Information about Interpersonal Communication

Interpersonal communication is the process of sending and receiving information between two or more people.

Types of Interpersonal Communication

This kind of communication is subdivided into dyadic communication, Public speaking, and small-group communication.

Dyadic communication is simply a method of communication that only involves two people such as a telephone conversation or even a set of letters sent to and received from a penpal. In this communication process, sender can immediately receive and evaluate feedback from the receiver. So that, it allows for more specific tailoring of the message and more personal communication than do many of the other media.

Basic elements

The process involves four basic elements. Sender; person who sends information. Receiver; person who receives the information sent. Message; content of information sent by sender. Feedback; response from receiver.

Communication Channels

Communication channels are the medium chosen to convey the message from sender to receiver. Communication channels can be categorized into two main categories: Direct and Indirect channels of communication.

Direct channels are those that are obvious, and can be easily recognized by the receiver. They are also under direct control of the sender. In this category are the verbal and non-verbal channels of communication. Verbal communication channels are those that use words in some manner, such as written communication or spoken communication. Non-verbal communication channels are those that do not require words, such as certain overt facial expressions, controllable body movements (such as that made by a traffic police to control traffic at an intersection), colour (red for danger, green means go etc), sound (sirens, alarms etc.).

Indirect channels are those channels that are usually recognized subliminally or subconsciously by the receiver, and not under direct control of the sender. This includes kinesics or body language, that reflects the inner emotions and motivations rather than the actual delivered message. It also includes such vague terms as "gut feeling", "hunches" or "premonitions".

Balance of interpersonal communication

The Johari window model focuses on the balance of interpersonal communication. Interpersonal communication encompasses:

• Speech communication
• Nonverbal communication
• Unconscious communication
• summarizing
• paraphrasing
• listening
• questioning
• Initiating: Declaring one's conversational intent and inviting consent from one's prospective conversation partner
• Turn-taking: Managing the flow of information back and forth between partners in a conversation by alternating roles of speaker and listener

Having good interpersonal communication skills support such processes as:

• parenting
• intimate relationship
• management
• selling
• counseling
• coaching
• mentoring and co-mentoring, which is mentoring in groups
• conflict management

Interpersonal communication is the subject of a number of disciplines in the field of psychology, notably Transactional analysis.

It can be affected by a communication disorder or by arrogance, shyness, etc.

Barriers against Effective Interpersonal Communication

• Emotions- Sometimes when people communicate an idea or matter across, the receiver can feel how the sender perceives the subject matter. Often messages are interpreted differently for different people. Extreme emotions are most likely to hinder effective communication because the idea or message maybe misinterpreted. It's always best to avoid responding or reacting to the subject matter when you're upset or angry because most of the time, you'll not be able to think in a clear manner.
• Filtering- This is where the sender manipulates the information that he communicates to the receiver. The purpose of this is because sometimes people would shape and reform the message so that it appears and sounds favorable to the receiver. Filtering information may mislead the receiver into thinking into something favorable and the let down may be upsetting if it's found out that information has been filtered.
• Overloaded with Information- Too much information about the same subject matter may be confusing. For example, you have 50 e-mails on the same subject matter, each e-mail contains a little part of the subject matter. It would be better to have one e-mail from the sender which includes all the information in clear and simple form with only the information you want that you asked for. Normally, the human brain can only take in so much information to process, overloading it with information will exceed our human processing capacity, and the receiver would often misunderstand or not understand at all what the sender is telling them.
• Defensiveness- Humans tend to refuse for a mutual understanding when they feel that they are being threatened or are put in a position which they are at a disadvantage. Defensiveness normally consists of attacking what the sender tells you, putting out sarcastic remarks, questioning their motives or being overly judgmental about the subject matter.
• Cultural Difference- Sometimes our culture may be a huge hindrance for effective interpersonal communication. When two people with different cultures communicate, they often do not understand each other's cultures and may misunderstand the true meaning of what each other's trying to convey through such a sense. For example, Japanese people would say "はい" (pronounced as 'ha-i') and Americans may misunderstand that they are saying "hi". This makes the intentions unclear between both people.
• Jargon- Not everyone understands each other's jargon words. Jargon should be avoided when talking to someone who isn't familiar with you personally or within your organization.

Overcoming the Barriers of Effective Interpersonal Communication

• Simplify Language - By structuring your language to clear simplistic sentences, the receiver would be able to easily understand what the sender is saying. For example, jargon can be used within your organization as it will only use one word rather than a whole sentence to explain what you are trying to communicate across.
• Constrain Emotions - Hold back emotions whilst discussing a certain sensitive issue. By speaking through a neutral manner, it allows mutual understanding to occur and for both sender and receiver to communicate in a rational manner.
• Listen Actively - Often, when the sender says something, the receiver normally hears but does not listen. Place yourself in the sender's position and try to understand exactly what they are trying to convey to you. The receiver is trying to understand fully what the sender is trying to say, so putting the receiver in the sender's point of view makes understanding much easier.
• Feedback - Done by the sender, as a word of confirmation by using closed ended questions such as "Did you understand what I just said?" or "Is what I said clear to you?", or using an open ended question to have the receiver summarize the message. This results in the sender knowing the receiver has fully understood what is being communicate.