Glossary G-5descriptive presentation: An approach to convey-
ing information that involves painting a mental
picture for the audience.
dialectical tensions: Tensions that arise when op-
posing or conflicting goals exist in a relationship;
can be external or internal.
digital disparity: The gap between the haves and
have-nots in terms of regular access to modern
technology, especially broadband connections.
directed question: A type of interview question that
suggests or implies the answer that is expected.
direct fighting: Conflict style in which people use as-
sertiveness to argue openly to get their way, which
can sometimes lead to verbal aggressiveness.
directive leader: A leader who controls the group’s
communication by conveying specific instruc-
tions to members.
directory: A type of secondary resource that is cre-
ated and maintained by people rather than au-
tomatically by computers; guides visitors to the
main page of a Web site organized within a
wider subject category.
discrimination: Behavior toward a person or group
based solely on their membership in a particular
group, class, or category.
distorted perception: Inaccurate, unbalanced, or in-
appropriate schemas.
division of labor: An aspect of the classical man-
agement approach that assumes each part of an
organization (and each person involved) must
carry out a specialized task for the organization
to run smoothly
dyad: A pair of people.
either-or fallacy: A fallacy in which the speaker
presents only two alternatives on a subject and
fails to acknowledge other alternatives; also
known as the false dilemma fallacy.
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM): A model
that highlights the importance of relevance to
persuasion and holds that listeners process per-
suasive messages by one of two routes, depend-
ing on how important the message is to them.
elucidating explanation: An explanation that illu-
minates a concept’s meaning and use.
emblems: Movements and gestures that have a di-
rect verbal translation in a particular group or
culture.
emotion labor: Display of the appropriate emotions
to satisfy organizational role expectations.empathic listening: Listening to people with open-
ness, sensitivity, and caring; attempting to know
how another person feels.
encoding: The process of mentally constructing a
message for production.
equivocation: Use of words that have unclear or
misleading definitions.
escapist strategies: Strategies that people use to try
to prevent or avoid direct conflict.
ethics: The study of morals, specifically the moral
choices individuals make in their relationships
with others.
ethnocentrism: A belief in the superiority of one’s
own culture or group and a tendency to view
other cultures through the lens of one’s own.
ethos: A form of rhetorical proof that appeals to eth-
ics and concerns the qualifications and personal-
ity of the speaker.
euphemism: An inoffensive word or phrase that
substitutes for terms that might be perceived as
upsetting.
evasion: Intentionally failing to provide specific
details.
exit interview: An interview that employers hold
with employees who opt to leave the company
to identify organizational problems that might
affect future employee retention.
expert power: Power that comes from the informa-
tion or knowledge that a leader possesses.
expert testimony: The opinion or judgment of an
expert, a professional in his or her field.
explanatory speech: A speech that answers the
question “Why” or “What does that mean?” by
offering thorough explanations of meaning.
exploratory stage: The stage of a relationship in
which one seeks relatively superficial informa-
tion from one’s partner.
exponentiality: The economic principle that rela-
tively few items bring most of the income to a
particular industry, while the rest add only a little.
extemporaneous speaking: A style of public speak-
ing that involves delivery with few or no notes,
but for which the speaker carefully prepares in
advance.
family: A small social group bound by ties of blood,
civil contract (such as marriage, civil union, or
adoption), and a commitment to care for and be
responsible for one another, usually in a shared
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