Equivocal Communication

In chapter 4 I found equivocal communication interesting. Trenholm (2008) describes equivocal communication as, “another term used to describe ambiguous communication, is most often used when a communicator feels trapped between two unpleasant alternatives” (p. 99). There are 3 questions to answer of hypothetical situations and how you would handle them. I actually would have dealt with 2 of the situations using equivocal communication. There are pro’s and con’s to equivocal communication. The pro is that there was a response without lying or hurting anyone’s feelings. The con is that some feel this type of communication is misleading and not honest. I tend to lean towards the pro interpretation of equivocal communication. From my own personal experience at work, if your superior asks how they did, equivocal communication is the way to go. Some may call me a coward but during this time of recession I want to keep my job.