Susan R. Glaser

Oral communication apprehension and avoidance: The current status of treatment research

Current research in the treatment of oral communication apprehension and avoidance is critically reviewed. Three models are proposed to account for etiology, maintenance, and treatment. Each models approach to treatment is then described: conditioned anxiety— systematic desensitization; negative cognitive appraisal—cognitive modification; skills deficit—skills training. Treatment research emerging from each of these theoretical models is discussed and evaluated with methodological and procedural problems delineated. Integrative conclusions are offered to the practitioner and researcher with recommendations to provide direction for future treatment research.

Moving toward Participation and Involvement Managing and Measuring Organizational Culture

This article describes a communication intervention program designed to change the culture of a governmental organization from hierarchical and authoritarian to participative and involved. This cultural shift is then measured through a triangulation approach. Specifically, questionnaires, interview data, and direct observation were combined to study the areas of cultural change. Subjects completed the Organizational Culture scale (OCS) before the intervention and a representative sample was interviewed. Then, the entire organization participated in an organizational development program. Two years later, subjects again completed the OCS and were interviewed. The postintervention results were statistically analyzed and compared to the preintervention data. Finally, subjects were directly observed in the workplace. These observations and the interview data placed the results of statistical analyses in context by specifying and clarifying perceptions of change. Results suggest that the organization changed significantly in the following dimensions: information flow, involvement, morale, and meetings. Specific implications for management practice are discussed.

Teamwork and Communication A 3-Year Case Study of Change

This 3-year research project assessed the effectiveness of a teambuilding intervention among a group of department leaders who supervised a fire management unit working in the forests of the western United States. The intervention began with a 3-day retreat that covered three basic areas: communication skills, consensus building, and collaborative problem solving. Four months later, a 1-day follow-up session was held, and 6 months after that, another 3-day retreat. For each of the following 2 years, every team member was again interviewed, and a 2-day follow-up session was held. Researchers conducted interviews prior to the intervention and each of the follow-up sessions. Three years after the intervention began, group members reported substantial improvement in their teamwork including: (a) an increase in the ability to raise issues and manage conflict, (b) an increase in mutual praise, support, and cooperation, (c) clarification of roles and responsibilities, and (d) long-term commitment to teamwork and innovation.

The relevance of specific conversational behaviors to ratings of social skill: An experimental analysis

Research on the social effectiveness of specific conversational behaviors is reviewed and a new study is presented. Eight versions of the same tape-recorded conversation between a man and a woman were prepared in a 2×2×2 design, where the woman systematically varied her conversation either high or low on questions, compliments, and 4-sec latencies. Subjects listened to one of these tapes and rated the females social skill. Results of the major social skill variable showed that high questions and high compliments elicited higher skill ratings. The effect of low latencies was only marginally significant. While other factors such as personal appearance or self-evaluation differences may also be important, this study suggests that it may be valuable to include assessment and training relevant to compliments and questions (and possibly latencies) in programs for women who are socially anxious.

Interpersonal communication instruction: A behavioral competency approach

A behavioral approach to interpersonal communication instruction assists students to develop target competencies relevant to social interaction. Students are taught to approach their communicative experiences systematically through analysis, practice, implementation, and evaluation. By approaching interpersonal communication instruction behavior‐ally, the teacher enhances the likelihood of student change.

Rhetorical criticism of interpersonal discourse: An exploratory study

This study demonstrates how rhetorical criticism can be utilized to clarify the rhetorical nature of interpersonal discourse. Bitzers situational theory, Bormanns fantasy theme analysis, and Arnolds criticism of oral rhetoric are synthesized to explain the nature and form of selected portions of taped and transcribed interpersonal dialogue.

Rhetoric and Psychotherapy

This chapter describes the application of rhetorical analysis to the content of therapeutic dialogue. Rhetorical analysis as a method of analyzing verbal influence processes has been developed over a period of 2000 years and provides a rich framework for analyzing these processes. The majority of analyses of psychotherapeutic interactions have failed to provide a content-oriented basis for analyzing therapeutic interchanges. Rhetorical maneuvers in therapy have not been explicated. If we can develop an empirical approach for analyzing therapeutic transactions, we may be better able to identify effective therapist maneuvers and to subsequently teach them. This paper offers rhetorical concepts as hypotheses for explaining therapeutic impact. We have selected those rhetorical behaviors that on the basis of rhetorical theory seem relevant to the psychotherapeutic situation. Our purpose is to explicate specific therapist verbal behavior that might have influential effects on client behavior. The relationship between these rhetorical concepts and therapeutic outcome may later be tested empirically.

Organizational Communication Effectiveness: The View of Corporate Administrators.

Dimensions of organizational communication effectiveness have been described differently in the management, superior‐subordinate, and competence literature. This study compares previous findings to the results of interviews with 48 Northwest corporate administrators. Interview team members content‐analyzed interview notes to find six major dimensions of effectiveness: (1) Coaching and motivating employees; (2) Encouraging worker involvement and participation; (3) Self‐motivation; (4) Problem Solving Ability; (5) Direct and Adaptive Interpersonal Style; and (6) Listening Skills.