Begin the by identifying some of the basic aspects of interpersonal communication identified in Chapter 1 (you choose whic - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages Basic Aspects of Interpersonal Communication Interpersonal skills have so many aspects but we will look into the main four aspects. One of its basic aspects is that they are inescapable. No one lacks interpersonal skills whether good or bad. The only time one can escape is them is by choosing not to communicate at all which is not possible. People communicate daily, consciously and subconsciously. Communication occurs not only through words but also through facial expressions, posture, tone voice, and gestures among others (Wood, 2013). A number of times you hear people talk about taking back their words or statements but in a real sense, the damage or good it meant to achieve has already been achieved and it is inevitable remains. Interpersonal skills are irreversible. The impact or effect made by a word, gesture, posture or any other communication channel cannot be reversed even when the person communicating says he takes back his words. Once communicated, it cannot be swallowed back (Wood 2013). Interpersonal communication is also complicated. It does not matter whether one is using words, gestures, postures, facial expressions, or whatever channel to communicate, none of them is easy. This is so because of the variables that are involved. Theorists have it there is a minimum of six people involved in every communication; who the communicator thinks he is, who he thinks the other person is, who the communicator thinks the other person thinks he is, who the other person thinks he is, who the other person thinks the communicator is and who the other person thinks the communicator thinks he is. Another thing that complicates communication is that people only swap symbols that stand for ideas and not the ideas. In other words, no two people use the same gesture, word, facial expressions, or posture to mean exactly the same thing (wood, 2013). The last aspect of interpersonal skills is that it is contextual. Communication cannot happen in isolation. It therefore involves several contexts. One of the contexts of communication is the psychological context. This is who the communicator and the communicated are and what he brings to the interaction. It includes their desires, personality, values, and others. The situational context deals with the psychosocial area where the communication is taking place. A conversation in a hospital is different from one in a restaurant. Relational context involves one's reaction to the other person they are communicating with. Environmental context is concerned with the physical area where the communication is taking place. Examples of factors I this context are time, temperature, noise level, season among others. The last context is the cultural context. This one involves rules and behaviors learned that affect the interaction (Wood 2013). Self-Disclosure and Interpersonal Communication Any form of purposeful verbal or non-verbal communication that exposes something about oneself to someone else is self-disclosure. It could be in the way we talk about ourselves, how we dress, and many other ways. Whether superficial or deep, self-disclosure does have both positive and negative effects of interpersonal relations. It has a positive effect for interpersonal relations if it works out well. However, when it does not turn ...Download file to see next pagesRead More