Gotham City Council of Communication

Current Members: Rachael, Katie, Batman, Brianna, Micah, and Maggie

Who Are We?

• What We Do: Assist Batman in outsmarting villains and communicating to civilians

• Our Goal: To educate ourselves and the class in a fun, and entertaining way about interpersonal communication

Today’s Meeting:

• Interpersonal CommunicationTheoretical Foundations Development of RelationshipsManaging RelationshipsSelf- Disclosure

•During today’s meeting random questions will determine if you will be a part of the Gotham City Council!

Connecting with Others via Interpersonal Communication

•Connecting with others and forming relationships•Differ from situation to situation

Relationships

•An association between at least two people•Can also be described as:• In levels of intimacy•Roles•Time spent together•Shared Activities•Situation / Happenstance

Interpersonal Communication

•Creating and sharing meaning between persons who are in a relationship• Is it only an interaction among those having close relationships?

Ka-Pow! Quiz Time:

1. What city does Batman fight to protect?a. Motham Cityb. Gotham Cityc. Gotham Kittyd. Bikini Bottom

Theories of Interpersonal Communication•Motivation for staying in relationships varies•Seven Theories:•Uncertainty Reduction Theory•Uncertainty Management Theory•Social Information Processing Theory•Social Penetration Theory•Social Exchange Theory• Interpersonal Needs Theory•Dialectical Theory

Uncertainty Reduction Theory

•Our desire to know about others•Seek to reduce uncertainty about each other•Attractiveness

Uncertainty Reduction Theory

Drive to reduce uncertainty is motivated by:•Anticipation of future contact• Incentive Value / Reward•Deviance

Uncertainty Reduction Theory

•Always begin as strangers!•Necessary for development•Berger’s Three Strategies Used to Learn About Others:•Passive•Active• Interactive

Ka-Pow! Quiz Time:

2. Relationships can be defined as:a. Rolesb. Time spent togetherc. Shared activitiesd. All of the above

Uncertainty Management Theory:• Dale Brashers developed this theory to further refine

uncertainty reduction theory• Three main features• interpretation and experience of uncertainty• effect of emotion related to uncertainty• ways communication and emotion are managed

when uncertainty exists.• 4 Ways to manage uncertainty• those who live with lots of uncertainty learn to adapt

to it• to rely on social support of others to cope• to balance the need to know with the desire not to

know• to learn which information to trust and which

information to ignore

Ka-Pow! Activity Time!

•How well can you communicate yourself?

•How well can you communicate an image you want to portray?

Directions:First exercise: pair up with the person you sit next to and get to know them as best you can in 1 minute. 

Use these questions to guide your conversation:• What is your partner's name?• What do they like to do in

their free time?• Where do they work?

Second Exercise: use your same partner and get to know them using the same conversation but with a new spin. This time you are going to act as if you have never met this person before until now, but you are trying to impress them by giving a false image of yourself.For example:• Your name is___________• Your an astronaut on vacation

before your mission to mars• You spend your free time

donating all your money to charity and saving kittens

Social Information Processing Theory•Developed by Joe Walther• An interpersonal communication theory suggesting

that electronically mediate relationships grow only to the extent that people gain information about each other and use it to form impressions• Verbal Cues• Extended time

• Social Media• Allows us to be friends with people we have never

met• Positive impressions of each other• Allows us to create a cyber-image (persona) without

nonverbal communication

Ka-Pow! Quiz Time:

3. How did Batman’s parents die?a. They were burned by McDonald’s Café

coffeeb. They sank with the Titanic c. Duh! They’re alived. They were shot outside a theatre

Social Penetration Theory

•Developed by social psychologist Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor• Social penetration is the process of increasing disclosure and intimacy in a relationships•How people connect with each other and how their communication moves from small talk to more intimate and self revealing talk. • Long lasting relationships need depth and breadth• Depth of penetration: Personal information and

intimacy about one’s self• Breadth of penetration: The range of what we

disclose to another person

Social Exchange Theory•Developed by social psychologist John W. Thibaut and Harold H. Kelley• Weighing the costs and benefits associated with entering a relationship• Benefit- Anything that we perceive to improve our self interest.• Costs- negative things or behaviors that we perceive to be not

beneficial to our self interest.•When we first meet someone, we mentally weigh the potential rewards and costs of creating a relationship with that person.• Social exchange theory implies that if the benefits gained in a relationship are greater than any potential costs, then we

likely would regard the relationship positively.

Ka-Pow! Quiz Time:

4. Which answer below describes the breadth of penetration?

a. The range of spread in areas that are disclosed to others

b. When someone can smell your bad breathc. The deepness or intimacy of self-disclosure

to othersd. Batman’s grappling hook

Interpersonal Needs Theory•Theory by Will Schutz•Definition: A theory that provides insight into or motivation to communicate. Theory consists of three needs: affection, inclusion, and control.• Interpersonal needs vary with circumstance•Understanding interpersonal needs helps us to see how they influence and motivate our interactions with othersExample: Each time The Joker tells how he got his scars, he changes it to fit each circumstance.

The Need for Affection

•The need to feel likeable or loveable•People join social groups to fulfill this need•Schutz theory: a person who seems to be liked by many and therefor has fulfilled this need is referred to as personal•Kory Floyd found that people who give and receive affection are generally healthier and happier than those who receive or give little affection

The Need for Inclusion

•Encompasses our need to feel significant and worthwhile•Schutz describes people in terms of need•Social: Satisfied their needs for inclusion•Undersocial: do not like being around other people; find communicating with others threatening•Oversocial: Cannot stop themselves from getting involved and communicating with others; fears being ignored by others

Ka-Pow! Quiz Time:

5. Who is Batman’s sidekick?a. Robin b. Penguinc. Blue-footed Boobyd. Flamingo

The Need for Control•Our motivation for power or influence in our relationships

Dialectical Theory

•An interpersonal communication theory that suggests that contradictory impulses push and pull us in conflicting directions with others

Example: Batman needs to save everyone in Gotham City at Harvey’s Party, but the Joker just threw Rachel out the

window? What should he do?

Three Dialectal Tensions

•Connection-autonomy: spending time with significant other vs. spending time by yourself…sometimes you want spend time with them but you don’t want to feel smothered. Needs to be balanced.•Openness-closedness: The desire to be open and expressive vs. wanting to be closed and private•Novelty-predictability

Ka-Pow! Quiz Time:

6. What defines the need for control?a. Feeling likeable or loveableb. Can be defined as social, undersocial,

or oversocial in societyc. Motivation for power or influence in our

relationshipsd. When Batman needs to control the

Joker

Managing Relational Tensions•Segmentation: is a tactic in which people compartmentalizes different aspects of their relationship.•Reframing: a strategy that allows tension to be redefined so that tension is dilated, is made less obvious, or is even made to disappear

•Moderation: characterized by compromises in which deals are struck to help reduce tensions

•Reaffirmation: strategy in which individuals recognize that dialectical tensions will always be present, and therefore you should accept them and even embrace the challenges they produce.

Ka-Pow! Quiz Time:

7. What vehicle does Batman drive?a. Cat Mobileb. Bat Mobilec. Wiener Mobiled. The Invisible Boat Mobile

Self-Disclosure

•Voluntary sharing of information about the self that another person is not likely to know•Occurs in caring relationships, it usually results in greater self-understanding and self-improvement.

Self-Presentation

•An intentional self-disclosure tactic used to reveal certain aspects about ourselves for specific reasons.•For example when in a job interview you get asked to talk about yourself and you tend to discuss your background, experiences, and accomplishments that is self-presenting yourself.

Catharsis

•Release of emotional tension, after an overwhelming experience, that restore or refreshes the spirit.

Ka-Pow! Quiz Time:

8. What is characterized by the compromises in which deals are made to help reduce tensions?

a. Stress ballsb. Moderationc. Segmentationd. Refraining

When Shouldn’t We Self-Disclose too Much?

Full-disclosure can be:•Harmful• Risky•Unwise• Insensitive•Damaging to relationships

Heart of disclosure

Usually withhold information:• to protect others• Avoid negative reactions

Must be based on personal judgment

Self-Disclosure and Privacy

•privacy- claim of individuals, groups, etc. to determine for themselves the extent of what is communicated about them to others•What may be appropriate for one situation, may not be for another•Privacy boundaries

Ka-Pow! Quiz Time:

9. Who is not one of Batman’s nemesis?a. The Jokerb. The Riddler c. Katied. Bane

Self-Disclosure and Gender

•Men and women communicate differently•Not all men and all women are the same in communicating• (wo)men tend to be….

Self-Disclosure and CultureCultural backgrounds•Contact•Closeness•Values•BeliefsIn general, the closer people get; they become friendly and share more

Self-Disclosure and Rhetoric SensitivityRhetoric sensitivity is a cautious approach to self disclosure, in which the situation and personal factors are taken into consideration.

Example: Batman is not very fond of Harvey Dent, but he takes Rachel’s feelings into consideration

Rhetorically Sensitive People:•Can balance self-interest with the interest of others•Tend to not change own values/ believes but understand values of others•Aware of the language they choose: non-sexual, non-homophobic, offensive jokes, etc.

Ka-Pow! Quiz Time:

10. What below is a true characteristic that rhetorically sensitive people possess?

a. Ability to balance self-interest with the interest of others

b. Tend to not change own values/beliefs but can relate to others values/beliefs

c. Aware of offensive language and tend not to use it

d. All of the Above

Pass the Test?

•Do you want to be a part of the Gotham City Council of Communication and help Batman fight crime?

(Yes, you get to wear a mask…)

Check Your Answers!1. B

2. D

3. D

4. A

5. A

6. C

7. B

8. B

9. C

10. D

Keep Calm

and Light the Bat-Signal