Glossary G-15toward modifying behavior and includes five
stages: precontemplation, contemplation, prep-
aration, action, and maintenance.
statistics: Information provided in numerical form.
stereotyping: The act of organizing information
about groups of people into categories so that we
can generalize about their attitudes, behaviors,
skills, morals, and habits.
storming: The stage of group development in which
members inevitably begin experiencing conflicts
over issues such as who will lead the group and
what roles members will play.
strategic topic avoidance: When one or both rela-
tional partners maneuver the conversation away
from undesirable topics because of the potential for
embarrassment, vulnerability, or relational decline.
study groups: Groups that are formed for the specific
purpose of helping students prepare for exams.
subjective: Presenting facts and information from a
particular point of view.
subpoints: In public speaking, points that provide
support for the main points.
substituting: Replacing words with nonverbal cues.
support group: A set of individuals who come to-
gether to address personal problems while benefit-
ing from the support of others with similar issues.
supportive climate: A communication climate that
offers communicators a chance to honestly and
considerately explore the issues involved in the
conflict situation.
supportive leader: A leader who attends to group
members’ emotional needs.
surveillance: Monitoring of employees to see how
they’re using technology.
survey: To solicit answers to a question or series of
questions related to one’s speech topic from a
broad range of individuals.
syllogism: A three-line deductive argument that
draws a specific conclusion from two general
premises (a major and a minor premise).
symbols: Arbitrary constructions (usually in the
form of language or behaviors) that refer to
people, things, and concepts.
systems approach: An approach to management
that views an organization as a unique whole
consisting of important members who have in-
terdependent relationships in their particular
environment.taking conflict personally (TCP): Feeling so
threatened by conflict that most disagreements
are taken as personal insults or assaults.
task roles: Roles that are concerned with the accom-
plishment of the group’s goals.
team: A group that works together to carry out
a project or specific endeavor or to compete
against other teams.
termination ritual: A final get-together to celebrate
a group’s achievements.
termination stage: The end of a relationship; may
come about by a gradual decline in the relation-
ship or by sudden-death.
territoriality: The claiming of an area, with or with-
out legal basis, through continuous occupation
of that area.
thesis statement: A statement that conveys the cen-
tral idea or core assumption about the speaker’s
topic.
third person effect: The tendency to assume that
negative media messages and bias have a much
greater influence on other people than on oneself
or people one thinks are like oneself.
time orientation: The way cultures communicate
about and with time.
time-oriented listeners: Communicators who are
most concerned with efficiency; they prefer in-
formation that is clear and to the point.
tone: A modulation of the voice, usually expressing
a particular feeling or mood.
topical pattern: A pattern of speech arrangement
that is based on organization into categories,
such as persons, places, things, or processes.
trading: A way to reach compromise whereby one
partner offers something of equal value in return
for something he or she wants.
transactional: Involving two or more people acting
in both sender and receiver roles whose messages
are dependent on and influenced by those of
their communication partner.
transformative explanation: An explanation that
helps people understand ideas that are counterin-
tuitive and is designed to help speakers transform
“theories” about phenomena into more accepted
notions.
transformative leaders: Leaders who spark change
not only by having a new vision but also by con-
veying that vision clearly to others and energizing2 20_OHA_45766_Gloss_G_1_16.indd G-15 0 OHA 45766 _GlossG 1 _ 16 .indd G- 15 13/10/14 5:40 PM 13 / 10 / 14 5 : 40 PM