Transcript Week 2. Part I. Interpersonal Communications

interpersonal
communication
defining
the process
of message transaction between people
to create and sustain shared meaning
components
 process: an ongoing, unending, vibrant
activity that always changes
 message exchange: the transaction of
verbal and non verbal messages, or
information, being sent simultaneously
between people
 meaning: what communicators create
together through the use of verbal and
nonverbal messages
principles
interpersonal communication is:
 unavoidable
 irreversible
 symbolic
 rule-governed
and has both:
 content and relationship levels
unavoidable
- ‘you cannot not communicate’
 as hard as we try, we cannot prevent someone
else from making meaning out of our behavior
– it is inevitable and unavoidable
 even our silence and avoidance of eye contact
are communicative
 it is this quality that makes interpersonal
communication transactional
irreversible
 there are times when we wish we hadn’t said
something
 wouldn’t it be great if we could take back a
comment and pretend that id hadn’t been
spoken?
 the principle of irreversibility means that what
we say to others cannot be reversed
symbolic
 one important reason interpersonal
communication occurs is because symbols
are mutually agreed upon by the participants
in the process
 symbols are arbitrary labels or
representations for feelings, concepts,
objects, or events
rule governed
 rule: a prescribed guide that indicates what
behavior is obligated, preferred, or prohibited
in certain contexts
 rules are important ingredients in our
relationships; they help guide and structure
our interpersonal communication
 we can choose whether or not we wish to
follow a rule
learned
 people obviously believe that interpersonal
communication is a learned process
 yet, we often take for granted our ability to
communicate
 still, we all need to refine and cultivate our
skills to communicate with a wide assortment
of people; you must be able to make informed
communication choices in changing times
content level
each message that you communicate to
another contains information on two levels
 content level; refers to the information
contained in the message
the words you speak to another person and
how you say those words constitute the
content of the message
content, then, includes both verbal and
nonverbal components
relationship level
a message also contains a:
 relationship level: how you want the receiver of
a message to interpret your message
 the relational dimension of a message gives us
some idea how the speaker and the listener
feel about each other
both
 content and relationship levels works
simultaneously in a message, and it is difficult
to think about sending a message that doesn’t,
in some way, comment on the relationship
between the sender and the receiver
 in other words, we can’t really separate the
two; we always express an idea or thought
(content), but that thought is always presented
within a relational framework
myths about interpersonal communications
people operate under several misconceptions about
interpersonal communication
 solves all problems
 is always a good thing
 is common sense
 is synonymous with interpersonal relationship
 is always face to face
these myths impede our understanding and enactment
of effective communication
- solves
all problems
 when you learn to communicate well, you may
communicate clearly about a problem but not
necessarily be able to solve it
 communication involves both talking and listening …
- always a good thing
 dark side of interpersonal communication:
negative communication exchanges between
people, such as manipulation, deceit and verbal
aggression
 we need to be aware that communication can
be downright nasty at times and that
interpersonal communication is not always
satisfying and rewarding
- is common sense
consider the following question:
if interpersonal communication is just a matter
of common sense, why do we have so many
problems communicating with others?
 we need to abandon the idea that
communication is simply common sense
 making the assumption that all people
intuitively know how to communicate with
everyone ignores the significant cultural
differences in communication norms
- synonymous with interpersonal relationships
 interpersonal communication cal lead to
interpersonal relationships;
 but an accumulation of interpersonal
messages does not automatically result in an
interpersonal relationship
face to face
 face-to-face is the primary way that people
meet and cultivate their interpersonal skills
with each other
 mediated interpersonal communication
(Internet) requires us to expand our
discussion of interpersonal communication
beyond personal encounters
communication effectiveness
at the core of communication effectiveness are
two behaviors:
 communication competency: the ability to
communicate with knowledge, skills, and
thoughtfulness
 civil communication: the acceptance of
another person as an equal partner in
achieving meaning during communication
competency
 when we are competent, our communication
is both appropriate and effective
 we use communication appropriately when
we accommodate the cultural expectations
for communicating, including using the rules,
understanding the roles, and ‘being othercentered’
civility
 civility requires sensitivity to the
experiences of the other communicator
 when we are civil communicators, we
acknowledge multiple viewpoints
time
for
workshop
communication, perception & the self
source
 Littlejohn, S. W. & Foss, K. A. (2008)
Theories of Human Communication (9th
edition).
thank you very much
for your attention