INTER-ACT

Kathleen S. Verderber

Rudolph F. Verderber

DEFINITION OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

Interpersonal Communication is a process.

People exercise mutual responsibility in creating meaning.

We create and manage our relationships.

WHY WE COMMUNICATE

Physical Needs

Identity Needs

Social Needs

Practical Needs

COMPONENTS OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

Participants (sender & receiver) Context (physical, social, historical,

psychological, & cultural) Messages (meaning, symbols, encode,

decode) Channels Noise (external, internal, semantic) Feedback

PRINCIPLES OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION Purposeful

Continuous

Transactional

Relational (complimentary & symmetrical)

Irreversible

ETHICS OF INTERPERSONALCOMMUNICATION

Ethics – A set of moral principles that are held by a society, a group, or an individual.

Truthfulness & honesty Integrity Fairness Respect Responsibility Empathy

DIVERSITY & INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

Diversity – the variations between and among people affect every aspect of the interpersonal communication process.

Culture – the system of beliefs, values, and attitudes shared by a particular segment of the population.

COMMUNICATION MISCONCEPTIONS

Meanings Are Not in Words

Successful Communication Doesn’t Always Involve Shared Understanding

More Communication Is Not Always Better

No Single Person or Event Causes Another’s Reaction

Communication Will Not Solve All Problems

WHAT MAKES AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR?

Communication Competence –the perception that communicative behavior is both effective and appropriate in a given relationship.

1) There Is No “Ideal” Way to Communicate

2) Competence is Situational

3) Competence Is Relational

4) Competence Can Be Learned

CHARACTERISTICS OF COMPETENT COMMUNICATORS

Possession of a Wide Range of Behaviors Ability to Choose the Most Appropriate

Behavior Skill at Performing Behaviors Cognitive Complexity Behavioral Flexibility & Empathy Self-Monitoring & Emotional Intelligence Commitment & Motivation

CHECK YOUR COMPETENCE Do you have a wide repertoire of

response styles or do you always respond in the same way?

Are you able to choose the most effective way of behaving for the situation at hand?

Are you skillful at performing behaviors? (Note: Knowing how you want to behave isn’t the same as being able to behave.)

Do you communicate in a way that leaves you satisfied?