engleski

The relations of communication skills in face-to-face and computer-mediated communication

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) and face-to-face (F2F) communication are perceived differently by participants in interpersonal interaction (Peter and Valkenburg, 2006). For instance, the use of communication strategies for persuasion (Wilson, 2003) and techniques for self-presentation (Walther, 2007) may differ between CMC and F2F environments. In contrast, there may be affective equivalency (Walther, Loh and Granka, 2005) and similarity of online and offline emotional communication (Derks, Fisher and Boss, in press) across the two communication contexts. Despite the evident dissimilarity in CMC and F2F channels, some researchers claim that communication dynamics may not change much in the online environment (Walther, Gay and Hanckock, 2005). Nevertheless, given the many differences that technologies introduce, it is possible that the skills needed to communicate effectively and appropriately in CMC and F2F settings function in disparate ways, and that perhaps online and offline communication competence have a somewhat distinctive structure. Interpersonal competence implies that the individual is in possession of skills that enable effective interaction in social contexts (see Hargie, 1997). Spitzberg and Cupach (1984, 1989, 2002) have developed an elaborate theoretical model of interpersonal competence and have listed numerous related interaction/communication skills. One of the self-assessment instruments that measures at least some of the skills that contribute to interpersonal competence is the Communication Functions Questionnaire (Burleson and Samter, 1990 ; see also Spitzberg, 2003). The latest version of this instrument (CFQ-30) consists of the following 10 subscales designed to measure communication skills: Comforting, Conflict Management, Conversation, Ego Support, Expressiveness, Informative, Listening, Narrative, Persuasion, Regulative. In our study, most of the subscales measuring these skills demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach alpha of 0.70 and above). Spitzberg (2006) has recently developed a theoretical model and a self-assessment instrument of computer-mediated communication competence with subscales that measure the following constructs: Motivation, Knowledge, Coordination, Expressiveness, Attentiveness, Composure, Efficacy, General Usage, CMC Interactivity, Task Orientation, Appropriateness, Effectiveness, Satisfaction, Co-orientation, Productivity/Efficiency. Most of the subscales of this CMC competence measure also manifested satisfactory internal consistency. To investigate the relations of F2F and CMC skills, the subjects in our study were asked to complete the CFQ-30 and the CMC competence measure. Despite the differences of the two measures, the results indicated that most skills measured by the CFQ-30 correlated significantly with the CMC competence related skills in the range from low to moderate (0.30-0.55). Rather high correlations were also found between most of the F2F communication skills and three outcomes indicators of CMC competence: Effectiveness, Satisfaction, and Co-orientation. Finally, the variables measured by the CFQ-30 were factor-analyzed, as were the variables measured by the CMC competence instrument. In our factor analyses, we focused on the two-factor structures of both measures and found that the uncovered factors were comparable to the self-directedness and other-orientedness dimensions, which have regularly been found in factor analyses of interpersonal variables (Spitzberg, 1990 ; Wiggins and Trapnell, 1996). The results of correlation and factor analyses are discussed with reference to the agency and communion dimensions in interpersonal theory and also in the context of other recently developed theories of computer-mediated communication.

communication skills; Internet; computer-mediated communication; face to face communication; factor analysis

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