A comment unrelated to what the other person has just said
Tangential responses
Conversational "takaways". Instead of ignoring the speaker's remarks completely, the other party uses them as a starting point for a shift to a different topic.
Impersonal responses
are loaded with cliches and other statements that never truly respond to the speaker.
Ambiguous responses
contain messages with more than one meaning, leaving the other party unsure of the responder's position.
Incongruous response
contains two messages that seem to deny or contradict each other.
Aggressiveness
the tendency to attach self-concepts of other people in order to inflict psychological pain.
Argumentativeness
presenting and defending positions on issues while attacking positions taken by others.
Spiral
A reciprocating communication pattern in which each person's message reinforces the other's
Escalatory conflict spirals
are the most visible way that disconfirming messages reinforce one another. One attack leads to another until a skirmish escalates into a full-fledged battle
De-escalatory conflict spirals
Rather than fighting, the parties slowly lessen their dependence on each other, withdraw, and become less invested in the relationship
Defensiveness
Suggests guarding oneself from attack
face-threatening acts
messages that seem to challenge the image we want to project
Controlling communication
Occurs when a sender seems to be imposing a solution on the receiver with little regard for the receiver's needs or interests.
Problem orientation
focus on finding a solution that satisfies both their needs and those of the others involved.
Strategy
to characterize defense-arousing messages in which speakers hide their ulterior motives. Dishonesty and manipulation capture the essence of strategy.
Spontaneity
Is the behavior that contrasts with strategy. Simply means being honest with others rather than manipulating them.
Neutrality
Indifference. Communicates a lack of concern and implies that the welfare of the other person isn't very important to you.
Empathy
means accepting another's feelings and putting yourself in another's place.
Certainty
Communicators who regard their own opinions with certainty while disregarding the ideas of others demonstrate a lack of regard and respect.
Provisionalism
people may have strong opinions but are willing to acknowledge that they don't have a corner on the truth and will change their stance if another position seems more reasonable.
Interpretation statement
describes the meaning you've attached to the other person's behavior.
Consequence statement
explains what happens as a result of the situation you've described so far.