1.0 INTRODUCTION
Interpersonal communication enhances mutual
relationship. Relationship is an aspect of
every person within an organization. There
are relationships among the people within an
organization. Organizations also relate with
the external bodies in order to survive. This
could be her customer or government. However,
mastering of interpersonal
communication is requiring making a head way
in every relationship. This note explains
the nitty-gritty of interpersonal
communication.
2.0 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
On completion of this note, you should be
able to undertake the following.
· Explain the forms of
interpersonal skills.
· State the principles of
interpersonal relationship.
· Give good things about
interpersonal communication.
· Discus the importance of
interpersonal relationship.
3.0 MAIN CONTENT
3.1 Interpersonal communication
Interpersonal communication is defined by
communication scholars in numerous ways,
usually describing participants who are
dependent upon one another and have a shared
history. Communication channels, the
conceptualization of mediums that carry messages
from sender to receiver, take two distinct
forms: direct and indirect.
1. Direct channels are obvious and easily recognized by the
receiver. Both verbal and
non-verbal information is completely
controlled by the sender. Verbal channels rely on
words, as in written or spoken communication.
Non-verbal channels encompass facial
expressions, controlled body movements
(police prefer hand gestures to control traffic),
color (red signals 'stop', green signals
'go'), and sound (warning sirens).
2. Indirect channels are usually recognized subconsciously by the
receiver, and are not
always under direct control of the sender.
Body language, comprising most of the indirect
channel, may inadvertently reveal one's true
emotions, and thereby either unintentionally
taint or bolster the believability of any
intended verbal message. Subconscious reception
and interpretation of these signals is often
described with arbitrary terms like gut-feeling,
hunch, or premonition.
3. Context refers to the conditions that precede or surround the
communication. It
consists of present or past events from which
the meaning of the message is derived,
though it may also, in the case of written
communications, depend upon the statements
preceding and following the quotation in
question. Immediate surroundings may also
color the perceived meaning of words;
normally safe discourse may easily become
contextually ambiguous or offensive in a
restroom or shower hall. These influences do
not constitute the message by themselves, but
rather these extraneous nuances subtly
change the message's effective meaning.
Ultimately, context includes the entire world,
but usually refers to salient factors such as
the following:
i.
Physical milieu: the
season or weather, current physical location and environment
ii.
Situational milieu: classroom,
military conflict, supermarket checkout Cultural and
linguistic backgrounds
iii.
Developmental progress (maturity) or emotional state
iv.
Complementary or contrasting roles: boss
and employee; teacher and student;
parent, child, and spouse;
friend or enemy; partner or competitor
Ability to ask the
questions and listen is vital to the good interpersonal skills. In fact the
empathetic listening is a
number one skill which can help to build relationships.
3.2 Four Principles of Interpersonal
Communication.
These principles underlie the workings in
real life of interpersonal communication. They
are basic to communication as we can't ignore
them.
3.2.1 Interpersonal communication is
inescapable
We can't do without communicating. The very
attempt not to communicate
communicates something. Through not only
words, but through tone of voice and
through gesture, posture, facial expression,
etc., we constantly communicate to those
around us. Through these channels, we
constantly receive communication from others.
Even when you sleep, you communicate.
Remember a basic principle of communication
in general: people are not mind readers.
Another way to put this is: people judge you by
your behavior, not your intent.
3.2.2 Interpersonal communication is
irreversible
You can't really take back something once it
has been said. The effect must inevitably
remain. Despite the instructions from a judge
to a jury to "disregard that last statement
the witness made," the lawyer knows that
it can't help but make an impression on the
jury. A Russian proverb says, "Once a
word goes out of your mouth, you can never
swallow it again."
3.2.3 Interpersonal communication is
complicated
No form of communication is simple. Because
of the number of variables involved, even
simple requests are extremely complex.
Theorists note that whenever we communicate
there are really at least six
"people" involved:
1) Who you think you are;
2) Who you think the other person is;
3) Who you think the other person thinks you
are;
4) Who the other person thinks s/he is;
5) Who the other person thinks you are; and
6) Who the other person thinks you think s/he
is.
We don't actually swap ideas; we swap symbols
that stand for ideas. This also
complicates communication. Words (symbols) do
not have inherent meaning; we simply
use them in certain ways, and no two people
use the same word exactly alike.
Osmo Wiio gives us some communication maxims
similar to Murphy's law
· If communication can fail, it will.
· If a message can be understood in different
ways, it will be understood in just that
way which does the most
harm.
· There is always somebody who knows better
than you what you meant by your
message.
· The more communication there is, the more
difficult it is for communication to
succeed.
3.2.4 Interpersonal communication is
contextual
In other words, communication does not happen
in isolation. There is:
· Psychological context, which is who you are
and what you bring to the
interaction. Your needs,
desires, values, personality, etc., all form the
psychological context.
("You" here refers to both participants in the interaction.)
· Relational context, which concerns your
reactions to the other person--the "mix."
· Situational context deals with the
psycho-social "where" you are communicating.
An interaction that takes
place in a classroom will be very different from one that
takes place in a bar.
· Environmental context deals with the physical
"where" you are communicating.
Furniture, location, noise
level, temperature, season, time of day, all are examples
of factors in the
environmental context.
· Cultural context includes all the learned
behaviour and rules that affect the
interaction. If you come
from a culture (foreign or within your own country)
where it is considered rude
to make long, direct eye contact, you will out of
politeness avoid eye
contact. If the other person comes from a culture where long,
direct eye contact signals
trustworthiness, then we have in the cultural context a
basis for misunderstanding.
3.3 Ten Tips for Good interpersonal
communication skills
·
Listen
to the person first. Communication is the two-way process; getting
your entire message across
depends on understanding of other person.
·
Be interested
in people you will be communicating with. Remember that
the people are more
attracted towards those who have interest in them, and
therefore will pay more
attention to what they will say
·
Relax.
The bad body language like hunched shoulders, fidgeting, the toetapping
or the hair-twiddling all
give a game away.
·
Smile
and use the eye contact. It is a most positive signal which you can
give
·
Ask
the questions. It is great way to show the people that you really are
interested in them.
·
If the
other person has different point of view towards you, find out why
they have such point of
view. The more you understand reasons behind
their thinking, the more
you will be able to understand their point of view
or can help them understand
your point of view
·
Be
assertive So that we can try to value their input as your own inputs. Do
not be pushy and do not be
a pushover. Try for a right balance.
·
When
you will be speaking try to be enthusiastic in appropriate context.
Use voice and the body
language to show this immediately don't try to
latch to something which
someone has just now said ... "oh yes it
happened to me" and
immediately go on and telling your own story.
·
Make
sure that you ask questions about them first and then be careful
while telling your story so
as not to sound like a competition.
·
Learn
from the interactions. If you have a good conversations with
someone try to think why it
all went well and remember key points for the
next time. If it did not go
well - again try and learn something out of it.
3.4 Importance of interpersonal
communication.
Verbal communication is an essential part of
business and when it is executed correctly,
good things happen. Here are a few different
ideas and styles to remember when speaking
to anyone in a business setting.
Because speaking is such an indelible
activity, we tend to do it without much thought.
But, that casual approach can be a problem in
business. Have you ever wished you could
make a second, first impression because you
said something that was out of character or
embarrassing? That comment that you didn’t
think about before you said, has created an
image in someone’s mind that can not be
replaced even when you meant something
totally different. When it comes to oral
communication, your goal should be to take
advantage of its positive characteristics
while minimizing the dangers.
Speaking can be used as a tool to accomplish
your objectives. But, first you must break
the habit of talking spontaneously without
planning what you’re going to say or how
you’re going to say it. You must learn to
manage the impression you create by
consciously tailoring your remarks and
delivery style to suit the situation. Here are some
things which will make you an effective
communicator:
o Remember to become aware of what you are
saying.
o Apply the same process you use in written
communication when you are
communicating orally.
o Before you speak, think about your purpose,
your main idea, and your
audience.
o Organize your thoughts in a logical way.
o Decide on a style that suits the occasion and
then edit your remarks
mentally.
o As you speak, watch the other person to see
whether your message is
making the desired
impression. If not, revise it and try again.
Remember that various situations call for
different speaking styles, just as various writing
assignments call for different writing
styles. Here are four different styles that will suit
every occasion.
1. Expressive Style is spontaneous,
conversational, and uninhibited. Use this when you
are expressing your feelings, joking,
complaining, or socialising.
For example: "No way am I going to let
that nerd force an incentive-pay plan on UPS
workers."
2. Directive Style is an authoritative and
judgmental style. We use this style to give
orders, exert leadership, pass judgment, or
state our opinions.
For example: "I want Mike Romig to
explain the new pay plan to each manager."
3. Problem-Solving Style is rational,
objective, unbiased, and bland. This is the style most
commonly used in business dealings. We use it
when we are solving problems and
conveying routine information.
For example: "Stacy Lee might be able to
present the plan more favourably."
4. Meta Style is used to discuss the
communication process itself. Meta languages enable
us to talk about our interactions.
For example: "We seem to be having a
hard time agreeing on the specifics of the
incentive-pay plan."
Following these few helpful tips will
increase your communication awareness which will
ultimately increase your value as an
employee. Nice communicating with you!
4.0 CONCLUSION
Interpersonal communication is no doubt, an
important aspect of business
communication. In-depth knowledge on
interpersonal communication will go a long way
to promote development in a business
environment. This would be achieved due to the
cordiality that can be fostered between an organization
and its stakeholders.
5.0 SUMMARY
This note talked about interpersonal
communication and its forms. Principles of
interpersonal communication and its
importance were also discussed. Tips on how to
achieve good interpersonal communication
skills were also explained.
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