1. Interpersonal Process
CHAPTER 1
Interpersonal Process

2. Why Study Communication?
Why study an activity that you’ve done your entire life?
New look at a familiar topic
Increased communication effectiveness
Studying communication can provide a new look at a familiar topic and lead to increased communication effectiveness.

3. Section 1
Interplay
WHY WE COMMUNICATE

4. Why We Communicate
How does communication help to fulfill the following human needs?
Physical needs
Identity needs
Social needs
Practical needs
Communication helps to fulfill basic human needs, including needs which are physical, identity, social, and practical.

5. Dark Side of Communication
Social needs are represented in research on loneliness and the Internet
Connecting with others online can alleviate lonely feelings (Lee et. al, 2013)
Preference to connect with others online can lead to problematic Internet use and increased loneliness (Chung, 2013)
Although the internet potentially enables increased connection with others that can help to alleviate feelings of loneliness, it can also lead to more problematic internet usage which can increase loneliness. This exposes the potential dark side of communication.

6. Communication & Career Advancement
Communication skills are crucial to finding a job
Abilities in spoken and written communication rated highly (Supiano, 2013)
Interpersonal communication essential for success (Coffelt et al., 2016)
Important in virtually every career
Research shows that interpersonal communication skills, both oral and written, are highly rated among business leaders and important in nearly every career.

7. THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
Section 2
Interplay
THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

8. The Communication Process
Communication is about using messages to generate meanings (Korn et al., 2000)
Public speaking
Small groups
Mass media
The communication process involves using messages to generate meanings and is relevant in all types of settings, including public speaking, small groups, and mass media.

9. Early Models of Communication
Linear, one-way event
Resembles an archer shooting a message at a target
Later models
Tennis game: Senders and receivers exchange messages
Respond with verbal or nonverbal feedback
While early models of communication were very linear and illustrated communication as one-way, later models of communication emphasized an exchange of messages using both verbal and nonverbal feedback.

10. Insights from the Transactional Communication Model
Sending and receiving are usually simultaneous
Meanings exist in and among people
Environment and noise affect communication
Channels make a difference
The Transactional Communication Model demonstrates how messages are sent and received simultaneously. These messages are often influenced by contextual factors, such as the surrounding environment, noise, channel, and meaning that exists within and among communicators.

11. Focus on Research: Twitter
Communication channels influence messages
Research shows that Twitter messages created on a mobile device differ from those created on computers
Mobile Tweets more egocentric and negatively worded than computer-generated Tweets
Research demonstrates that communication channels influence messages. For example, a study found that messages created on Twitter were more egocentric and negatively worded than messages created on computers.

12. Communication Principles
Transactional
Mutual influence
Interdependent behaviors
Uniquely created
Intentional or unintentional
Irreversible
Unrepeatable
Content dimension and a relational dimension
Which principles are demonstrated in this video?
Primary principles of communication illustrate that communication is transactional, meaning it involves mutual influence of communicators, interdependent behaviors, and is uniquely created. Communication also can be both intentional and unintentional, is irreversible and unrepeatable, and contains both a content and relational dimension.
Here’s a video from the Ellen DeGeneres Show featuring some autocorrect fails in a segment called “Clumsy Thumbsy.”

13. The Nature of Interpersonal Communication
Every exchange has a relational dimension, ranging from highly impersonal to highly interpersonal
By nature, interpersonal communication exchanges have a relational dimension that exists on a continuum somewhere between highly impersonal and highly interpersonal.

14. Characteristics of Interpersonal Communication
Features of interpersonal relationships:
Uniqueness
Interdependence
Self-disclosure
Intrinsic rewards
Interpersonal relationships are distinguished by the uniqueness of the interaction, level of interdependence between or among communicators, amount of self-disclosure, and the reward of developing a relationship with the communicator(s).

15. Masspersonal Communication
Masspersonal communication characterizes interaction that crosses boundaries between mass and interpersonal contexts
Traditionally, interpersonal communication was considered fairly private. The emergence of social media has create a unique type of interaction that is both personal and public at the same time, resulting in a new concept called masspersonal communication.

16. Communication Misconceptions
All communication seeks understanding.
More communication is always better.
Communication will solve all problems.
Effective communication is a natural ability.
There are several misconceptions about communication. These misconceptions include the idea that all communication seeks understanding (for example, sometimes it is ritualistic or intentionally ambiguous), that more communication is always better (sometimes it is unproductive), that communication solves all problems (sometimes it can even create problems), and that effective communication comes naturally (in order to truly be effective, many require training).

17. COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE
Section 3
Interplay
COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE

18. Communication Competence
Principles of Communication Competence
Competent communication:
Effective
Appropriate
No single “ideal” or “effective” way to communicate
Competence is situational
Competence can be learned
Communication competence is reflected in the learned ability to effectively and appropriately achieve goals. It is important to remember that there is not one single and ideal way to communicate, as competence is situational.

19. Characteristics of Competent Communication
A large repertoire of skills
Adaptability
Ability to perform skillfully
Empathy/perspective taking
Cognitive complexity
Self-monitoring
Common characteristics of competent communication include possessing a wide variety of skills, the ability to adapt and effectively perform appropriate behaviors, developing empathy to see another person’s point of view, construct different frameworks for understanding an issue, and paying close attention to one’s own behaviors.

20. SOCIAL MEDIA AND INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
Section 4
Interplay
SOCIAL MEDIA AND INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

21. Social Media and Interpersonal Communication
Technology allows for starting and maintaining relationships
Social media describes all communication channels that allow:
Community-based input
Interaction
Content-sharing
Collaboration
Use the textbook quiz to assess your own use of social media
The role of technology is increasingly important in relationships, as social media allows for multiple opportunities and ways to start and maintain relationships.

22. Characteristics of Social Media
Leanness
Asynchronicity
Permanence
Social media tends to lack nonverbal cues, but allows for flexibility in sending messages – though those messages then become quite permanent records of communication.

23. Focus on Research: Permanence
Some instant messaging services – like Snapchat – are ephemeral
Lightweight channel
Sharing of spontaneous experiences
More enjoyable than other digital platforms
More likely to use for flirting and finding love
One example of social media that does not feature permanence is Snapchat. The digital platform allows for communication that is spontaneous which has been shown to afford less inhibited communication.

24. Social Media and Relational Quality
Social media might seem inferior
Lacks richness
Discourages community
Superficial
Can be rich and satisfying
Increases amount and quality of interpersonal communication
Why?
Easier, less complicated
Social media can create relational experiences that can feel superficial. However, there are also opportunities for satisfying, high quality interpersonal exchanges because using social media can be easier and less complicated than other channels.

25. Communicating Competently with Social Media
Be careful what you post
Be considerate
Respect others’ need for undivided attention
Keep your tone civil
Be mindful of bystanders
Balance mediated and face-to-face time
Embrace Multimodality
In order to competently use social media, communicators should be careful and considerate of the messages they post, being mindful of others and thoughtful of balancing mediated and face-to-face time.