Understanding Personal and Interpersonal Communication

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering the fundamentals of personal and interpersonal communication, audience analysis, context types, tone, and multimodal texts.

Interpersonal communication

The exchange of information, emotions, and meaning between people through verbal and nonverbal cues, typically occurring face-to-face.

Personal communication

Information obtained through sources that are not publicly accessible, such as emails, private letters, individual interviews, and private conversations.

Primary audience

The specific individuals intended to be addressed and for whom a message is crafted initially.

Secondary audience

Individuals likely to encounter a message even if they are not the primary recipients, such as team members copied on an email.

Hidden audience

Unintended recipients who may access or receive a message through forwarding or reviewing recorded meetings.

Demographics

Measurable aspects of an individual’s identity that influence their societal role, including age, gender, religion, and occupation.

Psychographics

Inner traits that influence how people think, feel, and behave, such as beliefs, attitudes, values, and needs.

Beliefs

Ideas that people think are true, which shape how they see the world and make decisions regardless of factual correctness.

Attitudes

Consistent positive, negative, or neutral feelings about things like ideas, people, or policies, formed through experience and social influences.

Values

Deep personal principles or goals that guide what people care about and aim for.

Needs

Things that people lack and want to fulfill, which can be either actual or felt.

Context

The conditions and factors, including physical setting and cultural background, that shape how a message is understood and interpreted.

Social Context

The nature of the relationship between communicators, which influences how messages are framed and received.

Physical Context

The tangible environment where communication occurs, involving location, time, weather, and ambient noise.

Cultural Context

The shared beliefs, values, customs, and behavioral norms of a communicators’ group that shape expectations and interpretations.

Psychological Context

The mental and emotional conditions of the communicators, including mood, stress level, and personal attitudes.

Historical Context

Prior events, background knowledge, or past interactions that provide a reference point for current communication.

Relational Context

The nature and history of the relationship between communicators, such as being strangers, colleagues, or close friends.

Tone

The writer’s attitude toward a topic as demonstrated through their specific use of language.

Empathy

The practice of trying to understand how another person might feel and considering how your words could affect them.

Ambiguity

A cause of misinterpretation in digital communication occurring when the lack of visual or voice cues makes it hard to determine the sender's intent.

Projection

A digital communication challenge where the reader projects their own mood or assumptions onto a message.

Main Idea

The central point of a paragraph or a group of closely related paragraphs.

Thesis

The author’s overall message that is supported by the main ideas within a text.

Expository Paragraph

A paragraph containing major and minor details such as facts, reasons, or examples to clarify or support main ideas.

Introductory Paragraph

A paragraph that gives readers a preview of what to expect and outlines the key ideas or boundaries of a discussion.

Transitional Paragraph

A brief paragraph that connects previous content to upcoming ideas to help the reader follow the flow of the text.

Summarizing Paragraph

A paragraph that reviews the key points from a section and may include the writer's conclusions or interpretations.

Multimodal Text

A text that communicates meaning using two (2) or more modes, such as written words, spoken language, images, or sound.

Linguistic Mode

The most frequently used mode of communication appearing in forms like books, conversations, and speeches.

Visual Mode

The use of images, symbols, color, layout, and sizes to convey meaning.

Gestural Mode

The use of movement and body language, including facial expressions, hand gestures, and posture, to communicate meaning.

Spatial Mode

The arrangement of elements in a physical space, including the distance between people and objects.

Aural Mode

Communication mode involving sound elements such as music, voice tone, volume, sound effects, and silence.