Face Negotiation Theory

Erfurt, DE -- Whenever one encounters a new culture, one of the things that they will notice rather quickly is the emergence of conflict. Commonly when traveling for example, foreigners will unknowingly violate social norms of behavior that might lead to embarrassing situations (Students: Can you think of any social norms that you've violated in Germany already?) while their hosts are left in a quandary - upholding their own cultural norms while still attempting to help the naive traveler save face so they are comfortable in the new environment. This is a coarse example, but it is the core of Face Negotiation Theory.

Developed by Stella Ting-Toomey, the theory "explains the culture-based and situational factors that shape communicators' tendencies in approaching and managing conflicts." When we say we are negotiating face, we mean to suggest that we are trying to balance the way in which others see us as well as the manner in which we behave in response to how we see others. Understood this way, we can break down different types of face that Ting-Toomey labels (a) self-face concern, or the protective concern for one's own identity image when one's own face is threatened, (b) other-face concern, or the concern for accommodating the other conflict party's identity image, and (c) mutual-face concern, or the concern for both parties' identity image.

Not exactly...but good try, Dustin! 

The theory argues that different individuals - and really, different cultures - place differential weights on self-, other-, or mutual-face concerns, and these sensitivities can have dire influences on the interpersonal communication process. For example, Oetzel and Ting-Toomey (2003) find that comparing individualistic and collectivistic cultures revealed stark differences in face sensitivity, with more collectivist cultures such as China engaging on more other-face concern and vice versa. Applying this more to our SPICE program, the same study even found some differences between Germany and other countries, with Germans reporting more direct-confrontational facework strategies (i.e., showing little other-face concern) overall. Of course it is the case that other individual and situational factors can play a role in this process (STUDENTS: Can you think of some of these?) but there is no doubt that one's cultural identity plays a major role in the relative important they place on self-, other-, or mutual-face. 

I can think of an example of this process playing itself out a few days ago, when I was paying for drinks in a German bar. It is common knowledge (at least, I found out later) that in Germany, tips left for drink service are usually much smaller - sometimes no more than €1 or 2 at most. This is because unlike in the US, German bartenders and waiters are paid a 'normal' wage and thus do not rely on tips for their salary (for those who don't know, most US service staff are paid about 1/2 of minimum wage with the assumption that they will make the remainder of their wages of tips). Yet in the US it is a self-face maintenance behavior to leave a decent-to-large tip particularly on a date or with friends, perhaps because we want to appear to be generous. So despite my knowledge of the German customs associated with tipping, I left a bartender a €4,80 top for a €15,20 drink bill (for the record, three glasses of riesling, a delicious German variant of weisswein indeed!) in an effort to present a positive self-face. However, the move could have been easily viewed as a threat to the bartender's face (other-face) as it might have suggested that I felt he was in need of the money; in fact, it could have possibly been seen as a negative self-face move as I might have appeared to my friends (and really, others in the bar) as arrogant.

Want to read more about Face Negotiation Theory? Below is a reference theoretical overview from the SAGE Reference (and a source of much of this posting).

• Oetzel, J., & Ting-Toomey, S. (2003). Face concerns in interpersonal conflict: A cross-cultural empirical testof the face negotiation theory. Communication Research, 30(6), 599-624. doi: 10.1177/0093650203257841
• Ting-Toomey, S. (2009). Face negotiation theory. Encyclopedia of Communication Theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. 371-375. (NOTE: You'll need to scroll down to page 371 for this one!)

I forgot the "Interpersonal Interactions" assignment ... d'oh!

Erfurt, DE -- Whelp ... this morning, I realized that I never did discuss your "buffer" assignment, listed in the syllabus as the Interpersonal Interactions assignment. For this reason, I will not require our students to submit a post for that one. However, I will award bonus points to students who complete the assignment and likewise, I'll share the best post to our larger blogging audience. Safe travels this week. =)

This weekend? Kraemerbrueckenfest 2019

Erfurt, DE -- Happening in Erfurt this weekend is one of the largest festivals that the town celebrates: The Kraemerbrueckenfest. The festival is a celebration of the Kraemerbruecke, one of the oldest "residential bridges" in Europe. The name translates loosely to "Merchant's Bridge" and has stood for nearly 800 years. There is a fantastic entry on the bridge via Wikipedia, for some more context around it's cultural and historical importance to the city.

The festival itself is a collection of food, music, and other celebrations of Medieval times, which is very appropriate for Erfurt's architecture. You'll find massive parties and a festival atmosphere at the Domplatz and the Kraemerbruecke itself, and this is a great chance to try new foods and drinks, as well as grab unique German souvenirs. This weekend, make sure to give yourself some time to visit the festival. Los jetzt!

Panoramic view of the Krämerbrücke, North face. Image credit: Wikipedia / simon tunstall

Let's meet our SPICE 2019 folks

Erfurt, DE -- Below, get to know our six #SPICE19 travelers from West Virginia University. =)

Samantha Berrett

Waiting for the 2018 Camping World Bowl to begin, 

with WVU President E. Gordon Gee.

Hi, I’m Samantha Berrett, but I go by Sam. I am a junior at West Virginia University, majoring in communication studies with and area of emphasis in organizational communication and minoring in public relations. I am from a very small town in West Virginia called Petersburg. 

I am very excited to study abroad in Germany this summer. First of all, I absolutely love to travel. This will be my first time traveling to Europe. I am very open minded and I love experiencing and understanding new cultures. I am not very familiar with German culture, so I can not wait to learn as much about the culture as I can in these nine weeks. I am also excited about meeting new people. I am a very outgoing person and love meeting new and interesting people. I love being a communication studies major and find the communication field very interesting. I love seeing the different ways that people can communicate with one another. Being excited is an understatement for how I am feeling about this program in Germany. I can’t wait to make amazing memories and learn new things!

Damian Dennison

My name is Damian Dennison, I am 23 years old and live in Morgantown, WV. Traveling the world has always been an interest of mine; however, I have only been able to make it around the United States so far. I have never been outside of America, so I am very excited about the opportunity to be a part of the 2019 SPICE trip. What I am most excited about is to experience the other cultures of Europe. I want to immerse myself in the German culture as much as I can in the time we will be there. I also love beer, and have already planned out a few breweries that I will be visiting around Germany. This summer is going to be one that I remember for the rest of my life and I can not wait get started. 

Landry Eskridge

Pleasing My Gypsy Soul: A Lil’ About Me

Hi blog!

My name is Landry Eskridge and I’m an upcoming junior at West Virginia University. I’m majoring in communication studies with an emphasis of organizational communication. I also have minors in event planning and strategic social media. As for my personality, my mother always jokes I am a “gypsy soul.” A gypsy soul is known to be one who seeks adventure, acts on emotions, loves various art forms, and is overall free spirited. I guess my mother is right because the description is a pretty accurate representation of me.

When I saw the email from the Communication Studies Department about the SPICE trip, I knew I had to go. I have been wanting to visit Germany for as long as I can remember due to my German ancestry. However, I am also very interested by the history of Germany, such as the Holocaust and World War I. Now, I have the opportunity to not just visit Germany, but rather further my education while also immersing myself in different cultures. I already know the skills and life lessons obtained on this trip will benefit my future career. I believe this trip will teach me adaptability, communication, and cultural awareness. All in all, I’m beyond excited to travel and see to see what the next two months have in store!

Haley Growden

My name is Haley Growden and I’m a senior at WVU. I’m 23 years old and I’m from Cumberland, Maryland. Cumberland is a small city in Western Maryland and is only about an hour and a half away from Morgantown! It’s a beautiful city in the Maryland mountains and more information about it can be found here. This summer will be my last semester as an undergrad and in the fall I’ll be entering the Master of Public Administration program at WVU. I’m very excited for the SPICE program because this is my first time travelling abroad! I love new experiences and can’t wait to see the differences between The United States and Europe. I’m not too familiar with what Germany in particular does different, but something that stood out to me so far is that crossing the street without the signal could get you fined. That’s completely different than how things typically are in Morgantown. Germany is somewhere I never thought I would get to go and when I heard that I could finish my undergrad degree and get to go abroad I jumped at the opportunity.This program appealed to me because of how much Germany has to offer. I’ll get to visit larger cities all while still getting the small town feel in Erfurt. I’m excited to finish my Communication Studies degree in a new place so that I can expand my knowledge from what I’ve learned at WVU. I know that I’m going to make great memories while in Erfurt and in any other place I travel during my time in Europe.

Jared Primm

JP’s Baggage: No worries, it’s definitely 50 pounds or less

JP in Ocean City, Maryland. 

Hey everyone! My name is Jared Primm (however most people call me JP, a name I adopted from my sister and fellow Mountaineer, KP) and I’m from a small town outside of Pittsburgh. It was an interesting journey getting to my participation in SPICE, but an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. I am going into my junior year at WVU, majoring in communication studies with my area of emphasis in communication technology & social media. I also have minors in event planning and strategic social media, and serve as secretary in my fraternity, Kappa Alpha Order.

I’m absolutely ecstatic to be apart of SPICE, not only because of the academic opportunity, but largely due to the opportunity to immerse myself in German culture, particularly the food and beer. I am a huge foodie and an adventurous eater and am eager to see what Germany has to offer! I also enjoy craft beer here in the states, so I am very interested to see what German beer is like in comparison to the US’ average and craft beers.

In addition to Germany, I’m very excited to travel throughout Europe, including Austria, France, Amsterdam, Prague and wherever else the wind may blow me. This is my first time traveling outside of the states, but I’m glad to be doing it with my fellow Mountaineers, and particularly with my friend Landry who is also a SPICE participant. Though I was a late add-on to the program and a somewhat unusual circumstance, I’m glad there was still room for me and that I’m able to make this journey with everyone else.

Christiana Robey

Bratwurst, sauerkraut, oh mein! Germany here I come!

Christiana receiving her induction certificate 

into Lambda Pi Eta, the communication 

studies honor society at WVU.

Hello! My name is Christiana Robey and I am a junior communication studies and psychology double major at West Virginia University. I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, however Morgantown is truly my home away from home!

My journey to Germany actually began in Spring of 2018. During my sophomore year one of my communication studies professors informed the class of a department led trip to Erfurt, Germany during the summer called SPICE. I became a communication studies major shortly after hearing about this program, and from that day on I have been eager to partake in this opportunity.

I am very excited to travel abroad to Germany with the SPICE program because it will be my first experience outside of the United States! I am also excited to meet new people, experience the local culture, and to explore all of the differences (and similarities!) studying abroad may include. I have previously taken an a class on intercultural communication, and I learned that while Germany culture is similar to American culture, German culture is far more formal and rules are followed much stricter. I look forward to expanding my horizons as I embark on this nine-week journey, and I know that this will be a trip that will not be easily forgotten.