Essay: The Importance Of Uncertainty In Communication

If I were to ask you to describe yourself, you would begin using terms that you believe to be accurate, but how do you know that those words are accurate? The only reason you believe the words to be accurate is because there are terms that others around you have used to describe you. You can describe yourself only in relation to others, making initiating and maintaining relationships a necessity and challenge. When an individual first meets someone there is a level of uncertainty, and depending on the culture that one comes from, the level of intimacy varies. All relationships must begin somewhere and we were all strangers to someone important to us at some point in our lives. When we first meet someone there is always some level of uncertainty. “Uncertainty refers to the amount of predictability in a communication situation” (313). Meeting someone for the first time can cause anxiety because you don’t know what to expect, but meeting someone from a different culture can produce even more anxiety. Charles Berger and Richard Calabrese developed a communication theory known as uncertainty reduction theory. The uncertainty reduction theory main idea is that when strangers first meet the primary goal is reduce uncertainty and increase …show more content…
AUM explains the interrelationships among uncertainty, anxiety, mindfulness, and communication effectiveness. According to AUM, the overall process underlying communication between people of different cultures or ethnicities are the same. AUM is different than URT because it shifts focus from uncertainty and anxiety reduction to uncertainty and anxiety management. AUM stipulates that people have minimum and maximum levels for uncertainty and anxiety. In order to have effective communication, both parties must be between the minimum and maximum levels, however, these levels vary across