Universals of Interpersonal Communication CH. 1

Interpersonal Communication  Selective  Systemic  Unique  Ongoing  Quantitative  Qualitative

between 2 persons who have an established relationship Quantitative or Dyadic Approach

two-person communication based on psychological data, Explanatory knowledge, and personally established rules. Qualitative or Developmental Approach

Elements of Interpersonal Communication A.Source-Receiver = of messages simultaneously

Encode = form messages Decode = decipher messages break down and assign meaning for understanding

Competence is your ability to communicate effectively interpersonal competence = ability to adjust your communication according to the context

Messages Verbal or Nonverbal Feedback = message sent by the receiver of a message, back to the original sender

Feed-forward = isinformation given prior to the main message 1. sets you up to receive the information in a particular way

Channel = medium through which the message is transmitted Always involves the 5 senses

Noise = anything that interferes with the transmission of a message

 physical = environment  physiological = biological problems of the communicators  psychological = mental interference located in the minds of the communicators

S emantic = language problems Context = influences the form and content of messages

physical = setting temporal = time social-psychological status of relationship cultural = influences values, morals, beliefs Purpose = variety Ethics = every act has a moral dimension

II.Transactional Process  A. Is a Process = continual and ever changing  B. Elements are Interdependent = a change in one = a change in all

Speaker/ Listener Speaker/ Listener Transactional View Fig. 2.1

Communication is:  Inevitable - one cannot Not communicate  Irreversible - can’t take it back  Unrepeatable - can’t duplicate it

III. Symmetrical vs. Complementary  Symmetrical = equal or similar status  Complementary = unequal or opposite status

Content & Relational Dimensions  Content Dimension = the information that tells what behavior is expected

Relational Dimension =tells us how to interpret the content implications from two dimensions gender differences

 Process of Adjustment = learning another's unique system of signals over time. Communication Accommodation = adjusting speaking style for listeners to gain social approval