Week 1 Ch 1: Interpersonal Communication

physical needs

presence or absence of communication affects physical health

identity needs

our sense of identity comes from our communication and interactions with others; helps you understand yourself better

social needs

needs we have which link ourselves with others - pleasure, affection, companionship, escape. relaxation, control

instrumental goals

getting things done - how we get others to behave the ways we want

sender

the creator of a message

encode

the process of putting thoughts into symbols, most commonly, words

message

information sent from a sender to a receiver

linear communication model

a characterization of communication as a one-way event in which a message flows from a sender to receiver

channel

the medium through which a message passes from sender to receiver

receiver

one who notices and attends to a message

noise

external distractions in the channel that disrupt transmission - ig. cigarette smoke, crowded room with loud noise

senders encode

sender uses verbal and non-verbal symbols for which he or she believes the receiver will uderstand

receivers decode

receiver begins to interpret the symbols sent by the sender, translating the message to their own set of experiences in order to make the symbols meaningful

transactional communication model

expands the linear model to better capture communication; the word communicator is used, instead of sender and receiver, reflecting the simultaneous nature of communication; activity that we do with others not do to others

envrionment

field of experiences that lead a person to make sense of another’s behaviour; refers to physical location, personal experiences, cultural background

physiological noise

biological factors that interfere with accurate reception (illness, fatigue, hearing loss)

psychological noise

forces within that interfere with the ability to understand a message accurately (embarrassment, anger, disappointment, anxiety)

interpersonal communication

is a continuous transactional process involving participants who occupy different but overlapping environments and create relationships through exchange of messages, many of which are affected by external, physiological and psychological noise

intentional/unintentional, irreversible, impossible not to communicate, unrepeatable, has content and relational dimensions

what are the 5 communication principles?

content message

a message that communicates information about the subject being discussed

relational message

a message that expresses the social relationship between two or more individuals

affinity

the degree to which people like or appreciate one another

immediacy

the degree of interest and attention that we feel toward and communicate to others

respect

the social need to be held in esteem by others

control

the degree to which the parties in a relationship have the power to influence one another

metacommunication

messages that people exchange, verbally or nonverbally, about their relationship - communication about communication

quantitative

focuses on the number of people involved; impersonal communication, usually face-to-face, between two individuals

qualitative

communication in which the parties consider one another as unique individuals rather than as objects; involves a high degree of information exchange; minimal use of stereotype labels - opposite of impersonal

dyad

two people interacting

impersonal communication

behaviour that treats others like objects rather than individuals - telling someone to have a nice day without looking at them

uniqueness, irreplaceability, interdependence, disclosure, intrinsic rewards

what are the 5 characteristics of qualitative interpersonal relationships?

uniqueness

we all have unique roles - every relationship that we have is unique

irreplaceability

interpersonal relationships are unique and cannot be replaced

interdependence

others experiences affect you as well

disclousure

disclosure of personal information - tend not to disclose in impersonal relationships vs qualitative relationships

intrinsic rewards

spending time with friends and loved ones is enjoyable and rewarding

communication competence

the ability to accomplish one’s personal goals in a manner that maintains or enhances the relationship in which it occurs