Introduction to Interpersonal Communication

Other-Oriented

Being focused on the needs and concerns of others while maintaining one's personal integrity.

Communication

The process of acting on information.

Human Communication

The process of making sense out of the world and sharing that sense with others by creating meaning through verbal and nonverbal messages.

Interpersonal Communication

A distinctive, transactional form of human communication involving mutual influence, usually for the purpose of managing relationships.

Impersonal Communication

Communication that treats people as objects or that responds only to their roles rather than to who they are as unique people.

Relationship

A connection established with another person through communication.

Mass Communication

When one person issues the same message to many people at once; the creator of the message is usually not physically present, and listeners have virtually no opportunity to respond to the speaker. Example: newspaper article

Public Communication

When a speaker addresses an audience in person.

Small Group Communication

When a group of 3-15 people meet to interact with a common purpose and mutually influence one another.

Intrapersonal Communication

Communication with yourself; thinking; self talk

Source

Originator of a thought or emotion, who puts it into a code that can be understood by a receiver.

Encode

To translate ideas, feelings, & thoughts into code.

Decode

To interpret ideas, feelings, and thoughts that have been translated into code.

Message

A written, spoken, and unspoken element of communication to which people assign meaning.

Channel

Pathway through which messages are sent.

Receiver

Person who decodes a message and attempts to make sense of what the source has encoded.

Noise

Anything literal or physiological that interferes with accurate reception of a message.

Feedback

A response to a message.

Context

Physical and psychological environment for communication.

Communication as Action: Message Transfer

Communication takes place when a message is sent and received.

Communication as Interaction: Message Exchange

Emphasizes feedback and context; views communication as a linear, step-by-step process, where both the source & the receiver send & receive messages at the same time.

Communication as Transaction: Message Creation

Each element of the communication process influences all of the other elements at the same time; all components of the process are simultaneous. Meaning is created based on concurrent sharing of ideas; most realistic model for interpersonal communication.

Systems Theory

Describes the interconnected elements of a system in which a change in one element affects all of the other elements.

Episode

Sequence of interactions between individuals, during which the message of one person influences the message of another.

Symbol

Word, sound, or visual image that represents something else, such as thought, concept or object.

Rule

Followable prescriptions that indicate what behavior is obligated, preferred, or prohibited in certain contexts.

Content Message: Context

Information, ideas, or suggested actions that a speaker wishes to share.

Relationship Message: Relationship Dimension

Implied aspect of a communication message, which conveys information about emotions, attitudes, power, and control.

Metacommunication

Verbal or nonverbal communication about communication.

Electronically Mediated Communication (EMC)

Communication that is not face-to-face, but rather is sent via a medium such as a smartphone of the internet.

Hyperpersonal Relationships

Relationships formed primarily through EMC that becomes more personal than an equivalent face-to-face relationship because the absence of distracting external cues, smaller amounts of personal information, and idealization of the communication partner.

Mood

Conscious, subjective state of mind.

Emotional Contagion

Process whereby people mimic emotions of others after watching and hearing their emotional expressions.

Asynchronous Message

Message that's not read, heard, or seen exactly when it's sent; there's a time delay between the sending of the message and it receipt.

Synchronous Message

Message that's sent and received simultaneously.

Social Presence

Feeling that communicators have of engaging in unmediated, face-to-face interactions even though messages are being sent electronically.

Anonymity

Because you are anonymous, you can say things that are bolder, more honest, or even outrageous than you would if your audience knew who you were; varying degrees

Deception Potential

More likely to lie on on-line profiles.

Nonverbal Cues

Using text to add emotion; using bold words or CAPS

Role of the Written Word

A person's typing ability an writing skills determine the quality of any relationship that is developed; provides written insights about you personality, skills, sense of humor, and values.

Distance

Can send messages to people all over the world the same as we can to someone in the same room as us.

Cues-Filtered-Out Theory

The communication of emotion and relationship cues is restricted in email or text messages because nonverbal cues, such as facial expression, gestures, and tome of voice, are filtered out.

Media Richness Theory

The richness or amount of information a communication medium has is based on the amount of feedback it permits, the number of cues in the channel, the variety of language used, and the potential for expressing emotions.

Social Information-Processing Theory

Emotional and relationship messages can be expressed via electronic means, although such messages take longer to be communicated without the immediacy of nonverbal cues.

Egocentric Communicator

People who create messages without giving much thought to the person who is listening; a communicator who is self-focused and self-absorbed.

Ethics

Codes of conduct by which actions are judged as right or wrong, fair or unfair, honest or dishonest.