Policy and Research ANTA Toolbox
CHCCOM4A
Handout 7: Communication Climate
One useful concept is that of the communication climate. What does
climate have to do with communication? Consider the following words,
and think about the quality of communication they are meant to convey:
heated, steamy, warm, lukewarm, cool, cold, frosty, icy, chilly, stormy,
turbulent, under a cloud, a good/bad atmosphere.
You can see our ways of describing the weather and our ways of
describing communication have a lot in common! Like the weather,
communication patterns between people form a system. Systems have
their own dynamics, meaning they can take on 'a life of their own'. How
often have we spent time (especially in a relationship breakdown) trying
to analyse who said what, and why, and when? We may be trying to find a
single explanation for some catastrophic breakdown. What we need to
appreciate is that in a negative climate, communications are more likely to
spiral down into a sour, then volatile state of affairs. Behaviours such as
blaming, defensiveness, indifference, interrupting, judging, and
argumentativeness (to name a few) can quickly escalate a bad situation
into a worse one, sometimes to the point of crisis.
The good news is that things can spiral up too, and a positive climate will
reinforce its own dynamics just as a negative one does. Behaviours like
empathising, listening, affirming, acknowledging, being solution focused,
and non-judgmental can help create a climate of trust, openness, and
agreement.
Sometimes you will need to try and transform the climate from a negative
to a positive one - climate control if you like. Jack Gibb's Categories of
Defensive and Supportive Behaviour, below, lists the types of behaviours
than can warm up or chill the communication climate.
Communication Climate:
Handout 7 for Job 4 – Managing Communication
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Policy and Research ANTA Toolbox
CHCCOM4A
Defensive and Supportive Message Behaviour
A supportive communication climate encourages open, constructive,
honest and effective interaction. A defensive climate, on the other hand,
leads to competitive and destructive conflict. The competent
communicator strives to maintain a supportive communication climate.
Defensive Behaviour
Supportive Behaviour
Evaluative:
Descriptive:
The evaluative message is engulfed
in judgement. The message can be
blatantly evaluative or can carry
non-verbal overtones of judgement.
"When are you going to start
coming to meetings prepared?"
Control:
Descriptive messages are clear and
specific assertions. The creator of
descriptive messages strives to
avoid loaded words and is aware of
non-verbal cues.
Control messages are not honest
attempts to persuade, but rather,
attempts to impose one's will on
others by coercion or manipulation?
"If we knew what we were doing,
we would..."
Strategy:
This message poses an invitation to
the group to work together on
finding a solution to a mutual
problem. This approach focuses on
the issues.
Strategic messages convey an air of
deceiving, or misleading. Although
the receiver's perception plays a
central role, speakers should
attempt to avoid producing
strategic messages.
Neutrality:
Spontaneous messages are
characterised by openness and
honesty. This forthright message
indicates that the speaker's
contribution is unplanned and free
of ulterior motives.
Empathy:
The neutral message demonstrates
a lack of empathy or interest "I
don't care what this group does."
The empathetic message is
responsive to others' feelings and
thoughts. It conveys understanding
and interest.
Equality:
Superiority:
These messages not only attempt to
portray the speaker as superior but
also imply the inferiority or
inadequacy of the listener. These
messages also discourage
interaction since the speakers is
indicating a lack of desire for input
or feedback.
Handout 7 for Job 4 – Managing Communication
Problem Orientation:
Spontaneity:
These messages indicate worth in
the other and in others'
contributions. An equality message
asks for others' input and follows up
with confirmation or clarification of
others' comments.
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Certainty:
Provisionalism:
Certainty messages portray
something as an absolute. The
creator of these messages sees the
world in black and white, and
believes to have a corner on the
reality market.
SOURCE:
The provisional message poses a
point of view, but with an open
attitude. This is an invitation to
investigate or explore alternatives.
Gibb, J. (1961). Defensive communication. Journal of Communication, 11,
141-148.
Handout 7 for Job 4 – Managing Communication
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