1: Inter-Act, 13th Edition Orientation

Interpersonal Communication The complex process through which people express, interpret, and coordinate messages in order to create shared meaning, meet social goals, manage personal identity, and carry out relationships

Purposes of Interpersonal Communication Share meaning Meet social goals Manage our personal identity Conduct our relationships

Interpersonal Communication Process Process: systematic series of actions that leads to an outcome Message production: actions you perform to send a message Message interpretation: activities performed to understand intended meaning Interaction coordination: activities performed to adjust behavior to partner

Message – a performance that uses words, sentences, and/or nonverbal behaviors to convey the thoughts, feelings, and intentions of the speaker Canned Plan – mental library of scripts Script – text that instructs you what to say in a specific situation

The Communication Setting Physical Context – where communication takes place, the environment, the distance between participants, seating, time of day Social Context – the nature of the relationship Historical Context – the background of previous communication Psychological Context – moods & feelings Cultural Context – beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, social hierarchies, religion, notion of time, and roles of the participants

Noise External noise – the sights, sounds, and other stimuli that draw people’s attention away from intended meaning Internal noise – the thoughts and feelings that interfere with meaning Semantic noise – distractions caused by the speaker’s words that interfere with meaning

Social Media Context Social Media: technologies that facilitate communication and interaction Digital communication: electronic transmission of digitally encoded information

Social Network Groups of individuals connected by Friendship Careers Institutions Family ties Common interests, beliefs, knowledge

Traits of Social Media Technology Facilitates social interactivity Takes time to send and receive messages (temporal structure) Lacks social cues Video Can be stored and replicated Potentially reaches a large audience Allows mobility

Traits of Social Media Technology

Principles of Interpersonal Communication Is continuous Is transactional Is irreversible Video Is situated Is indexical

Principles of Interpersonal Communication

Communication Is Continuous Interpersonal communication can be verbal or nonverbal. Therefore, we are always sending messages to others—whether we are aware of it or not!

Communication Is Transactional

Communication Is Transactional Each person gives and receives messages, feedback. Each person gets needs met and helps others satisfy needs. Each person is changed with each interaction.

Communication Is Irreversible Once an exchange has taken place, we can never ignore it, take it back, or pretend it did not occur.

Communication Is Situated All communication occurs within a communication setting. Setting affects how messages are produced, interpreted, and coordinated. Meaning is dependent upon the situation.

Communication Is Indexical Index (or measure) of the emotional temperature of a relationship Trust: the extent to which partners rely on, depend on, and have faith that their partner will not intentionally harm them Control: the extent to which each person has power or is “in charge” of the relationship Intimacy: degree of emotional closeness, acceptance, and disclosure

Ethics of Interpersonal Communication “A set of moral principles held by a society, a group, or individual” Truthfulness and honesty Integrity Fairness Respect Responsibility Empathy Video

Ethics of Interpersonal Communication

The Dark Side Bright Side Ethical Appropriate Hard Dark Side Ethical Inappropriate Easy Dark Side Unethical Appropriate Evil Dark Side Unethical Inappropriate

Diversity – variations between and among people Culture Gender Video Age Class Physical characteristics Sexual orientation

Diversity – variations between and among people

Culture – systems of knowledge shared by a relatively large group of people Culture is a critical concept to communication because “every communicator is a product of his or her culture.” -Anderson 2000

Communication Competence Competence is the impression that communicative behavior is both effective and appropriate. Competence can be enhanced by: Increasing communication knowledge Increasing communication skills Increasing communication motivation

Developing Competence Knowledge Acquire interpersonal communication knowledge Effective messages Appropriate messages 2. Emotional Intelligence: ability to monitor your own and others’ emotions

Developing Competence Skills Micro communication skills: message templates, “lines” Communication skill scripts: mental texts that include micro communication skills

Developing Competence Motivation Unlearn old ineffective scripts. Learn new scripts.