Levers of Heightening Trust and Certainty in Communication

Abstract

In today's modern world, trust between the interactants is shrinking, since while communicating with each other, there is almost always the fear of being misled by means of disinformation or miscommunication. The chapter discusses the necessity of the application of five expression management techniques formerly proposed by Andersen and Guerrero, namely 1) intensification, 2) de-intensification, 3) simulation, 4) inhabitation, and 5) masking, which, according to the studies of the authors of this chapter, have the potential of raising the level of emotional connection between the speaking partners, who then gain the ultimate chance of influencing each other's viewpoint by means of heightening the trust level through the application of these emotion expression management techniques for the benefit of both parties both in the business field and in our everyday lives. To elucidate this, extracts from contemporary English fiction are discussed by the author that show the impact of emotion management to achieve emotive impact on the listener(s).