Moore Interpersonal Communication – Project Week 2

1

Interpersonal Communication

At any level or place where one is, sharing information, ideas, and how one feels is a very key element of survival. People need to express themselves to others, and that is how healthy societies are made. From the family level between a husband and his wife, the parents, and the children, between siblings, at school among pupils and between the teachers and the pupils, at the workplace between the bosses and the employees and among the employees, at the church, everywhere. This is what interpersonal communication is. It is rare for healthy relationships to be established without this key component, and that is why people need to study what interpersonal communication entails, and learn how to interact with others healthily. It helps people to enquire for opinions concerning matters, make decisions, to help each other attain certain set goals, feel motivated and cared for, and to make friends. Studying interpersonal communication also helps us learn to respect other people's opinions and decisions, without creating any havoc or disagreements. In short, this discipline helps one survive in life.

From my personal experience as a student, there was a time my classmates were not comfortable with some of the regulations that had been set in place concerning their conduct. The issue was, the administration issued an order that boys should not visit girls at their hostels and vice versa. This did not go well with the students since they felt that they were young adults and that they felt that the administration was interfering with their personal life and that they made them look like children who cannot make their own decisions. The students, therefore, decided to go on a demonstration, protesting against such a law. The reason why I consider this an ethical matter is because a university is a public entity, and everything that goes around there revolves around ethos. The students decided to express their discomfort and frustrations through the demo, instead of calling for talks or an appeal towards the rule. The administration, therefore, decided to call the student leaders to discuss the issue, and it was resolved and the rule was pulled down. The administration had to create a platform where the student leaders expressed their feelings at a personal level on behalf of the entire student population. Had these talks not taken place then the situation would have become uglier than it was.

The key principles that helped resolve the matter were first the administration listened to the opinions of the students concerning the matter and respecting them. This is a very key item in creating healthy interpersonal relationships. Everyone presented their views on the table, both the administration and the student leaders, and everyone listened to either side of the story. When such principles are applied, then decisions are easy to make, and consequently, healthy societies are made.