Running head: COMMUNICATION THEORIES BEHIND ARTFUL EXPEDITIONS
Communication Theories Behind Artful Expeditions
Sarah Henderson
Kent State University
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COMMUNICATION THEORIES BEHIND ARTFUL EXPEDITIONS
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Communication Theories Behind Artful Expeditions
Sitting in class, learning about the different communication theories that
pertain to a student’s major, do not fully hit home until this student receives an
internship and must use these theories to their advantage. This is something I
realized while interning at Artful Expeditions. Many of the communication theories
helped with the process of adjusting to the intern life and helped me to
communicate with clients and my supervisor.
Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT) holds a lot of importance when
transitioning from being just a student, into having a real world experience in an
internship. This theory suggests when people interact with one another; they need
to gain information about the opposite party in order to reduce their level of
uncertainty in the situation. There are three different strategies used within URT.
These strategies are passive, active, and interactive (Antheunis, Peter, Schouten &
Valkenburg, 2012). Passive strategies in this theory occur when the person observes
the opposite party from the outside. This could include their body gestures, and
other non-verbals. Active strategies require the person to do more such as asking
others about the opposite party. This means they are getting to know information
about the opposite party but not directly from the source itself. Interactive
strategies require the person to ask direct questions of the opposite party. The
person gets to know the opposite party from their own point of view and not from
others.
I used passive and interactive strategies the most when transitioning into the
intern life at Artful Expeditions. When I initially set a date to meet with my potential
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supervisor, Kristen, I was extremely nervous. I did not know what to expect. This
could be a laid back environment, but it could also be highly professional and
serious. However, by using passive strategies while meeting with Kristen, I realized
she was friendly, laid back, and easy-going. We met at a coffee shop in Akron, which
was already a more calming and laid-back environment. She leaned into the
conversation and had a smile on her face for most of the conversation, letting me
know she was pleased with the interview and wiling to learn more about me.
I also noticed many active strategies play out during my first few times of
working with Kristen. I asked a lot of questions to gain more knowledge of Kristen
and her business, Artful Expeditions. Many of my tasks during my practicum
required me to gain a feel for what her business was all about. In order to write her
newsletters, I needed to know what the customers should expect from the company,
and what Artful Expeditions offers these customers. By asking Kristen a lot of
questions during our first meetings, I was able to complete tasks such as
newsletters, event planning, and social media updates. Once I knew more about her
business, I felt comfortable explaining it to others and did not have the initial nerves
and uncertainty.
‘
Through the process of gaining more certainty during my practicum, I
realized my supervisor and I created a collegial relationship. Kram and Isabella
(1985) defined this type of relationship as sharing career and organizational
concerns but also sharing outside interests and concerns. During my practicum with
Kristen, she planned to become a wife soon and attended school to become a real
estate agent. Kristen and I talked about our common interests outside of the work
COMMUNICATION THEORIES BEHIND ARTFUL EXPEDITIONS
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place and joked about things going on in our lives aside from the professional
aspect. Although I would not consider the relationship between Kristen and I to be
“special”, as Kram and Isabella also speak of, I would certainly consider our
relationship to be more than informational. This can become a sticky situation when
speaking of the role of leadership and the relationship of superior-subordinate,
because that is what Kristen was, my superior.
The superior-subordinate relationship holds great importance within an
organization, and two huge keys to this relationship being successful are
communication and leadership. Steele and Plenty discuss many different definitions
of communication competence and leadership. In this article, Holladay and Coombs
(1993) argued leadership could only be achieved when proper communication is
used to shape the perception followers have of their leader.
During my practicum at Artful Expeditions, the success or failure of my
supervisor’s communication shaped how I thought of her as a leader. At times,
Kristen’s thoughts ran wild and it was hard to gain a clear understanding of what
she wanted from me as her intern. Other times, Kristen painted a clear picture of
what she needed me to do for her. In situations where being a strong, stern leader
was necessary, Kristen did come through, but she also allowed me to have fun with
the practicum and laugh. My supervisor balanced superior with colleague perfectly
and this helped me to learn new things and gain good experiences at Artful
Expeditions.
When an employee feels embraced by the superior and feels like the leadermember exchange happens fluently and gives them a sense of belonging into the
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organization, the employee then becomes committed to the organization (Steele &
Plenty). In any job, when an employee feels as though their superior takes time to
communicate with them and shows commitment to their satisfaction, the employee
will be satisfied at their job and more committed to sticking around.
This does not, however, mean a superior may simply be a friend to their
subordinate. It is important to have structure and goals in the workplace. Kramer
came to this conclusion during their experiment when newcomers stated their
supervisor needed to do “less office work and get out and ride with us and talk with
us” (1994). Although it is important to have a good relationship with subordinates,
work must be completed in the workplace and structure must be maintained to
have success and achievements.
When I communicated to Kristen I needed more hours and more
responsibilities, she immediately complied. She opened up more painting parties to
me for me to gain more knowledge on the business and network with more clients.
She also allowed me to plan my own open painting party where I could do
promotion, event planning and networking with outside venues. Kristen willing to
work with me on my needs, made me more committed to her business. My
supervisors efforts increased my efforts and allowed me to brag about my practicum
experience and feel like a true asset to the organization.
Learning the concept of uncertainty reduction theory and the importance of
solid superior-subordinate communication helped me to transition well from the
classroom into a real life experience. These lessons learned at Kent State University,
allowed me to develop a great relationship with my supervisor not only allowing me
COMMUNICATION THEORIES BEHIND ARTFUL EXPEDITIONS
to learn and gain experiences in the real world but also allowed Artful Expeditions
to thrive and do well in my time there.
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References
Kram, K.E., & Isabella, L.A. (1985). Mentoring alternatives: The role of peer
relationships in career development. Academy of Management Jounral, 28,
110-132.
Kramer, M.W. (1994). Uncertainty reduction during job transitions: An exploratory
study of the communication experiences of newcomers and transferees.
Management Communication Quarterly, 7, 384-412.
Steele, G.A., & Plenty, D. (2014). Supervisor-subordinate communication
competence and job and communication satisfaction. International Journal of
Business Communication, 1-25.
Antheunis, M.L., Schouten, A.P., Valkenburg, P.L., & Peter, J. (2012). Interactive
uncertainty reduction strategies and verbal affection in computer-mediated
communication. Communication Research, 39, 757-780.