Interpersonal Communication Essay Example For Students

Interpersonal Communication Essay Different types of communication happen together or simultaneously. For example, you may read a memo (written) to a person in a meeting (interpersonal) while you are sitting in a chair, grimacing (nonverbal). However, by recognizing the modes in which you are communicating, you are better able to choose strategies to communicate more effectively. For instance, lets take the scenario that I just described. Perhaps I am unhappy about the memo, but I do not want the others in the meeting to realize that I am not pleased. By paying attention to my nonverbal communication, I can adjust my unwanted nonverbal communication and more effectively send my message to the others in the room. Finally, I will provide examples of communicative and non-communicative events based on my definition. Interpersonal communication, in my opinion, is the exchange of information verbal or non-verbal between two, no more than 5 or 6, people for the purpose of getting a feedback and sharing information. Interpersonal communication is not interpersonal if it involves too many people. When the number of people exceeds a certain amount it is no longer interpersonal communication,it then becomes mass communication. In my definition it is vital that feed-back be given to the person that is doing the communicating. When feedback is not present then the lines of communication break down and then there is no communication at all. Even if the message is perceived wrong interpersonal communication still exists as long as the feedback is given. For example: when you talk to someone that is hard of hearing and you ask them to do something and they hear you say something other than what you said there is still interpersonal communication, although it is miscommunication. If the person, however, does not here the speaker at all and does not give any feedback, then interpersonal communication has not been established according to my definition. Another important dimension to my definition is that the information is exchanged in order to share the information. When the information that is exchanged is not used to share the information, then interpersonal communication has not taken place. If you speak in a way in which the person does not feel receptive to what you are saying then you have not achieved interpersonal communication. When a boss yells at his employees, or a teacher yells at his or her students then interpersonal communication has not taken place. True communication has taken place, but it was not interpersonal communication. The information is not being shared it is being forced upon people. The information has to be shared such as when a friend tells another friend about a problem that he or she is having or when a child talks to his or her parents about something personal. That information is being shared by two people in order to illicit a feedback. There are many important issues that become important when discussing my definition of interpersonal communication. One primary assumption is that communication must be carried on by people that are alive. Michael Cody uses an assumption like this when he is discussing his definition of interpersonal communication. Codys assumption says that interpersonal communication occurs between people who are in a state of being. His state of being is different form mine in that I mainly imply that the person must be alive in order to establish interpersonal communication. In Cody assumption his state of being is three pronged including, 1) people change, 2) people are searching for meaning for development and 3) it implies that communication can never be replicated (Cody 30). When Cody talks about being he is going into more detail than I would. As stated earlier my state of being means just being alive. Another important issue that needs to be brought up when discussing my definition of interpersonal communication is the issue of the number of people. When dealing with the issue of interpersonal communication the amount of people being communicated with is of utmost importance. Can a preacher have interpersonal communication with his congregation on Sunday morning?. According to my definition he cannot. Interpersonal communication must be done when there is a certain amount of people. The Sounds of the Unknown Essay For example, being fearful or anxious when communicating with the boss or with strangers but not with friends (McCroskey Richmond, 1987). Situational CA depends upon changes in the environment in which communication takes place. Causes of Communication Apprehension Causes of Traitlike CA. When we consider the aetiology of human behaviour generally two primary explanations are hereditary and the environment. .