Interpersonal Communication Skills
Developing interpersonal communication skills is vitally important in today’s workplace. Even though you are an individual contributor in the workplace, you still need to communicate effectively with your boss as well as customers. Almost all kinds of work require communicating with people. Most people have colleagues with whom they need to communicate in order to be successful at their job.
When we communicate, we don't actually swap ideas, we swap symbols that stand for ideas. Words are just symbols that do not have inherent meaning; we simply use them in certain ways to convey an idea or give it a meaning, and no two people use the same word in the same sense at all instances.
The symbols attached to these words are a function of who we are, our social upbringing and culture, which will pretty much vary quite widely in today's work environment.
Our personal communication skills would be largely dependant on our cultural background and unique histories. As a result, there is a real possibility that when two of us get together there are chances that we are less effective at communicating with each other than we would like.
Interpersonal communication requires Good listening Skills and Conversational Skills.
1. LISTENING SKILLS
During Interpersonal Communication, we need to think about what to do not only as senders, but also as receivers. Before we can respond appropriately to others, we need to understand the sender, the message and our possible response. To do this, we need good listening skills.
Listening refers to paying thoughtful attention to the verbal and non-verbal cues of others.
There are two things involved in listening.
1. Listening for Ideas: We need to try to gather facts or follow a line of logical thinking. Listening for ideas is the kind of listening that focuses on the main point, for example students do as part of the learning process, the kind of listening a patient does when the doctor explains ailment and medications. The main goal of listening is comprehension and retention of information.
Factors that affect listening.
1. Lack of concentration
2. Noise
3. Trying to take a message word for word
Factors that aids good listening and to retain information.
1. Link new knowledge with old knowledge.
2. Pay attention to main points
3. Tying ideas together, e.g connect the word to an image
4. Ask for a repetition of an idea or ask for clarification.
5. Don’t be too hasty to respond.
6. Take notes for reference
Listening for Feelings
Good listening is also attentive to feelings. It is important to recognize what the other person is going through from their utterance. Here comprehension of details is not so important. To respond effectively, one must pay close attention to both the words and the non verbal cues. For example a smile can contradict a seemingly serious statement. Eye blinking, hand movement may signal the true emotional of the speaker.
Listening for facts or ideas and feelings provides us with basis for interacting with people. Good listening skills enhance communication in a variety of ways, in conversation, in comforting, and in conflict resolution.
CLICK HERE FOR LESSON 8
Sunday, October 25, 2009
LESSON 8: Communicating with others one to one.
Communicating with others one to one.
Interpersonal communication is sending and receiving of messages between parties, usually in close visual and aural proximity which allows for immediate feedback and close attention to verbal and nonverbal cues.
In simple terms, Interpersonal communication is sending and receiving of messages between a small number of people who can see and hear each other with immediate feedback.
Interpersonal communication is different from Public Communication because of the number of people and the proximity involved.
Number of People
Interpersonal Communication involves a small number of participants. It is often referred to as Dyadic communication, when two people are involved, e.g husband and wife, or two friends. When three people are involved in Communication it is known as Triadic communication for example a couple talking to a real estate agent about a house they want to rent.
When the number of people becomes enlarge beyond three it is referred to as small group.
Proximity.
Proximity is an important element of interpersonal communication. The communication is usually unmediated unlike in mass communication whereby something comes between the sender and the final receiver of the message. Interpersonal communication is often face to face communication, for example a teacher and student talking at the teacher’s desk, a patient seeing the doctor to discuss symptoms of illness.
Features of Interpersonal Communication
- Use of less formal language:- The small number of people and proximity affects the nature of language used in interpersonal communication. We usually use language that is less formal than that of writing or public speaking.
- The proximity of interpersonal communication allows for verbal and non verbal cues. Through a series of small movement and gestures, we can know when a conversation needs to continue or end.
- Close proximity also allows for physical contact which is expected. For example a business interview almost universally opens with a handshake, children may want to be held while their comforts them.
- Interpersonal Communication requires immediate feedback since both parties can see and hear each other. Feedback is a very essential element of interpersonal communication. A phone conversation is a form of interpersonal communication, but while it involves a small number of close aural proximity, it eliminates all non verbal cues with the exception of paralinguistic.
LESSON 7: The Ethics in Communication
The Ethics in Communication.
Communication is one of the most basic human activities, a process by which we engage ourselves with others for understanding, for cooperation and the accomplishment of variety of goals.
However complex or simple our interactions are, we interfere on each other in multiple ways. We influence each other through communication and recognize that communication is not a neutral activity. We influence each other in positive and negative ways, for good and for bad.
When Communicating, we do not simply choose words, we choose words for the effect they will have on our audiences, on ourselves, and ultimately, on society. Thus when we communicate, we cannot escape ethical questions, questions which ask how helpful or harmful our actions are.
An awareness of the ethical dimensions of communication provides us with a deeper understanding or ourselves and of our potentials as human beings.
THE NATURE OF ETHICS
Ethics refers to the study of morality's effect on conduct: the study of moral standards and how they affect conduct.
It refers to the code of morality: a system of moral principles governing the appropriate conduct for a person or group.
Ethics is the study of what, is the best course of action, the right or wrong of our actions and policies, be those actions communicative, political, social, personal or a mixture of areas.
ETHICS AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF COMMUNICATION
Ethical questions are often related to politics. This is because administrators are often faced with questions of truthfulness. When we turn to non political questions, we sometimes think that ethics only focus on issues such as wars or capital punishment. These are certainly significant matters, but the major ethical issues are matters of how to behave in our daily lives and in our relationships with those with whom we have personal contact at home, at school or at work.
Because communication is relational, it brings us face to face with questions that contain ethical judgments. We must decide what is the purpose or purposes of a relationship in which we find ourselves. We must decide how to behave. We must choose how to respond in that situation. Our responses will be based on how we regard the other party or parties and what the consequences of our actions will be. All of these are basic ethical questions in that they involve our deciding what is the “best” course of action.
Ethical Communication is therefore important because.
a. It helps to determine how to behave in our daily lives.
b. it helps to shape our relationship with others
c. it helps to determine the purpose of the relationship we find ourselves.
d. it helps us to consider the consequence of our actions.
e. It helps us to decide the best course of action.
GUIDELINES FOR ETHICAL COMMUNICATION
To make the best decision in our communication, and to communicate ethically, we must give thought to the manner in which we communicate. Rules are applied to different communication situations in which we find ourselves. These situations are vast and varying and the following guidelines can help to make ethical communications.
1. Be respectful to your audience
2. Consider the consequence of your communication
3. Respect the truth
4. Use Information Properly ( Adequate and Accurate)
5. Don’t falsify Information
6. Respect the rights of others to information.
Communication is one of the most basic human activities, a process by which we engage ourselves with others for understanding, for cooperation and the accomplishment of variety of goals.
However complex or simple our interactions are, we interfere on each other in multiple ways. We influence each other through communication and recognize that communication is not a neutral activity. We influence each other in positive and negative ways, for good and for bad.
When Communicating, we do not simply choose words, we choose words for the effect they will have on our audiences, on ourselves, and ultimately, on society. Thus when we communicate, we cannot escape ethical questions, questions which ask how helpful or harmful our actions are.
An awareness of the ethical dimensions of communication provides us with a deeper understanding or ourselves and of our potentials as human beings.
THE NATURE OF ETHICS
Ethics refers to the study of morality's effect on conduct: the study of moral standards and how they affect conduct.
It refers to the code of morality: a system of moral principles governing the appropriate conduct for a person or group.
Ethics is the study of what, is the best course of action, the right or wrong of our actions and policies, be those actions communicative, political, social, personal or a mixture of areas.
ETHICS AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF COMMUNICATION
Ethical questions are often related to politics. This is because administrators are often faced with questions of truthfulness. When we turn to non political questions, we sometimes think that ethics only focus on issues such as wars or capital punishment. These are certainly significant matters, but the major ethical issues are matters of how to behave in our daily lives and in our relationships with those with whom we have personal contact at home, at school or at work.
Because communication is relational, it brings us face to face with questions that contain ethical judgments. We must decide what is the purpose or purposes of a relationship in which we find ourselves. We must decide how to behave. We must choose how to respond in that situation. Our responses will be based on how we regard the other party or parties and what the consequences of our actions will be. All of these are basic ethical questions in that they involve our deciding what is the “best” course of action.
Ethical Communication is therefore important because.
a. It helps to determine how to behave in our daily lives.
b. it helps to shape our relationship with others
c. it helps to determine the purpose of the relationship we find ourselves.
d. it helps us to consider the consequence of our actions.
e. It helps us to decide the best course of action.
GUIDELINES FOR ETHICAL COMMUNICATION
To make the best decision in our communication, and to communicate ethically, we must give thought to the manner in which we communicate. Rules are applied to different communication situations in which we find ourselves. These situations are vast and varying and the following guidelines can help to make ethical communications.
1. Be respectful to your audience
2. Consider the consequence of your communication
3. Respect the truth
4. Use Information Properly ( Adequate and Accurate)
5. Don’t falsify Information
6. Respect the rights of others to information.
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