A
| Concept | Definition |
|---|---|
| Abstract word | A word that identifies an idea or feeling as opposed to a concrete object. |
| Active listening | Process of analyzing and evaluating what another person is saying to understand the speaker’s feelings or the true meaning of the message. |
| Active voice | The sentence form in which the subject performs the action expressed by the verb. |
| Ad hominem | A fallacy that attacks a person rather than the argument itself. Also referred to as “name calling.” |
| Adjustment letter | A letter written to inform a customer of the action taken in response to the customer’s claim letter. |
| Agenda | An ordered list of topics to be considered at a meeting, along with the name of the person responsible for each topic. |
| Application letter | A letter from a job applicant to a prospective employer explaining the applicant’s interest in and qualifications for a position within the organization. Also called a cover letter. |
| Asynchronous communication | Also known as non-simultaneous communication. Communication during which participants engage in the process at different times, such as bulletin boards or e-mail. |
| Attitude(s) | A construct composed of affective (feeling), cognitive (thoughts), and connotative (behavioural) components; internal feelings about some object; composed of opinions, beliefs, and values. |
| Audience | The person or persons with whom you’re communicating. |
| Audience analysis | Identification of the needs, interests, and personality of a communication receiver. |
| Authoritarian leadership style | The leader controls group goals and procedures. |
| Autocrat personality | A person who possesses a need to dominate others and distrusts the motives and creative potential of others. |
| Avoiding style | An approach to conflict that tries to manipulate circumstances so that conflict does not surface. |
| Aware public | People who know about a problem but don’t act on it. |