Chapter 1: The Importance of Interpersonal Communication

Define Interpersonal Communication (IPC)

The process of assigning meaning to the messages you share with potential and established relational partners.

Define Relational Partner

someone you know and share a connection with on some level, such as a parent, sibling, relative, friend, coworker, or romantic partner.

Define Interpersonal Need

An inner drive that is essential to your well-being and relational in nature.

What are the 5 types of love languages classified by Gary Chapman?

Acts of Service, Gifts, Quality Time, Touch, and Affirmation

what does Gary Chapman say about the 5 types of love languages?

According to Chapman, he says that we value all five of the love languages to some extent, but we each differ in our preferences; we may value some more than others. Chapman also believes we generally express affection the way we prefer to receive it.

What are some examples of Acts of Service in Chapman’s 5 Love Languages?

• offering your friend a ride

• cooking a special meal for your sick aunt

• helping your roommate fix his computer

What are some examples of Gifts in Chapman’s 5 Love Languages?

• Crafting a handmade present for your mom

• surprising your grandfather with his favorite candy bar

• buying your coworkers lottery tickets for the company holiday party

What are some examples of Quality Time in Chapman’s 5 Love Languages?

• Spending time and doing mutually enjoyable activities together, such as yoga, fishing, or tennis

What are some examples of Touch in Chapman’s 5 Love Languages?

• Hugs

• Cuddling

• Holding hands

• Sexual intimacy

What are some examples of Affirmation in Chapman’s 5 Love Languages?

• Giving compliments

• Expressing appreciation

• Saying “I love you”

• Sharing affectionate language, like terms of endearment and flattering nicknames

Define Interpersonal Goal

What you are striving to accomplish with your communication

Define Practical Goals

helps you meet the demands of daily living

Define Relational Goals

Helps you to initiate, develop, maintain, repair, and terminate relationsships

Define Self Presentational Goals

Helps you appear socially attractive

Define Interpersonal Behaviors

What you say and/or do to convey a message.

How is Interpersonal Behavior connected to Interpersonal Needs and Goals?

an Interpersonal Behavior is meant to help you achieve an Interpersonal Goal AND satisfy an Interpersonal Need.

Other-Centered

When you consider your relational partner’s needs and goals as much as your own

Define Relationship-Centered

When you make communication choices that are good for your your relationship

Define Interpersonal Conflict

A perceived struggle or tension between two or more relational partners

What are the common sources of Interpersonal Conflict?

incompatible goals, strongly held differences of opinions, and unmet needs are common sources of Interpersonal Conflict.

Define Strong Tie

A relationship that is significant to you. It has a stronger influence on your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that your other relationships do.

What are some examples of Strong Tie?

a strong tie may include someone you’ve known for a long time, like a best friend, a godparent, or a cousin, but it can also involve someone you’re just getting to know, such as a new roommate, step sibling, or romantic interest.

Define Weak Tie

A weak tie is a relationship that is less developed or influential as compared to a strong tie.

What are some examples of weal ties

you may get to know some of your classmates at school, but as soon as the semester is over, you may never see or talk to them again.

What are the 2 types of Conversation Orientation within a family in IPC?

High Conversation Orientation and Low Conversation Orientation

Define High Conversation Orientation

Family communication in which members interact frequently, speak more candidly, and talk spontaneously about a wide range of topics.

Define Low Coversation Orientation

Family communication in which members interacts infrequently, speak less candidly, and with more restrictions on conversation topics they’ll discuss.

What’s the differences between High Conversation Orientation and Low Conversation Orientation?

families who fall under the High Conversation Orientation view conversations as a positive way to express affection, experience pleasure, and relax. they also tend to include all family members in conversations about important decisions, encourage the sharing of feelings and needs, and address conflict productively by finding solutions that work for everyone. on the other hand, families who fall under the Low Conversation Orientation tend to derive little pleasure from their conversations and are guarded in sharing personal information. Decisions are left to one or two adults with very little or no input from others. Family members tend to keep secrets and hold grudges.

Define Workplace Engagemant

The degree that you are happy with, committed to, and energized by your job.

Define Spillover Effect

carrying feelings that originate from work to people and situations outside the workplace.

Define Interpersonal Communication Competence

The ability to communicate effectively and appropriately on a relational level

Define Howard Giles’s Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT)

The idea that a relational partner may perceive your communication as effective and appropriate when you alter your communication to reflect your relational partner’s communication style and emotional state.

Define Empathy

The ability to understand, appreciate, and value what someone else is feeling.

Define Interpersonal Communication Ethics

The beliefs, values, and principles that guide communication behaviors within a relationship.

Define Subjective Evaluation

A judgment based on your own perceptions, feelings, tastes, and opinions.

Define Congruence

The degree to which two or more people share similar perceptions about a communication experience.

Define Incongruence

The degree to which two or more people share dissimilar perceptions, expectations, or opinions about a communication experience

What are the 4 Stages of Skill Development?

• Awareness

• Awkwardness

• Skillfulness

• Integration

What is Awareness in the 4 Stages of Skill Development?

The state of knowing or having knowledge.

What is Awkwardness in the 4 Stages of Skill Development?

Is often experienced when you apply something you learn for the first time.

What is Skillfulness 4 Stages of Skill Development?

Once when you become aware of a technique and have practiced it enough to move beyond the awkwardness stage.

What is Integration in 4 Stages of Skill Development?

A skill that is applied on an unconscious level.

Define Self-Monitoring

the process of Thinking and analyzing your communication with others

Define Mindfulness

The ability to notice new things in your surroundings, within yourself, and in others