Communication Matters II: That’s Not What I Meant!

These lectures address the various aspects and implications of "conversational style." They look at the dynamics of specific situations, such as the workplace and the classroom, where the role of conversational style is of particular importance. –From the publisher's course description


Communication Matters II: That’s Not What I Meant!

The following series of lectures draws on linguistics, or the scientific study of language, to show the many ways in which language has a profound effect upon human relationships. These lectures address the various aspects and implications of what Professor Tannen calls “conversational style.” It also looks at the dynamics of specific situations such as the workplace and classroom where the role of conversational style is of particular importance.

A person’s conversational style includes far more than the words that he or she speaks. Each conversation is composed of contextual cues, unspoken messages, body language, and the rhythms of speech. For the most part, people communicate without a conscious focus on the subtleties of language. Through this course, the complexities of language, and all that language entails, will become more apparent.

A better understanding of language, of how we communicate, and of how our ways of communicating differ based on who we are talking to should lead not only to a better understanding of ourselves and of those with whom we have relationships, but should also lead to improved communication. Our language shapes our lives in numerous, complex ways. These lectures help us to make sense of our language and will help to improve our relationships with friends, spouses, and coworkers.



Course Syllabus



Lecture 1 Conversational Style: The Power of Language in Your Life

Lecture 2 Linguistic Signals, Devices, and Rituals

Lecture 3 Framing and Reframing: How Metamessages Frame Meaning

Lecture 4 Power and Solidarity: The Interplay of Hierarchy and Connection

Lecture 5 Indirectness: The Ways and Whys We Communicate Meaning Not in So Many Words

Lecture 6 The Rhythms of Talk: Pacing, Pausing, Silence, and Interruption

Lecture 7 Listenership: Conversation as a Joint Production

Lecture 8 Agonism: Programmed Contentiousness, Ritualized Opposition

Lecture 9 Gender: Women and Men Talking

Lecture 10 Apologies in Private and Public Contexts

Lecture 11 Talking at Work: Institutional and Interactional Power

Lecture 12 The Classroom: Talking in School

Lecture 13 Politics: Talk in the Public Arena

Lecture 14 What to Do with What You’ve Learned