Uncertainty Reduction Theory Essay

Open communication usually happens in the first few minutes when meeting a person because first impressions are really important for the progress of the rest of the conversation. We as individuals tend to have our own way of communicating with people and expectations of how an initial meeting should be. When these interpersonal expectations are not to the standards of the individual there will be a clash and the conversation will not work out as effectively as it would if the personal expectations were met.

A. It is important to observe an indviduals reactions when communicating to gauge how people are feeling in the situation. Some people may have barriers when it comes to communicating such as personal space issues. It is imperitive to make the client feel as comfortable as possible when communicating, if the person looks to be feeling uncomfortable with how you are communicating they may not be taking in the information you are giving them putting them at potential risk or if it is the client that is giving the information they may be holding something back again putting them at risk.

Informal communication:Informal communication (often used between people who know each other well, like friends or family) is more likely to start with ‘Hi, how are you?’ and allows for more variety according to the area someone lives in. For e.g. in some places it is common for people to call other people ‘love’ even if they have only just met them. People usually communicate more informally with friends, including those they work closely with on a day to day basis.

Use the appropriate language and vocabulary for the person you are talking to and ask open questions.

When the topic is that of a sensitive nature we don’t want to ask yes or no questions or risk being too blunt and possibly offend the person. We also don’t want to probe someone for one part of information we were after and become distracted or seem uninterested with the rest of the things they have to say. The idea is to be open, caring & empathetic. Everyone loves to talk about themselves, however, being able to assess the situation and knowing how far you can go with someone is a great skill to develop.

Do I have free will, or is every action I make predetermined? This question has concerned me for a long while. It has been the topic of many family dinner conversations, a topic of research, and a question in many prayers. I believe that this question concerns many people, since finding an answer has been the source of much literature, thinking, and religion. I have, after much thought, arrived at the conclusion of Soft Determinism - the Principle of Universal Causality, that for everything that exists or happens there is a cause, is true, but this principle is compatible with the Condition of Free Action. By Condition of Free Action I mean that a person is in control of his own actions (is the source of them) and

Uncertainty reduction theory is “the point of view that uncertainty motivates communication and that certainty reduces the motivation to communicate” (Wood, definition). This theory was first developed by Charles Berger. He believed that when people are to meet for the first time they have a high level of uncertainty and the only way for them to reduce it is to communicate with one another. “They don’t know what each other likes, thinks and believes; how each other responds to certain reactions, and they’re unsure what each other expects or wants from interacting” (Wood,184). There are three prior conditions that are meant to help individuals want to reduce uncertainty.

I do feel as though I experience some form of communication apprehension if I am talking to a peer that I don’t know too well. I usually don’t know what to talk about. I hesitate in sharing some things because I’m not sure how the other person is going to react. A lot of the time I think interpersonal conversations with people I don’t know well drain me. For example, on campus I have a lot of acquaintances that I run into every now and then. I find it awkward having to mutually stop and have a quick usually impersonal interaction. If I know I’m going to run into someone like that I get anxious, I would much rather walk a different route and avoid the situation all

Another way interpersonal communication can be looked at uses the Shannon and Weaver model, which breaks up the process into five parts. The information source, transmitter (sender), receiver, destination, and noise, which is sometimes involved (Hill, 2007). Noise is anything that can get in the way of the clarity of a message. An example could be a crackle through the phone line, or an interruption from a third party. Noise can create complications within interpersonal communication, and make it harder for the message to be delivered clearly (Hill, 2007).

When conversing with friends or coworkers, I use miscroskills techniques by introducing myself and learn who they are. I build a relationship, build comfort and help when needed. Through attending, I’m encouraging people, people feel comfortable around me and they’re able to open up about their issues. Giving direct eye contact and your undivided attention contributes to establishing a foundation (Jacobs &

This means that the sender has to think and assess the circumstances that they are placed in before they start to communicate. The sender transmitting the message needs to think about what and how they are trying to say the message. For example, in a doctor’s surgery, an idea will occur as the practitioner thinks about how he/she will communicate with the current patient. This allows him to communicate more

Uncertainty reduction theory could be applied to long-term relationships as well as initial encounter (Berger, 1979). Berger presented that uncertainty may happen on two different levels: behavioral and cognitive. He stated that reducing uncertainty in behavior increases the predicting ability of how a person will act when he/she is facing a situation. In the mean time, cognitive uncertainty affects the ability to explain the main rational reasons for that certain action.

To start it is important to define what uncertainty reduction theory actually is. According to our communication theory textbook, “Uncertainty reduction theory addresses the basic process of how we gain knowledge or reduce uncertainty about other people” (Littlejohn, Foss, & Oetzel, 2017). In other words, we as humans do not like ambiguity, therefore we try to find out more about a person in the hopes that we will be able to predict how they behave in the future. In the movie Beauty and the Beast the story follows a young peasant girl, Belle, whose father has recently gone missing. Setting out on a journey to find him she discovers that he has been

Direct strategies would be verbal cues. Verbal cues would include using more informal and personal language and the increase of “you and I” and “we.” Indirect strategies would be nonverbal imminence. Indirect strategies could be sitting closer to someone, making more eye contact, increasing touching, leaning forward, and smiling more. Verbal and nonverbal communication can increase chances of establishing a relationship. These types of behaviors could also show that the other person values the other person, their ideas, and their thoughts.

My interactions with people vary by my first impressions of them, but I try and give everyone a fair chance and I think that is important. I believe I am friendly when I first introduce myself, and I try to be myself and show my personality and who I am as a person, and they can judge me based off of that. I might judge someone for their personality because I have such a big one, but also the conversation we have together. One example is, I went to a camp over the summer and there was someone who didn’t seem very friendly and didn’t look the nicest, so I didn’t approach her. Later that day, I decided why not give her a chance because she seemed alone