What is a situational attribution?
A professor explains the same concept differently to a first-year student than to a classmate who already knows the terminology. What communication skill is the professor demonstrating?
What is listener adaptation?
Two close friends make a point of checking in regularly, spending time together, and addressing problems when they arise. What relationship process are they practicing?
What is relationship maintenance?
During a conversation, you realize you’re not completely sure what the speaker means, so you ask, “When you say you felt left out, what part of the situation made you feel that way?” What active-listening skill are you using?
What is asking a clarifying question?
Jordan knows what an “I” statement is and genuinely wants to handle a conflict well, but when the conversation begins, Jordan cannot actually put the strategy into practice. Which part of communication competence is Jordan lacking?
What is skill?
A friend has canceled plans with you twice. Instead of assuming they no longer want to spend time with you, you describe what you’ve noticed, offer two possible explanations, and ask what’s going on. What communication skill are you using?
What is perception checking?
During a disagreement, instead of saying, “You clearly don’t care what I think,” you say, “I felt frustrated when the plan changed without us discussing it first.” What verbal communication skill does the revised message demonstrate?
What is owning your message?
You notice that a close friend has recently started responding less often and giving shorter replies. What is the most competent conclusion to make based on that change?
What is: the communication pattern has changed, but we do not yet know why?
Put the five parts of the active-listening process in the correct order: responding, remembering, attending, critically evaluating, understanding.
What is Attending → Understanding → Remembering → Critically Evaluating → Responding?