Interpersonal Communication

Interpersonal Communication

1. Nature

   • Involves interdependent individuals
   • Is inherently relational
   • Exists on a continuum
     • Characteristics that distinguish the impersonal from the personal forms of communication:
       • Role vs Personal information
       • Societal vs personal rules
       • Social vs personal message
   • Involves verbal and nonverbal messages
   • Takes place in varied forms
   • Involves choices

2. Elements

   • Source-receiver
   • Encoding-decoding
   • Messages
     • Metamessages
       • Feedback
       • Feedforward
   • Channel
     • Vocal-auditory
     • Gestural-visual
     • Chemical-olfactory
     • Cutaneous Tactile
   • Noise
     • Physical
     • Physiological
     • Psychological
     • Semantic
   • Context. 4 dimensions include:
     • Physical
     • Temporal
     • Social-psychological
     • Cultural
   • Ethics

3. Principles

   • Is a transactional process. Transactional perspective views interpersonal communication as:
     • (1) A process
     • (2) Elements are interdependent
   • Is purposeful
     • To Learn
     • To relate
     • To influence
     • To play
     • To help
   • Is ambiguous
   • May be symmetrical or complementary
   • Refers to content and relationship
   • Is a series of punctuated events
   • Is inevitable, irreversible and unrepeatable