Interpersonal Communication

If there is any great secret of success in life, it  lies in the ability to put yourself in the other person's place and to see things from his point of view - as well as your own.
                              - Henry Ford

Definition of Interpersonal Communication

Communication that occur between people who have known each other for some time.

Uses of interpersonal Communication

*  Gaining Information about others
*  Bulding a Context of Understanding
*  Relationship Messages
*  Interpersonal Needs


  Gaining Information About Others

*  Attempt to gain information about others so that we can interact with them effectively.
*  This helps us to better predict how they will think, feel, and act
*  We gain this information passively by
       *  Observing them actively
       *  Having others engage them
       *  Interactively engaging them ourselves
*   Self-disclosure is often used to get information from another person

Building a Context of Understanding

  *  Helps us better understand what someone says in a given context.
  *  The words we say can mean very different things depending on how they are said.
  *  Content of messages refer to the surface level meaning of a message

Relationship Messages

*  Refer to how a message is said
*  The two are sent simultaneously, but each affects the meaning assigned to the   communication.
*  Interpersonal communication helps us understand each other better

Interpersonal Needs

*  We engage in interpersonal communication because we need to express and receive interpersonal needs.
*  Three needs by William Schultz : inclusion, control, and affection.
        *  Inclusion is the need to establish identity with others
        *  Control is the need to exercise leadership and prove one's abilities
        *  Affection is the need to develop relationships with people