Interpersonal Communication…
Why All the Fuss?
Presented by…
Chance McDavid, Vice President
Greater Starkville Development Partnership
August 25, 2007

We are bombarded by thousands of messages every day.
What makes this message easy to communicate?
Why do we pay attention to it?

Speaking of Stop Signs…

Say What???
Question:
If you could live forever, would you and why?
Answer:
"I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever."
-Miss Alabama in the 1994 Miss USA contest

Communication Defined
• n.
The exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, or writing.
The American Heritage Dictionary 2 nd . Ed
.

Communication Is How We Let Others Know…
• What we are thinking .
• How we are feeling .
• “Who says what to whom in what channel with what effect.”

Communication Process
Sender
(Message)
Channel
Receiver
NOISE
Feedback Loop

“Communication is not intent, it is perception !”
3 Parts of Oral Communication:
Words
Tone
Body Language
How we say something is as important as what we say!

Attitudes
?
Beliefs
Past
Events
What’s
Important
Communication
Skills
Self
Esteem

How Can I Limit Perceptions?
• Be open-minded.
• Respect yourself and others.
• Be open and honest.
• Actively listen.

What Communicates
Verbal
Vocal
Visual
Total
_____
38 %
55 %
100 %
Words
Tone
Body Language*
“You are the only book some people will ever read.”
Mehrabian, Albert. Silent Messages , 1971.

It’s Not What You Say…

It Does Make A Difference…
I never said I saw him take the money.
I never said I saw him take the money.
I never said I saw him take the money.
I never said I saw him take the money.
I never said I saw him take the money.
I never said I saw him take the money.
I never said I saw him take the money.
I never said I saw him take the money.
I never said I saw him take the money.

The Problem…
• I speak at 125 wpm
• I hear at 400 wpm
• I think at 4000 wpm
“Speaking is a lousy input for communication.”

Communicating Without Words
• S mile
• O pen Posture
• F orward Lean
• T erritory
• E ye Contact
• N od
55% Visual 

Ingredients of
Interpersonal Communication
• Vocal Delivery
• Visual
Elements
• Personality
• Likeability
• Openness

Specific Behavioral Characteristics
• Eye Communication
• Posture/Movement
• Gestures/Facial
Expression
• Dress/Appearance
• Voice/Vocal Variety
• Language/Non Words
• Listener Involvement
• Humor
• The Natural Self
– “An Attitude”

• You cannot (not) communicate.
• “Once a word goes out of your mouth, you can never swallow it again.”
-Russian Proverb
• No form of communication is simple.
• Communication doesn’t occur in a vacuum.

And Finally…
• You can compare the communication process to
Murphy’s Law:
– If communication can fail, it will.
– If a message can be understood in different ways, it will be understood in just that way which does the most harm.
– There is always somebody who knows better than you what you meant by your message.
– The more communication there is, the more difficult it is for communication to succeed.
– Osmo Wiio

Chance L. McDavid, Vice President
Membership & Community Development
Greater Starkville Development Partnership cmcdavid@starkville.org
(662) 323-3322
200 East Main Street
Starkville, MS 39759
Visit us at www.starkville.org