Communication-Midterm

Interpersonal & Small Group

Communication

Week 1 Lecture

Ch 1-4

One Definition of Interpersonal

Communication • 1. Any interaction between 2 people

Differs from Communication because

it is specifically concerned with

special types of interaction between

people

Interpersonal relationships involve the

way people deal with one another

socially

• No 2 relationships are alike

• Getting better at working within relationships is a skill that can be developed

Why Study Interpersonal

Communication? • Improve Relationships with Family

• Improve Relationships with Friends and Intimates

• Improve our own physical & emotional health (by having successful close human relationships!)

The Communication Process

The Communication Process

• The originator of a communication act is

called the sender (they have something to

say!) And for it to be communication- they

have to say it to a second party.

The Communication Process

• The second party- the person at whom the

sender communicates something is called

the receiver.

The Communication Process

• The thing that is communicated is called the

message. It can be anything!

The Communication Process

• The receiver provides the sender with

essential feedback. This lets the sender

know there message was received, and

understood.

Examples of feedback

• Literally vocally responding to the message that

the sender expressed, “Yes I do like to exercise” or

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

• Non verbally- looking puzzled, nodding, yawning

The feedback is the cue that the sender can proceed,

or has to go back and try again.

The Communication Process

• Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work.

There is NOISE that causes communication

breakdown between the sender and receiver.

Noise

• Internal- the receiver is daydreaming,

thinking about how hungry they are, etc.

But they look like they are paying attention.

• External- the receiver is distracted by a car

going by, someone coughing, the sender’s

hairstyle. Some outside factor keeps the

receiver from paying attention.

Following Rules in IPC

• Interpersonal Communication is governed by RULES.

“followable prescription of what behavior is obligated, preferred, or prohibited in certain contexts.”

Ex: Don’t reveal secrets Look someone in the eye when speaking to

them

What rules do you follow in YOUR

interpersonal relationships?

What rules do you break……..

Ch 2: The Self

Who do you think you are?

To help determine the answer, right now create a short list (maybe 10 things) that fill in the blank

“ I am _____________” (Ex: a mom, a teacher, a friend)

You will get a taste of your own

SELF CONCEPT by seeing what

you include on your list

The Path of Self Concept

• It starts with a baby in a crib (we were all there once)

• It continues by learning how to function in our first group- OUR FAMILY

• It goes on by learning how to function in our early social groups- Friends & School

• We develop further by interaction in later life social groups- Selected Friends & Work Relationships

Symbolic Interaction Theory

• Theory that people make sense of the world based on their interaction with people

So our relationships are important!

• They really do help us define WHO we are

- The groups we associate with

- The roles we assume

- Self Labels

A bit about Self Esteem

• Self Esteem is an evaluation of who you are

• We often use social comparison to help measure how well we think we are doing as compared to others.

This may not always be a good thing…

What unrealistic comparisons have you made in your own life?

Self Disclosure

• When you purposefully provide information to others about yourself that they would not learn if you didn’t tell them.

We generally are very cautious about self disclosure!

The level of self disclosure increases with the level of trust in a relationship

Characteristics of Self Disclosure

• Occurs in small increments • Moves from less personal to more personal

information • It is reciprocal (you disclose to me and I’ll

disclose to you) • It involves risk • Its different on-line from face to face • It involves trust

Ch 3: Perception

• The process of experiencing your world and then making sense out of what you experience

Steps in Perception

• Select

• Organize

• Interpret

What do you see?

Devil? Ladies at a party?

What do you see here?

Rabbit? Duck?

Last one…

Pretty woman? Scary old Woman?

We use the same process we just did

with the optical illusions to perceive

and interpret the world and people

around us.

Perceiving Others

• Ignoring- don’t focus on important- focus on the superficial

• Overgeneralizing- treat small amounts of info as if they were highly representative

• Oversimplyfying- prefer simple explanations to complex ones

• Stereotyping- allow preexisting expectations to influence us

• Imposing Consistency- overestimate consistancy of others’ behavior

• Focusing on the Negative- give more weight to negative info

• Blaming- more likely to blame others when something in their life goes wrong, rather than thinking it was beyond their control

• Avoiding Responsibility- we save face by believing others are the cause of problems

Ever think this….

• “He’s a republican”

• “She’s such a New Yorker”

• “My boss never gives me credit”

• “He’s just a teenager”

We need to be cautious about what we do with perceptions…they may not always be accurate

Ch 4: Diversity

• What makes us different?

• Gender

• Sexual Orientation

• Race & Ethnicity

• Age

• Social Class

Culture

• A learned system of knowledge, behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, values and norms shared by a group of people.

How do you describe your CULTURE?

Intercultural Communication

• This occurs when individuals from different cultures communicate

• The bigger the difference in culture the more likely they will use different verbal and non- verbal codes

Culture Shock

• Sense of confusion, anxiety, stress & loss

Have you ever been a stranger visiting another country?

You may have felt this.

Why study Intercultural

Communication? • In our increasingly Global society- learning to

function in an intercultural communication climate is very important.

What hampers effective

Communication between Cultures • Ethnocentrism- belief that your cultural

traditions and assumptions are superior to those of others

• Different Communication Codes- literally different language and meanings

• Stereotypes and Prejudice

How we can do better!

• Seek information about another culture

• Ask questions and listen

• Develop a third culture (by creating common ground)

We can also..

• Tolerate Ambiguity

• Develop Mindfulness

• Avoid Negative Judgments

• Develop Flexibility

• Become Others Oriented

• Adapt your communication to others