Com 200 Final

Running Head: LETTER OF ADVICE FOR MY COWORKERS 1

LETTER OF ADVICE FOR MY COWORKERS 8

Letter of Advice for My Coworkers- Outline

Ricardo Alvarado

COM200: Interpersonal Communication

Kyle Ferguson

July 6, 2016

I. Introduction and Thesis Statement

I am writing this letter to emphasize the importance of interpersonal communication in the workplace. Effective communication at the workplace has many benefits among them employee morale, team building, and workplace diversity which all help increase productivity at the workplace.

II. Body

1) Principles and barriers to effective interpersonal communications.

A. Topic Sentence

The achievement of effective interpersonal communication is usually through the conscious awareness of four principles: It is inescapable; It is irreversible; It is complicated, and It is contextual.

B. Supporting Evidence

King explains that the principles underlie the mechanisms of real life interpersonal communication and such we cannot just ignore them. The four principles are basic to communication (King, 2000).

C. Explanation

We cannot escape from communicating. Communicating is not restricted to verbal communication, we communicate significantly through our body language. It is also important to keep in mind that once you have communicated, either verbally or non- verbally, it is irreversible. Different words have different meanings by different people in different circumstances, further illustrating the complicated nature of interpersonal communication. Communication also does not happen in isolation according to the contextual principle. The contexts referred to, in this case, are psychological, relational, situational, environmental, and cultural.

D. Why Does This Matter?

It is important to have knowledge of these principles since all barriers to interpersonal communication relate to one of the principles. With the know-how, you can easily handle tricky situations as regards interpersonal communication.

2) Analysis of the role of communication in developing and maintaining one’s self- concept, self- image, and self- esteem.

A. Topic Sentence

Self- concept, self- esteem, and self- image affect an individual’s ability to be sensitive to others, their interpretation of messages, their social needs, and their typical communication style.

B. Supporting Evidence

The way we communicate with others is of major importance since we let people know who we are, what our values are, what we believe in, and how we feel. The communication process influences our own behavior and self-concept. It also influences the behavior and self- concept of others too (South Eastern CASA, 2015).

C. Explanation

Becoming other- oriented is the first step in developing quality interpersonal relationships with others especially at the workplace. It is all about being sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of others in the workplace.

D. Why Does This Matter?

With everyone feeling good about themselves at the workplace, productivity is definitely bound to increase. This is because everyone is comfortable at the workplace and can air their views without much worry.

3) Differentiating appropriate levels of self- disclosure and emotional intelligence in various relationships.

A. Topic Sentence

In order to be competent in the art of self-disclosure, it is important that you understand the different sides of self- disclosure i.e. the disclosure side and the recipient side. Identify when sharing is appropriate and when it is not vital when it comes to interpersonal relationships at the workplace.

B. Supporting Evidence

The social penetration theory and the social comparison theory explain the dynamics of self- disclosure (Schwartz, 2011). The opposite sides of self- disclosure are over- sharing and under- sharing. When it comes to over- sharing the concerned individual tend to share too quickly or too much. Under- sharing, on the other hand, is all about people who keep to themselves and never disclose (McVey, 2015).

C. Explanation

There are specific behaviors that characterize either under or over- sharing. Sharing one’s insecurities with the boss once he/ she ignores or rejects you is a good example of oversharing. Excessive sharing is harmful to relationships at the workplace and can also have a toll on your reputation. Under sharing, on the other hand, makes it virtually impossible to foster good relationships with workmates.

D. Why Does This Matter?

Knowledge on the different levels of disclosure is important to each and everyone at the workplace. With this, one is now are of situations when self-disclosure is appropriate.

4) Strategies for using communication techniques to resolve interpersonal conflicts.

A. Topic Sentence

In order to resolve interpersonal conflicts, communication is key. Positive strategies reach a resolution; negative communication strategies, however, often lead to further escalation of the conflict in question.

B. Supporting Evidence

To resolve conflicts using communication techniques, one must always consider communication roadblocks. Communication roadblocks occur when two people talk with neither feeling sufficiently understood. Examples of such roadblocks are criticism, contempt, stonewalling, and defensiveness. Once this is catered to, strategies to solve the conflict can be used. The communication strategies are softening the startup, making and receiving repair attempts, and effective speaking and listening skills (Brower & Darrington, 2012).

C. Explanation

A soft startup to the conversation should express understanding and focus on problems that led to the conflict. Taking responsibility for thoughts and feelings is also important at this stage. Attempts at repairing the situation prevent the conflict from escalating. The speaker- listener technique in which each partner takes turns being the speaker and the listener helps resolve interpersonal conflicts.

D. Why Does This Matter?

Using communication strategies to resolve conflicts is convenient since apart from conflict resolution, it also helps in team building efforts.

5) Analysis of the impact of gender and culture on interpersonal communications.

A. Topic Sentence

Gender and cultural differences in interpersonal communication exist and are not just derived from stereotypes. Proxemics, kinesics, and haptics all differ based on culture and gender.

B. Supporting Evidence

Men are more aware when they are touched during a conversation when compared to women. Men are accordingly more conscious about the invasion of personal space. Women characteristically are keener to finer details within a conversation- reading between the lines. The need for eye contact varies from one culture to the other. Caucasians and Hispanics, for example, exhibit a great need for eye contact, when compared to Africans and Asians (Billikopf, 2012).

C. Explanation

The differences are varied in interpretation and as such it would be wise to be careful when analyzing situations. During conflicts, increased eye contact may serve to polarize warring factions even further. However, if conflicting parties take a more compromising stance, increased eye contact is bound to increase positive feelings.

D. Why Does This Matter?

An increased understanding of these issues would substantially improve our day to day interactions with others at the workplace.

III. Conclusion.

This paper has shown you the importance of learning more about interpersonal communications. Employee morale, team building, and workplace diversity would all improve if there was effective communication at the workplace. This would consequently boost workplace productivity.

References

Billikopf, G. (2012). Gender and Culture Communication Differences.

Brower, N. & Darrington, J. (2012). Effective Communication Skills: Resolving Conflicts. Utah State University Cooperative Extension.

Bevan, J. L., & Sole, K. (2014).  Making Connections: Understanding interpersonal communication  (2nd Ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridge point Education, Inc.

King, D. (2000). Four Principles of Interpersonal Communication. Retrieved from: http://www.pstcc.edu/facstaff/dking/interpr.htm

McVey, S. (2015). Building Trust at Work with Appropriate Self- Disclosure.

Schwartz, H. D. (2011). A Primer on Communication and Communicative Disorders. 1st edition. Pearson.

South Eastern Center against Sexual Assault & Family Violence (2015). Self- esteem and communication. Retrieved from: http://www.secasa.com.au/pages/going-too-far-creating-non-violent-relationships/self-esteem-and-communication/