CH. 1
Universals of Interpersonal
Communication
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

Interpersonal Communication
Selective
Systemic
 Unique
 Ongoing
 Quantitative
 Qualitative
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Quantitative or Dyadic Approach between 2 persons who have an established relationship
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Qualitative or Developmental Approach two-person communication based on psychological data,
Explanatory knowledge, and personally established rules.
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Elements of Interpersonal
Communication
A. Source-Receiver = of messages simultaneously
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Encode = form messages
Decode = decipher messages
• break down and assign meaning for understanding
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interpersonal competence = ability to adjust your communication according to the context
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Messages
Verbal or Nonverbal
Feedback = message sent by the receiver of a message, back to the original sender
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Feed-forward
= is information given prior to the main message
1. sets you up to receive the information in a particular way
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Channel
= medium through which the message is transmitted
Always involves the 5 senses
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= anything that interferes with the transmission of a message
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 physical = environment
 physiological = biological problems of the communicators
 psychological = mental interference located in the minds of the communicators
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S
Context = influences the form and content of messages
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physical = setting temporal = time social-psychological status of relationship cultural = influences values, morals, beliefs
Purpose = variety
Ethics = every act has a moral dimension
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II. Transactional Process
 A. Is a Process = continual and ever changing
 B. Elements are Interdependent
= a change in one
= a change in all
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The Nature of Communication
The Communication Model
Slide 16

The Nature of Communication
Communication Principles
 Communication is Unavoidable
 Communication Operates on
Two Levels
 Content Messages
 Relational Messages
 Communication is Irreversible
 Communication is a Process
Continued...
Slide 17

The Nature of Communication
Communication Principles
 Communication is Not a Panacea
 Communication Often Presents
Ethical Challenges
 The Golden Rule Standard
 The Professional Ethic
 The “60 Minutes” Test
Slide 18

Content & Relational Dimensions
 Content Dimension = the information that tells what behavior is expected
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Relational Dimension =tells us how to interpret the content
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 Process of Adjustment = learning another's unique system of signals over time.
Communication Accommodation = adjusting speaking style for listeners to gain social approval
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