BUILDING EFFECTIVE
INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Mrs. Dobbins
UNDERSTANDING INTERPERSONAL
RELATIONSHIPS
Its hard to imagine not communicating with others on a one to one basis.
How many times a day do you interact with others?
As discussed in chapter 2 one to one communication is called interpersonal
communication.
Interaction between two people
THE ROLE OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
As discussed in ch1 communication skills play a vital role in professional and social
contexts.
Interpersonal skills are the most important in your career success.
Your communication ability may be the difference of whether or not you get the job,
or lose your job!!
RELATIONSHIPS IN PROFESSIONAL AND SOCIAL
CONTEXTS
The quality of your interpersonal communication determines the quality and nature
of your relationships.
If your communication is positive…then your relationship will be positive.
Why are relationships important?
Social
Work
What kind of relationships are necessary at appropriate at work and in various
social context?
Management and employees
Employee and other employees
Employees and clients or the public
MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES
The culture, philosophy, and size of an organization usually determines the norms
and protocol for communication between management and employees.
Importance: positive relationships between managers and employees are important
for a variety of reasons.
Increased productivity
Long tenure
 Purpose: the main purpose is to keep open lines of communication in the workplace.
Helps clarify expectations
Good morale
EMPLOYEES AND OTHER EMPLOYEES
Most often the every day work of a company is carried out by the rank-and-file
employees. Even though these are not members of management, they fill different
roles and command different amounts of authority depending on their job functions.
What jobs make up a school and how do they all work together to run the
school?????
Importance: positive employee relationships can be so important that some
companies will sponsor events to allow employees to get to know each other.
Purpose: to have a better understanding of their interdependence with others on the
job. Knowing your role in the company and respecting others roles.
EMPLOYEES OR CLIENTS AND THE PUBLIC
This has a great influence on the success of the company.
Importance: if a client likes the company and employees they are more likely to use
the company and recommend them to others.
Purpose: to create goodwill and a feeling of loyalty.
TYPES OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
Relationships with an organization or club ( people of different ages, ethnicities, and
backgrounds)
Three types:
Leadership and members
Members and other members
Members and the public
LEADERSHIP AND MEMBERS
Just like most companies organizations have leaders that make sure they stay on
task.
Importance: effective interpersonal relationships between leaders and members are
essential for the success of any organization.
What if the school board made a decision that teachers did not like? Will the teachers quality of
work suffer? Will that effect students???
Purpose: to build a set of interdependence and to facilitate the achievement of
goals.
Respecting leaders decisions.
MEMBERS AND OTHER MEMBERS
Members of a group can come from the same type of background and cultures or
they can come from different ones.
Importance: reaching goals will depend upon member to member relationships
Purpose: you must often set aside your own interest to reach the teams goal. The
main purpose is not to benefit the individual but the group.
MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC
Public image plays a large role in the success of an organization.
Importance: it will create a sense of goodwill and help produce funding or support
needed, and can create a sense of cooperation within the community thus helping
reach the organizational goals.
Purpose: you ultimately want support from the community. It is important to keep in
mind that others view you as a representative as an organization.
CHARACTERISTICS OF PRODUCTIVE
INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
The five characteristics most needed for effective interpersonal relationships:
Openness
Empathy
Equality
Supportiveness
Positiveness
OPENNESS
Open communication displays the following:
Willingness to share ideas and feelings
Willingness to listen carefully
Willingness to reflect on the effectiveness of communication and adapt to it to be more productive
EMPATHY
Empathy: the ability to understand and appreciate, involves feeling with someone
rather than feeling for someone.
You are putting yourself in someone's position and seeing the world through his or
her eyes.
You don’t have to agree or disagree with someone just understand why they might
feel the way they do.
When was the last time you had empathy for someone? Why?
EQUALITY
Competent communicators tend to view one another as equals.
All participating individuals have equal respect, rights, and opportunity.
Do you feel like you are treated with equality by your teachers and peers? Why or
why not?
SUPPORTIVENESS
in productive relationships individuals involved are supportive of one another. They
care and respect one another.
To be supportive you do not always have to agree with that persons actions.
Have you ever been supportive a friend but didn’t necessarily agree with his or her
actions???
POSITIVENESS
Positiveness is based on positive attitudes and communication that moves
relationships and tasks toward mutually rewarding results.
People who are positive encourage others through their own actions.
Motivational speaker.