RESEARCH_FILE
Jack R. Gibb
National Training Laboratories / University of Colorado
Known for:Foundational research on defensive versus supportive communication climates in groups — establishing that performing certainty and control to avoid threat is a primary driver of reduced trust, not a path to it
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“Everyone is watching for me to slip”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“They're not waiting for me to slip—they're waiting to know what happens next.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Identify one piece of information you've delayed sharing or softened before a meeting. Write the unfiltered version in a private document. Notice what you were protecting, and what it actually cost.
Key findings
- 1961
Gibb identified six pairs of defensive versus supportive communication behaviors; leaders who communicate defensively — projecting evaluation, control, strategy, neutrality, superiority, and certainty — consistently produce defensive responses in others and undermine the trust and openness they are trying to project. Defensive Communication ↗