Interpersonal communication

Interpersonal communication

Interpersonal communication refers to non- verbal and verbal interactions in a small group or on one- on- one setting. Communication is a crucial aspect in daily life interactions, especially in organizations. Excellent interpersonal skills such as communication skills are among the most desirable personal qualities in many organizations since they relate this quality to successful job performance. A person, who has good interpersonal communication skills, is able to relate to and work with different people, handle conflicts, negotiate differences, receive information objectively, and make requests effectively. An individual who possess effective interpersonal communication skills, is open to ideas and is accommodative to other peoples’ ideas, a critical element in problem solving process. “There is a concrete and complex network of links among the elements such as language, behavior and interpersonal skills in the process of communication”, (Ramaraju 70).

Interpersonal communication usually involves oral communication, written communication such as Emails, responding to letters and chats, negotiation, persuasion and other forms of interpersonal relations. The three interpersonal functions associated with communication include asserting, receiving criticism, and resolving conflicts (Collins 2). Assertion strategies are crucial elements in enhancing interpersonal communication. They help an individual to defend their rights without dominating, abusing other people, manipulating or controlling, maintain respect, and satisfy ones needs (Ramaraju 73).

Assertion requires the other party to do something, or change their views or behavior, in favor of other people or the personal who is dictating the terms. In order to be assertive an individual must possess high self-esteem and self- acceptance, in order to bear the desirable effect to other people. An assertive person is able to defend their rights or views, when the situation demands, and present other alternatives, without manipulation or intimidation by the other person. It is necessary to understand the assertion context since it provides an opportunity to gauge the other party that one is interacting communicating with (Hargie 6). In order for assertion to be effective, one must assess the types of assertion, and its presentation in real life.

In order for a person to achieve effective interpersonal communication, one must focus on the message, magnify the listener’s attention, penetrate barriers, and listen actively (Hargie 4). Focusing on the message enables a person to think carefully about what they want to communicate, decide on the goal, understand the nature of audience, and eliminate barriers and bias (Hargie 6). A person has to be polite and objective and acknowledge all sides fairly before taking on an individual argument or persuasion. Interpersonal communication involves message sending and receiving between two or more people. All aspects of communication like asserting, listening, non- verbal communication, and persuading can be involved in effective interpersonal communication.  People communicate at various interpersonal levels, depending on the person that they are engaged in conversation (Ramaraju 72). Effective interpersonal communication, assumes that the sender and the receiver will interpret and comprehend the message as per the intended purpose. Interpersonal communication skills can be harnessed by knowledge, feedback, practice, and reflection, since; they are learned forms of behavior. Thus, an individual can continually improve their interpersonal skills in order to fit in different contexts.

It is crucial to make the message relevant to the intended audience in order to capture their attention. The message delivery should naturally draw the listener’s attention, and persuade the audience through logical and clear messages, based in favor or perspective of the listeners. This means that an individual must know their audience before delivering the message. Effective interpersonal communication must penetrate communication barriers, and provide concrete descriptions that enable the listener to create a mental picture or visualize the message (Hargie 155).

Active listening is crucial and differs from hearing. “Just as people often fail to recognize the power that a listener holds in an interaction, they frequently overlook the potential for accomplishing communication objectives and organizational goals through listening well’, (Collins 4). Hearing is involuntary and automatic while active listening refers to an active, voluntary act to receive a message, identify with it, and provide a response. Listening skills are vital in work setup especially when an employee has to receive instructions, orders from superiors, corrections, complaints, and requests from the subordinates. The four types of listening are passive, competitive, reflective, and active listening (Collins 7).

Passive listening involves a one-way communication, and feedback is not expected. The audience may or may not comprehend the message. In competitive listening, the audience may not listen closely, but will listen long enough to grasp the information that they perceive to be relevant, and they are engaged in formulating a response concurrently. Active listening involves two way communication and one must be attentive, think about the information, understand it, and provide  feedback, and seek clarification in case of any misunderstanding or barrier (Collins 10).

Reflective listening is more complex and involves concentrating on the speaker’s feelings, picked through the body or word choice language. The audience participates actively through seeking clarification, providing feedback and reflecting on the message. The sender must ensure that the message is heard, and understood the recipient (Collins 10).  Conflicts are inevitable elements in communication (Wood 13). The source of these conflicts can be personality differences like introverts and extroverts, expectations or goals, facts, beliefs, or values. Conflicts can arise from badly issued or received negative feedback.

When a person is faced with a conflict, they can react in various ways such as compromising, yielding, collaboration, and overpowering. Conflicts can have healthy, or damaging effects deepening on how a person handles conflicts (Wood 6). However, it is possible to resolve conflicts using good interpersonal communication skills. General techniques of resolving conflicts include prompt action, beginning with citing areas that a person agrees with the other party, scheduling of a meeting, attentive listening, focusing on the problem, brainstorming for a solution, formalizing the solution, implementation, and follow-up (Collins 9). Theories that explain interpersonal communication include uncertainty reduction theory, social exchange theory, symbolic interaction, social penetration theory, relational dialects theory, identity management theory, communication privacy management, cognitive dissonance theory, attribution theory, and expectancy violations theory.

In conclusion, interpersonal communication skills are crucial in daily life. People should strive to improve and harness their interpersonal skills in order to relate well with others and solve conflicts. Conflicts are inevitable in the society, and solutions can be found through the application of effective interpersonal communication skills. Effective interpersonal skills are sought after in the modern organization and global era since they help people to co- exist with each other. Listening and communication skills are crucial in ensuring the success of interpersonal communication. Conflict resolution helps people to cope with different situations encountered in daily lives. Interpersonal communication skills are learnt; hence, it is possible for an individual to improve their interpersonal communication skills, through various experiences. These skills are crucial since; they help a person to relate well with others and solve conflicts.

Works Cited

Ramaraju, S. "Psychological Perspectives On Interpersonal Communication." Researchers             World: Journal Of Arts, Science & Commerce 4.2 (2012): 68-73. Academic Search      Complete. Web. 16 Dec. 2012.

Hargie, Owen. Skilled interpersonal communication: research, theory, and practice. London          New York: Rutledge, 2011.

Wood, Julia. Interpersonal communication: everyday encounters. Boston, MA: Wadsworth,          2013.

Collins, Sandra. Interpersonal communication: listening and responding. Mason, OH: South-        Western Cengage Learning, 2009. Pp 7- 10