Interpersonal Communication – Chapter 1 Notes

Learning Objectives

• Assess communicators’ needs (physical, identity, social, practical) in context

• Apply linear & transactional models to real interactions

• Spot principles & misconceptions of communication in examples

• Judge qualitative level (impersonal ↔ interpersonal) and its impact

• Evaluate channel choice & overall competence

Why We Communicate

• Physical: social contact boosts longevity; isolation harms health (e.g., 3.7-year life-span gap)

• Identity: self-concept forms through others’ feedback (Wild Boy of Aveyron case)

• Social: fulfills pleasure, affection, companionship, control; strong link to happiness

• Practical / Instrumental: obtain desired behaviors; career & safety depend on clear interaction

• Maslow (bottom → top): Physical → Safety → Social → Self-esteem → Self-actualization; communication supports every level

Models of Communication

• Linear Model: sender \to message \to receiver; includes channel & noise

• Transactional Model: simultaneous communicators within overlapping environments; noise = external + physiological + psychological

Interpersonal vs. Impersonal

Quantitative view

• Any two-person (dyadic) exchange = interpersonal
  Qualitative view (true “IP” requires):

• Uniqueness of rules/roles

• Irreplaceability

• Interdependence (joined fates, identity linkage)

• Disclosure (personal info)

• Intrinsic rewards
  Note: most relationships lie on a continuum, blending personal & impersonal elements

Core Principles

• Intentional & unintentional messages both communicate

• Impossible not to communicate

• Communication is irreversible & unrepeatable

• Every message has content and relational dimensions

Common Misconceptions

• “More talk = better” → not always; can worsen issues

• “Words contain meaning” → people assign meaning

• “Shared understanding = success” → partial / strategic ambiguity can help

• “Good communication solves all problems” → some issues persist despite clarity

Communication Competence

Definition

• Achieve goals and maintain/ enhance relationships (effective + appropriate)
  Key traits

• Wide behavioral repertoire

• Context-appropriate choice

• Skillful performance (practice \to integration)

• Cognitive complexity (many interpretive frameworks)

• Empathy (feel another’s perspective)

• Self-monitoring (observe & adjust own behavior)

• Commitment (to partner & message)
  Competence is situational, improvable, not one “ideal” style

Intercultural Competence

• Motivation: willingness to engage strangers

• Tolerance for ambiguity: accept unfamiliar cues

• Open-mindedness: avoid ethnocentrism; suspend judgment

• Knowledge & skills: learn culture-specific rules + culture-general strategies
  • Passive observation • Active inquiry • Self-disclosure (admit ignorance, seek help)

Quick Reference Terms

• Channel – The medium carrying a message from a sender to a receiver.

• Co-culture – Not explicitly defined in this note, but generally refers to a group of people who share a distinct set of beliefs, values, and practices that differ from the larger dominant culture to which they belong.

• Cognitive complexity – The ability to use many interpretive frameworks or multiple perspectives to understand situations and people.

• Communication competence – The ability to achieve one's goals and maintain/enhance relationships (an effective and appropriate combination).

• Content dimension – The explicit information being discussed or conveyed in a message.

• Decode – The process by which a receiver translates symbols or messages into understandable ideas.

• Dyad – A two-person unit.

• Encode – The process by which a sender translates ideas into symbols or messages for communication.

• Environment – The physical and experiential contexts that influence how communicators understand events, words, and actions.

• Impersonal communication – Interaction where individuals treat each other as replaceable, adhere to generalized rules/roles, lack interdependence, share minimal disclosure, and seek extrinsic rewards.

• Instrumental goals – Task-oriented objectives of interaction.

• Interpersonal communication – A qualitative type of interaction characterized by the uniqueness of rules/roles, irreplaceability, interdependence, personal disclosure, and intrinsic rewards.

• Linear communication model – A model that depicts communication as a one-way process where a sender transmits a message through a channel to a receiver, potentially affected by noise.

• Message – The information or signals sent from a sender to a receiver; can be both intentional and unintentional.

• Noise – Any interference that disrupts the transmission or decoding of a message, categorized as external, physiological, or psychological.

• Receiver – The person who obtains and decodes a message sent by a sender.

• Relational dimension – The aspect of a message that expresses how the communicators feel about each other and their relationship.

• Self-monitoring – The process of observing and regulating one's own communication and behavior, and adjusting them as needed.

• Sender – The person who originates and encodes a message to be sent.

• Transactional communication model – A model that views communication as a simultaneous, two-way process where communicators send and receive messages within overlapping environments, influenced by various types of noise.