Application of Watzlawick’s axioms to a conversation
Check the websites of your news-channel or go to www.youtube.com. Look for any short video of a conversation in your own language and place it on blackboard. Write down in a few words what they are talking about and try to apply Watzlawick’s axioms to the conversation (not more than 500 words).
Table of Contents
- Abstract Interview about financial crisis
- Watzlawick's 5 Axioms of Communication
- One Cannot Not Communicate
- Messages Have Both Content and Relational Meaning
- The meaning of Messages Depends on its Punctuation
- Messages Include Both Digital and Analogic Coding
- A Transaction is Either Symmetrical or Complementary
Objectives and Key Themes
This text aims to analyze a short interview between the mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, and a moderator, Werner Sonne, regarding the German government's response to the financial crisis. The text examines the interview through the lens of Watzlawick's Axioms of Communication, demonstrating how communication dynamics can be analyzed to understand the interactions between the participants.
- The German government's response to the financial crisis
- The division of responsibilities between the federal government and the federal states
- The communication dynamics between the interviewer and the interviewee
- The application of Watzlawick's Axioms of Communication to real-world interactions
- The role of nonverbal communication in conveying meaning
Chapter Summaries
- Abstract Interview about financial crisis: This section provides a summary of the interview between Wowereit and Sonne. It highlights the key issue under discussion, namely the financial crisis and the proposed bill to aid the banking sector. The section also focuses on Wowereit's concerns regarding the bill's allocation of financial burden to the federal states.
- Watzlawick's 5 Axioms of Communication: This section introduces Watzlawick's five Axioms of Communication and provides detailed explanations of how each axiom can be applied to the interview. The author examines both verbal and nonverbal communication, analyzing the content and relational meaning of the interaction. The focus is on demonstrating the effectiveness of the axioms in revealing the underlying dynamics of the conversation.
Keywords
This text focuses on the following keywords: German financial crisis, communication, Watzlawick's Axioms, nonverbal communication, federal government, federal states, content, relational meaning, symmetrical and complementary transactions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main objective of this text?
The text aims to analyze a real-world conversation between Klaus Wowereit and Werner Sonne using Watzlawick’s 5 Axioms of Communication.
What are Watzlawick's 5 Axioms of Communication?
The axioms are: 1. One cannot not communicate, 2. Messages have content and relational meaning, 3. Meaning depends on punctuation, 4. Communication uses digital and analogic coding, and 5. Transactions are either symmetrical or complementary.
Which real-world event is used for the analysis?
The analysis uses an interview regarding the German government's response to the financial crisis and the allocation of financial burdens to federal states.
How does the text define nonverbal communication in this context?
The text examines nonverbal cues as part of "analogic coding" to understand the underlying relational dynamics between the interviewer and interviewee.
What is a "complementary transaction" in communication?
According to Watzlawick, a complementary transaction occurs when the interaction is based on difference, often where one participant holds a superior or dominant position and the other an inferior or submissive one.
- Quote paper
- Natalie Züfle (Author), 2008, Application of Watzlawick’s axioms to conversation, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/180069
