Basics of Interpersonal Communication - Assignment Example

Interpersonal communication al Affiliation) Cognitive area Principles of interpersonal communication The interpersonal communication principles underlie the real life workings of interpersonal communication. These principles are basic for communication. Two of the principles discussed here are inescapability and irreversibility. Interpersonal communication is not escapable Communication cannot be avoided at any one time. That attempt of not communicating on itself brings out communication. People constantly communicate to those around them through not only words but also through gestures, tone of voice, facial expression, posture, and many other forms. In the same way, we also receive communication from other people through the same channels. According to the basic principle of communication, people cannot read the mind, and therefore they judge by the behavior and not the intention. In life, many at times we try so much to hide our reactions towards some communication or not to communicate back (Trenholm & Jensen, 2008). Personally, I tried one time not to communicate back to someone that he may think that I am not affected by whatever he was saying. He was tirelessly trying to irritate me and get into my head with an intention of hurting my feelings. Since I knew his intention, I wanted to pretend that his words had no effect on me by remaining silent, very unlike me. I was very successful at remaining quiet, unfortunately, I could not control the expressions on my face which communicated enough back to him, and I think he enjoyed it that he did not even need my verbal communication. As much as I tried to avoid communication, other forms of communication other than words still communicated whatever I had in mind. Interpersonal communication is not reversible This principle explains that one cannot take back what has already been said, this is reference to a proverb which states that one cannot swallow back any word that goes out of the mouth. The effects of the words will inevitably remain (Trenholm & Jensen, 2008). Even in a court situation, if a judge gives an instruction to the jury to disregard the last statement made by a witness, it is perfectly clear to a lawyer that it will still make an impression to them. I remember a situation where I was really angry with my best friend for doing something that I had told him not to, and we got into a heated argument, then I happened to mentioned something that I ended up regretting, but I could not take it back. Since I knew most of his secrets, I made him feel so bad and he almost hated me forever. I wished that I could take back what I had mentioned but it was just impossible. I had to face the consequences of it. 2. Communication theory – The cultivation theory The cultivation theory suggests that the shaping of viewers’ conceptions of the social reality is majorly affected by the television. The effect of a massive television exposure by the viewer’s usually shapes the social reality perception for a culture or individuals (Trenholm & Jensen, 2008). The theory tries to explain that the mass media creates attitude and perceptions for the heavy viewers. This theory was of interest to me because I was a victim of it. Through the television, I got a certain picture of Africa painted in me. I used to view that continent as a very poor, local place, where people live in the forests, and interact with wild animals daily and that they were very primitive and really needed many help. This was contrary to what I learnt from my African friend a time later. The story was different. I came to realize that there are cities in Africa, and the animals were only contained in game reserves. What I learnt later was completely different from the perception I had especially from the television. Affective area 1. Who am I a) Self-Concept Self-concept is a collection of perceptions, evaluation, and beliefs about oneself. These usually include the sexuality and gender roles, academic performance, racial identity, skills among other things. b) My description Student, tall, light skinned, intelligent, handsome, hardworking, responsible, humorous, caring, boastful. c) These words do create an accurate reflection of my self-concept. This is because they represent the way I perceive myself, although not all words are used. Most of them are left out. d) The word I would like to see removed from my list is ‘boastful’. This is because I would really love to be very simple and accommodative. The words I would like add include simple and accommodative, honest and trustworthy. This is because I would like to be loved by most people and make very many friends who really trust me. e) My boastful nature made me embarrassed at one instance. I happened to meet some new friends at my cousin’s party, and when we were chatting, I started boasting of how I had a lot of money. In the manner I talked, I made them feel like they did not have money. One of them got irritated by the way I was speaking and decided to disapprove me by showing out how much he had. I was very embarrassed because whatever amount I thought was a lot was not even half of what I saw. That made me shut up in the rest of the conversation. I was humiliated. 2. Our perception of others affects our communication with them I understand perception as a mental impression about someone or something. This is influenced by the way one thinks or understands someone or something. A good example of how perception affected my communication is when I was once summoned in the principal’s office without knowing the reason. Because of the many activities that as students we do in school, it could be anything. I went to the office knowing that I could have made a mistake, or anything else. Having known the powers that the principal has in the school, and what he is capable of doing, I had to put up the best impression of me ever. I had to play polite and innocent as never before. The way I talked to him was very different from the way I would talk to a teacher in class or even my peer. Behavioral area 1. Areas of interpersonal communication to improve Learning to listen a) Since listening is not the same as hearing, I want to be able to listen carefully to what other people are saying through both the verbal and non-verbal communication. b) I want to improve this interpersonal communication skill because it will change the way I communicate to people, especially the pre-formed response that I usually have even before finishes his statement. I want to be a good communicator. c) The person in my life who is effective in this and I admire it from him is my father. He usually listens carefully when people talk to him. d) My father never jumps into a statement or answers what he has not heard. He can even communicate back to you the same thing in other words to ensure that he has understood what you were saying. I will start practicing the same to improve my communication with people. Choosing of words a) I want to be aware of the words I use when talking to people to prevent misunderstandings. b) I want to improve this skill so that my words are never misunderstood in different occasions, or misused. I want to use words that suit the situations so that the people I communicate with become comfortable with my wordings, and to ensure clarity and understanding. c) The person in my life who is effective in this is my mother. She is usually very keen when choosing her words. d) I will be very careful to sensor some words according to the occasion, and to be clear and precise when speaking to people. I will try to choose my words carefully especially be thinking twice before speaking it out. Reference Trenholm, S., & Jensen, A. (2008). Interpersonal communication (6th Ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. Read More