G-6 Glossaryfeedback: A message from the receiver to the sender
that illustrates responses that naturally occur
when two or more people communicate.
feeling: The use of language to express emotion; one of
the five functional communication competencies.
feminine culture: A culture that places value on
relationships and quality of life; sometimes re-
ferred to as a nurturing culture.
flaming: The posting of online messages that are de-
liberately hostile or insulting toward a particular
individual.
forgive: A conflict reconciliation strategy in which
people emotionally move past the conflict and
let go of the bitterness and resentment.
forming: The stage of group development in which
group members try to negotiate who will be in
charge and what the group’s goals will be.
forms of rhetorical proof: Means of persuasion that
include ethos, logos, and pathos; first named by
Aristotle.
framing: The way particular issues in the news are
presented in order to relate to audiences’ existing
schemas.
friendship: A close and caring relationship between
two people that is perceived as mutually satisfy-
ing and beneficial.
functional perspective: An examination of how
communication behaviors work to accomplish
goals in personal, group, organizational, or pub-
lic situations.
fundamental attribution error: The tendency to
overemphasize the internal and underestimate
the external causes of behaviors we observe in
others.
funnel sequence: A pattern of questioning that pro-
gresses from broad, open-ended questions to nar-
rower, more closed questions.
gatekeepers: Those organizations and individuals
who control the creation and distribution of in-
formation and entertainment.
gender: The behavioral and cultural traits assigned
to one’s sex; determined by the way members of
a particular culture define notions of masculinity
and femininity.
generation: A group of people who were born
into a specific time frame, along with its events
and social changes that shape attitudes and
behavior.globalization: The growing interdependence and
connectivity of societies and economies around
the world.
grammar: The system of rules for creating words,
phrases, and sentences in a particular language.
grammar of media: For each form of media, a set of
rules and conventions that dictate how it operates.
group: A collection of more than two people who
share some kind of relationship, communicate
in an interdependent fashion, and collaborate
toward some shared purpose.
grouphate: The extent to which a person detests
(or otherwise feels negatively about) working in
groups.
groupthink: A situation in which group members
strive to maintain cohesiveness and minimize
conflict by refusing to critically examine ideas,
analyze proposals, or test solutions.
haptics: The study of touch as a form of communication.
harassment: Any communication that hurts, of-
fends, or embarrasses another person, creating a
hostile environment.
hasty generalization: A reasoning flaw in which a
speaker makes a broad generalization based on
isolated examples or insufficient evidence.
hatespeech: Language that employs offensive words
to deride a person or group.
hearing: The physiological process of perceiving
sound; the process through which sound waves
are picked up by the ears and transmitted to the
brain.
hierarchy: The layers of power and authority in an
organization.
hierarchy of needs: A hierarchical structure that
identifies needs in five categories, from low (im-
mature) to high (mature).
high-context culture: A culture that relies on con-
textual cues—such as time, place, relationship,
and situation—to both interpret meaning and
send subtle messages.
high language: A more formal, polite, or “main-
stream” language, used in business contexts, in
the classroom, and at formal social gatherings.
homogeny: Sameness, as applied to a public speaker
and his or her audience.
hostile audience: An audience that opposes the
speaker’s message and perhaps the speaker per-
sonally; the hardest type of audience to persuade.2 20_OHA_45766_Gloss_G_1_16.indd G-6 0 OHA 45766 _GlossG 1 _ 16 .indd G- 6 13/10/14 5:40 PM 13 / 10 / 14 5 : 40 PM