CHAPTER 1: Elements of Interpersonal Communication

It is an ever-changing, circular process; you’re changing, the people you communicate with are changing and your environment is changing

To learn

To relate

To influence

To play

To help

An ambiguous message is a message that can be interpreted as having more than one meaning.

Sometimes ambiguity occurs because people use words that can be interpreted differently.

Symmetrical relationship: the two individuals mirror each other’s behavior

Complementary relationship: the two individuals engage in different behaviors

The relationship is one of equality.

Messages may refer to the real world (content messages) for example to the events and objects you see before you

Messages may also refer to the relationship between the people communicating (relationship messages)

Communication events are continuous transactions. There is no clear-cut beginning and no clear-cut ending

Punctuation is referred to as the tendency to divide communication transactions into sequences of stimuli and responses

Interpersonal communication cannot be prevented (is inevitable), cannot be reversed (is irreversible) and cannot be repeated (is unrepeatable)

Each individual performs source functions (formulates and sends messages) and also performs receiver functions (perceives and comprehends messages).

Your ability to communicate effectively (as source/receiver) is your interpersonal competence)

Encoding: The act of producing message (speakers & writer as endocers)

Decoding: The act of understanding messages (listeners & readers as decoders)

The signals that serve as stimuli for receiver and received by one of our sense (auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory, gustatory

by gesture and touch as well as by words and sentences

Intentional or inintentional

Metamessages, feedback messages, feedforward messages

Subtopic

Face-to-face

E-mail

Anything that distorts a message, or prevents the receiver from receiving the messages

Type of noise:-

Physical noise: External interference of both speaker and sender

Physiological noise: Created by barriers within the sender or receiver

Psychological noise: Mental interference in speaker or listener

Semantic noise: Interference that occurs when the speaker and listener have different meaning systems

Physical dimension: Is the tangible or concrete environment in which communication takes place

Temporal dimension: The time of day and where a particular message fits into the sequence of communication events

Temporal dimension: The time of day and where a particular message fits into the sequence of communication events

Temporal dimension: The time of day and where a particular message fits into the sequence of communication events

Communication choices need to be guided by ethical considerations as well as by concerns with effectiveness and satisfaction.

Each communication act has a moral dimension, a rightness or wrongness

A state of mental awareness

Being conscious of your reasons for thinking or communicating in a particular way

Become aware of your choices