ABSTRACT
Miscommunications and conflicts are the negative consequences of
inefficient interpersonal communication. In order to help us to practice healthy
and efficient interpersonal communication, first we need to learn and understand.
Through learning and understanding some theories regarding interpersonal
communication, we may develop knowledge and information to practice efficient
communication. On top of that, through learning, we can also understand more
about ourselves and others as well. Last but not least, we will also learn why and
how not to share too much information about ourselves as it may be threatening.
In short, by improving ourselves and learning, these undesired outcomes of an
interpersonal communication session may be evitable.
Effective
Communication
Interpersonal Communications
Group 5
Group name:
1) Wong Jun Rong
2) Fu Wen Bin
3) Ong Soo Ting
4) Ahmad Lutfi
5) Hor Chee Yan
6) Nur Liyana Farahana Bt C. Daud
Interpersonal
Communications
• What does the word “Inter” mean??
Definition
• Creating and sharing meaning
between persons who are in a
RELATIONSHIP.
• It is all about connecting with
others and forming
relationships.
• Between 2 or more people.
• Can be casual, private and
reveals personal information.
Interpersonal
Communication
Dyadic
Communicatio
n
Small-Group
Communication
-An exchange
of information
between 2
people.
-An exchange of
information
between a small
number of people
(5-7) with common
purpose.
Relationship
• An association between at least 2 people.
Level of intimacy
Family
Friends
Love
Roles
Roommates
Workplace
Neighborhood
Shared
Events
Situation
Time Spent
Together
WE ALL HAVE A NEED
TO ENTER
RELATIONSHIPS WITH
OTHERS!
Forming Relationship
• Team formation takes time, and usually follows
some easily recognizable stages, as the team
journeys from being a group of strangers to
becoming a united team with a common goal.
• 4 different theories:
 uncertainty reduction
Social information processing
Social exchange
Fundamental interpersonal relationship
orientation
Uncertainty Reduction
Theory
• Suggesting that when we meet others to whom we
are attracted, our need to know about them tends to
make us draw inference from observable physical
data.
• An urge or desire to reduce our uncertainty about
those individuals motivates us to have further
communication with them.
• Necessary in relationship development
-increase our desire to develop a relationship with
others, use more uncertainty reduction behavior.
Personal
Phase
Exit
Phase
Entry
Phase
3 stages of initial interaction
Entry Phase
i)Entry phase
- learn information that easily observed.
- Physical appearance cues: sex, age,
height, physical attractiveness, social
status
- Communication controlled by social
rules and norms.
Personal Phase
ii) Personal phase:
- People begin to share attitudes, beliefs,
values & more personal information
- Communication is less constrained
- More openness to freely communicate
Exit Phase
iii) Exit phase:
-future of the relationship decided at this
phase.
Social Information Processing
Theory
• Interpersonal communication developed by Joseph
Walther in 1992.
• Suggests that electronic mediated communication
relationships grow only to the extent that people first
gain information about each other and use the
information to form impressions.
• Relatively consistent with Uncertainty
Reduction Theory.
• People want to learn about others’
demographic classifications and
individual appearances, using
descriptions and photographs.
• This feeds the desire to see others
and to be seen online.
• Through this communication medium,
people are allowed to edit or sanitize
their communication, without
contradicting their image or
messages.
Justification
1. Verbal Cues :
- Electronic-mediated communication
users can create fully formed
impressions of others based on the
content of their electronic messages.
2. Extended Time :
- Much slower than in face-to-face
interaction. Yet, given sufficient time,
may be as strong as any other
relationships.
Examples
 Blind Date :
• One initiates and sends the other an email, and after
a couple of days they slowly begin to disclose
information.
• Each person has the ability to carefully craft their
message to the other, and to edit how much
information to disclose to one another.
• Over the period, the 2 people will get closer and the
awkward atmosphere when they actually meet will
be reduced.
 Viral Marketing
• is used to influence the adoption and use of products
and services, normally through Computer-Mediated
Communication (CMC), for example social networks.
• Advantages :
1. the ability to influence a large number of individuals (for
example, through multiple email recipients).
2. minimal effort to influence (in terms of reach and ease
of information sharing).
3. the ability for synchronous, as well as asynchronous
communication.
4. the ability to adopt influence strategies based on realtime feedback.
Conclusion
• As technology continues to evolve, the ways
of interpersonally communicating and
developing relationships with others will
evolve as well.
Social Exchange Theory
• Based on the assumption that people consciously
and deliberately weigh the costs and rewards
associated with a relationship or interaction.
This theory suggests that :If the benefits we gain are greater than any potential costs we
incur, then we likely would regard the relationship positively.
On the other hand, if the benefit gain falls below a certain
level, then we might find a relationship not worth the potential
cost.
The ratio between benefits and costs varies from person to
person and from situation to situation.
There is probably equality between benefits and costs if a
relationship is healthy and satisfying.
Fundamental Interpersonal
Relations Orientations Theory
Affection
-Needs to
likeable/lovable
- cares, knows &
concerns
Inclusion
-Needs to be feel significant &
worthwhile
Control
-needs to controls the
others or to be controlled
Affection
Unable to
fullfil
Fullfil
Underpersonal
Personal
- Tend to avoid any
emotional commitment or
involvement with others.
-calm/poised
-confident
-able to deal with everyone
-tend to hide their true self
because they fear others
would not like them.
Overpersonal
-need affection so badly &
often go for extreme to be
accepted
-tend to feels jealous when
others talk to their friends.
Will Schutz
Fundamental Interpersonal
Relations Orientations Theory
Inclusion
Affection
-Needs to be feel
significant &
worthwhile
-Needs to likeable/lovable
- cares, knows & concerns
Control
-needs to controls the
others or to be controlled
Inclusion
Social
-needs to be feels
significant &
worthwhile.
-satisfied their
needs for inclusion
-capable in
handling situation.
Undersocial
-don’t like communication because
they’ll feel threatened.
-shy
-hard to start conversation
Oversocial
-can’t stop from get involved
to communicate with others
-dominate the conversation
-often speak out of turn
Will Schutz
Fundamental Interpersonal
Relations Orientations Theory
Affection
Control
-Needs to
likeable/lovable
- cares, knows &
concerns
Inclusion
-Needs to be feel
significant & worthwhile
-needs to controls the
others or to be
controlled
Abdicrafts
Control
-submissive to others
-feeling need to
control others or to
be controlled
-some individual like
to be controlled
-obey for everything
-rarely make decision
-not confident or feel
incompetent
Democrafts
-their control needs is
satisfied
-can be leader or followers
-able to accept any good
decision for group
Autocrats
-never feel enough control
-willing to make decision
-voice out strong opinion
PRESENTED BY GROUP 6:
NAME
YIP POH YEN
TAY KAI SHAN
TAN EE LAINE
DIAN ARINI PUTERI
AZAMAT KUSSAIN
MUHAMMAD NORHISHAZALLI
Relationships:
Getting to Know Others & Ourselves
How we react to other people – making new
acquaintances then becoming friends with a few of
those acquaintances and sometimes actively
disliking others.
Determine whom and how well we’ll get to know
them.
Relationship can be based on love or hate or any
possibilities in between.
Learning About Other Through :
Face-to-Face Communication 
Probability of two person becoming acquainted can be
done by physical proximity and experiences during faceto-face contact.
It happened because of circumstances not planned.
Eg: Contact often happens with a person next to you.
After encounter the person several times and easily
recognize them then it will more comfortable to interact
or making small talk.
Learning About Other Through :
Face-to-Face Communication 
Small talk: casual conversation that is often impersonal and
superficial.
Eg: exchange hellos or comments.
Most relationships begin with small talk and it provides an
avenue for getting to know another persons by talking
about nonthreatening and impersonal subjects.
Therefore, opening lines play a crucial role in establishing
relationships. It is usually safer to use innocuous lines.
Connecting with Others
Online
• Online connection occur between individuals
and groups individuals by using electronicmediated communication.
• It is more and more common for these types
of interactions to result in relationships and
seems unlikely that this interaction will ever
replace face-to-face interactions or
completely fulfill oun interpesonal needs.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The advantages are that you can remain
anonymous.
You share personality or inner qualities only
through the words you trasmit, and it can
be an advantage as well as disadvantage.
Self-Disclosure in Relationships
• Definition: sharing information that other person
would not normally know or discover, voluntarily.
• Risks and vulnerability of the person who share
information are involved.
• The more sincere, honest and open the interactions,
the stronger and more lasting the relationship is
likely to be.
• Changes as relationship becomes closer especially
during the development of friendships and intimate
relationships.
• In caring relationships, the results are greater selfunderstanding and self-improvement.
• Also strengthen interpersonal relationships.
• Encourages others to respond or reply and creates
an atmosphere that fosters interpersonal
communication and meaningful relationships.
• Is part of building and maintaining healthy
relationships.
• Constructs the type of relationships individuals have
with one another (Harvey & Omarzu, 1997; Prager,
1995; Reis & Shaver, 1988).
• Validates self-worth and personal identity (Beals,
2003; Greene, Derlega, Yep & Petronio, 2003).
Self-Disclosure: The Process
 Use of self-disclosure is not static: can move from
expressing our social-identity to very personal,
intimate information about our private lives.
 Ongoing process: Incorporated into our daily
interaction with others.
William Rawlins-The dynamic between the need for
privacy and the need for intimacy creates movement in
relationship.
Communicate personal
information about
ourselves to another.
Intimate End
Maintain our privacy
and communicate our
social selves.
Relationship Continuum
Social End
• Created by American psychologist, Joseph Luft and Harry
Ingham in 1955, United States
• Illustrate and improve self awareness and mutual
understanding between individuals withing a group
• Help people understand better their metal instability
• Provide a helpful model of how the information we share
shape the overall relationship with others
• Give a list of 56 adjectives
• That people pick five that describe own personality
• Peers pick five adjective that describe that people
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Able
Accepting
Adaptable
Bold
Brave
Calm
Caring
Cheerful
Clever
Complex
Confident
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Dependable
Dignified
Energetic
Extroverted
Friendly
Giving
Happy
Helpful
Idealistic
Independent
Ingenious
Intelligent
Introverted
Kind
Knowledgeable
Logical
loving
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Mature
Modest
Nervous
Observant
Organized
Patient
Powerful
Proud
Quiet
Reflective
Relaxed
Religious
Responsive
Searching
Self-assertive
Self-concious
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sensible
Sentimental
Shy
Silly
Smart
Spontaneous
Sympathetic
Tense
Trustworthy
Warm
Wise
Witty
• Quadrant I – Open Area
• Traits of that people that both the self and the others are aware
of
• Eg: skin color, sex, weight, height, name, etc
• Quadrant 2 – Blind Area
• information that others perceive about us but we do not
acknowledge on it
• Quadrant 3 – Hidden Area
• Private information that we choose not to tell others
• Quadrant 4 – Unknown Area
• Information that is no known to both the self and others
• May remain ignorant of these factors throughout life or may
emerge through therapy or hypnosis
SOCIAL PENETRATION THEORY
Of Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor
MAIN IDEAS
• Closeness develops if people proceed in gradual
and orderly fashion from superficial to more
intimate levels of exchange
• Closeness (penetration) is achieved through selfdisclosure
• Depth of penetration is degree of intimacy
Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor
Social Penetration model
SELF DISCLOSURE
• Peripheral items are disclosed earlier and more
regularly
• Self-disclosure is reciprocal, esp. at first
• Penetration is rapid at first but slows down
because of social norms and stalling
• De-penetration is also gradual
• Intimacy requires depth AND breadth of
disclosure
REGULATING CLOSENESS
• Regulation by means of rewards and punishments
• People try to forecast outcomes of social exchange
• People seek to maximize benefits and minimize costs.
Note: nature of benefits may change over time; at first,
physical appearance, similar backgrounds, extent of
agreement rate high.
• The higher we value an outcome, the more attractive
the behavior that will make it happen
COMPARISON LEVELS
• The comparison level (CL) is the threshold
above which an outcome seems attractive; is
related to relational history
• Comparison level (CLalt – comparison level of
alternatives) is affected by other possible
relationships available
• Comparisons are made between present
realities and desired outcomes
CRITIQUE
• Theory not fully supported by data
• Highest reciprocity may occur at middle levels;
may be cycles of disclosure and reserve
• Needs take account of gender (males less open)
• Disclosure can increase as relationship
deteriorates
• Single comparison (CL) index too simplistic
• In close relationships, self-centeredness lessens
Picture 3
Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 4
SELF-DISCLOSURE
Presented by
GROUP 1:
NAME
SUFIR
NATASHA
ATIKAH
TAN BAN KHIANG
HO KEE ONN
YAP SOON JING
Understand
who we are
Establish
relationship
Gain
sympathy
WHY DO
WE SELFDISCLOSE
Connect
with others
What other
think
Gain trust
SELFPRESENTATION
RELATIONSHIP
BUILDING
CATHARSIS
3 REASON
• Self – Presentation
• Tactics to reveal certain aspect about ourselves for
specific reason.
• Appeal to other we tend to described ourselves in
favorable terms

Relationship Building
Maintain relationship
 Small talk to enter into relationship with other
• Catharsis
• Rid information that is cause tension or guilt.
• Deal with an issue or problem.

Why Shouldn’t We
Self-Disclose Too Much?
• To protect others’ feeling.
• Should concern for both self and others.
Self-Disclosure - defined as a psychological
term as sharing with someone information
which helps them understand you
Privacy- the claim of individuals group, or
institutions to determine for themselves
when, how, and to what extend
information about themselves is
communicated to others
Genders – “women disclose their feelings
more often than men do”
Example : facebook (social network)
Cultural issues in
self-disclosure
• Different cultural backgrounds tend to follow
similar patterns of self-disclosure.
• For example, people from various cultures are
likely to begin relationships with small talk and
progress to more intimate levels of interactions
the relationship continues.
• Of course, there are differences, especially in
the initial contact stage, in some cultures; but,
in general, as people become friends, those
differences seem to diminish.
Rhetorical
Sensitivity
Not meant to be answered, because you don’t
want to hear it..
What?
• Cautious approach to self-disclosure in which the
situation and factors about the other person are
considered before communication begins.
• It represents a cautious approach to exchanging
information while developing a relationship.
HOW?
• Accept personal complexity
• Flexible & avoid rigidity
• Do not change their own values
• Know how to adapt their messages
Some general conclusion
• Women tend to disclose
information
personal
more often than men do.
• Women seem to disclose more with those whom they
are
close.
• Men seem to disclose more with those whom they
trust.
• People will disclose themselves to
like.
people they
Open and honest
sharing
of our feeling, concerns, and
secrets with others is at the
heart of self-disclosure!
In conclusion, interpersonal
communication is very
important. It is essential
to avoid conflict, and also
establish an effective
communication.
• Reference : William J.Seiler, Melissa L. Beall (2011).
Communication Making Connections Eight Edition. The
United States: Pearson.
• Rev. Robert M. Timchak. Self-Disclosure and
Realtionships. Adapted from http://www.albahouse.org on
23 April 2012.
• Keith Sonnanburg (1996). Sharing Yourself. Adapted from
http://www.speakeasy.org on 23 April 2012.
• Tim Brochers et al. (1999). Self-Disclosure. Adapted from
http://www.abacon.com on 22 April 2012.
• Kathryn Greene et al. Self-Disclosure in Personal
Relationships. Adapted from http://comminfo.rutgers.edu
on 21 April 2012.