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7: Communication Climates

  • Page ID
    251104
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    Learning Objectives

    After reading this chapter you should be able to:

    • Describe confirming and disconfirming climates
    • Discuss the types of conflict
    • Describe the strategies for managing conflict

    Do you feel organized or confined in a clean workspace? Are you more productive when the sun is shining than when it’s gray and cloudy outside? Just as factors like weather and physical space impact us, communication climate influences our interpersonal interactions in a variety of ways.

    Communication climate is the “overall feeling or emotional mood between people” (Wood, 245). If you dread going to visit your family during the holidays because of tension between you and your sister or you look forward to dinner with a particular set of friends because they make you laugh, you are responding to the communication climate—the overall mood that is created because of the people involved and the type of communication they bring to the interaction. Every communication situation has a unique climate. If you are more open and aware of these climates, you can communicate better while participating in them. Additionally, your awareness and example can help others to communicate better. Let’s look at two different types of communication climates: confirming and disconfirming climates.

    • 7.1: Confirming and Disconfirming Climates
      This page discusses the impact of positive and negative climates on relationships, highlighting the importance of recognition, acknowledgment, and endorsement. It defines confirming climates as those that affirm worth and foster emotional growth, while disconfirming climates suggest devaluation and hinder relational health. The text emphasizes the significance of supportive interactions that validate feelings and create a nurturing environment for personal development.
    • 7.2: Thinking about Conflict
      This page explores the dual nature of conflict, highlighting its destructive and productive orientations. It categorizes interpersonal conflict into five types: affective, interest-based, value, cognitive, and goal-oriented. Various management strategies, such as dominating and compromising, are discussed in terms of their impact on self and others.


    This page titled 7: Communication Climates is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Misc (LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.