Interpersonal Communication free essay sample

Interpersonal communication is typically a dyadic (between two parties) form of communication. There are two major types of interpersonal communication used on a day to day basis: interpersonal (friends, family, partners), or impersonal (taxi drivers, shop assistants, etc. ). These can be utilised as an essential tool to enhance an individual’s ability in many facets: learning, relationships, professionally, socially and also helping others. Interpersonal communication is considered the most important form of communication and the most conventional. It is interdependent (mutually dependant) on visual (sight), auditory (sound), and kinetic (body language) stimuli. Firstly this essay will outline a brief history of interpersonal communication. Also in the following paragraphs, I will include examples of nonverbal (sight, sound and kinesis), verbal (face to face) and emotional intelligence (EI). I will also try to elaborate on some of the key aspects of effective (works well) and ineffective (does not work well) interpersonal communication. Since the beginning of time the inhabitant’s of this earth have been searching for suitable means of communication, and also a way to improve/cultivate the process. Relationships are at the heart of human behavior, building solid relationships can have a lifelong impact on our personal and moral development. Nonverbal communication is just as important as verbal communication and it can take many forms during its transmission, the process of nonverbal communication is accomplished through the sending and receiving of wordless messages. Language studies traditionally emphasize verbal and written communication but dismiss the importance of the silent language. It comes in many forms; it can be a person’s clothing, strut, facial expression, gestures, eye contact and tone of voice. To thoroughly understand some nonverbal communication one must also be versed in different cultures. There are many nonverbal differences across cultures that may be misleading or be a source of confusion. Research suggests that nonverbal communication is more important in understanding human behavior than spoken words. There are many universal emotions, such as fear, sadness, happiness etc. For me, I have problems to communicate to some people through interpersonal. I find it hard to communicate with my friends, family members, and strangers since I do not open completely myself to other people. Consequently, I do not have a long conversation with my friends or family members. The three problems that I have for interpersonal communication are self-disclosure, perception, and listening. First of all, I have a problem on self-disclosure because I don’t want to open myself. Our ability to communicate well with others is important to personal and professional success. As simple as communication seems, much of what we try to communicate to others—and what others try to communicate to us—gets misunderstood, which can cause conflict and frustration in personal and professional relationships. I think on both personal and professional level I am a moderate listener. I like to listen more than I talk. Sometimes I feel there’s nothing wrong with being quiet but at times really painful to not be able to say what I want to say, or not to be able to speak up ever. I believe only way to improve from this is keep trying and keep putting myself in positions where I have to speak and I guess it will be easier. I have to practice talking to my friends more often, or trying to dominant conversations for a while. Maybe I have to try putting myself in social situations where I am *slightly* uncomfortable – I’ll feel horrible and probably make an idiot of myself a few times; talking to people I dont usually talk to or accepting an invitation to somewhere I usually dont go. To strengthen my skills I guess I have to just expand my interests and hobbies so that I have a broader scope of topics to choose from when I communicate with others. Another thing that could do to improve my communication skills would be ‘asking question’ as much as possible. I think when I’ll be asking question they will feel like they are connecting with me and at the same time I will learn a lot more about the person so you may be able to contribute as well. Listening is an important skill that involves a lot more than the actual physical process of hearing. Possessing good listening skills is critical to success in a career, in relationships, and life itself. Without the ability to listen well, an individual is prone to making mistakes, wasting time, and frequently misunderstanding the messages of others. Practice can improve a person’s listening skills. First, I need to understand that listening is an active, rather than passive, process. Not only must I hear what a speaker says, I must understand it and then judge whether the information make sense. To improve my listening skills, I think I have to listen with respect to improve my listening skills. Use my tone of voice and choice of words to communicate that I am genuinely trying to understand what the person is saying. Providing my full attention on the person speaking; I should try not to get distracted by other sights or sounds. I should use more eye contact to remain focused. I should be trying to tune out any mannerisms of the speaker that may divert my attention from the content. I should always focus my mind on what is being said to improve my listening skills; try adjusting my body position if I find myself losing concentration. In a conflict, most of us primarily want to feel heard and understood. We talk a lot about our point of view to get the other person to see things our way. Ironically, if we all do this all the time, there’s little focus on the other person’s point of view, and nobody feels understood. We have to put ourselves in other’s shoes and try to see the situation from the point of view of others who are involved. Others will more likely be willing to listen if they feel heard. For people around me to communicate effectively I use my hands, facial expressions and eyes very often, usually observant and focusing on others eyes while we talk, as well as, their gestures and body language. But I have worked on not being touchy, as I used to have a tendency to put my arm around people or touch their arms or shoulders while talking with them. As far as actual conversation goes, I am focused, but sometimes get caught up in details. Receptive, but sometimes overanalyze things. I have an inquisitive nature, but sometimes come across as too curious, and am mindful of that. Sometimes I like having conversation with people of different cultures, because it gives me a chance to learn more about their lifestyle. Good communication passes information along. If we can effectively communicate, then people understand us much better, and whatever information we are trying to tell them will get across without being misunderstood. Communication makes good relationships. If we can effectively communicate, then other people know what we need and want, and we can let them know our feelings without being misunderstood. This prevents all that mind-reading arguments. If we can explain our thoughts and feelings, then we wont misunderstand each other. Good communications give us self-esteem. People with effective communication skills are more confident, because they know that they can tell other people exactly what they need to, and they know that they understand those people better. It helps us to think better. In order to communicate effectively, we have to think ahead and organize our thoughts. This helps us learn how to organize, and how to plan ahead. If we can communicate well, we can decide whether or not we have understood what the teacher just said, and can then let the teacher know whether or not we need additional help. Communication skills are incredibly important, not only to students, but to everyone. Verbal communication is a large part of how we present ourselves, and so having the appropriate skill set is beneficial in both our private and public lives. If someone is unable to communicate well, it does not matter how brilliant or talented they are. They will not be able to live up to their full potential if they cannot present themselves well and adequately express their ideas. Communication skill is very essential because it usually makes or breaks our career. In work, communication skill is very important since we need to communicate with others and we need to deliver and get the right message. Because if we cant communicate effectively, people wont listen to what we have to say and we will have very limited career options. But we also shouldn’t forget about nonverbal communication. It is as important as verbal. It’s like two sides of a coin.