Understanding how interpersonal communication works is essential to effective communication. Whether it is a relationship at work, in the family, or with friends, good communication can improve all interactions and help to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts.
What is Interpersonal Communication – Definition
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information, thoughts, and feelings. This process takes place between at least two people. The sender transforms information into a message the recipient receives, interprets, and responds to. This is a crucial element in building relationships, both in private and professional life.
Interpersonal communication is the process by which people form their relationships. They do it through the exchange of verbal and nonverbal messages. It is not only the transfer of information but also the building of relationships, creating bonds and closeness, cooperation, and the joint elimination of problems and conflicts.
Example
In everyday work, interpersonal communication may include face-to-face conversations, team meetings, presentations, video conferences, telephone calls, the exchange of emails, documents, reports, and other forms of written communication.
Types of Interpersonal Communication. Verbal and Nonverbal Communication – Linguistic Messages and Body Language
Communication between people can be divided into two main types: non-verbal and verbal. According to research, as much as 75-80% of the signals we send belong to our non-verbal speech. It is non-verbal signals that show what we think or feel.
In turn, communicating with words is not just about speaking. It is also about listening.
So, let us see what elements make up both types of communication.
Verbal Communication
Verbal communication involves the exchange of information conveyed through words. It can be both spoken and written. The most crucial elements that affect the quality of verbal communication are the clarity of the message and the ability to listen actively.
Non-verbal communication
Nonverbal communication includes all elements of communication that are not related to language and words. These include physical appearance (for example, dressing style), body language (posture, gestures, movements of the hands and feet, distance), facial expressions, tone and fluency of voice, and eye contact.
Nonverbal messages can say much more than words alone, and it is worth investing time in developing the art of reading these signals. We have dedicated a separate, extensive article to this topic, entitled Body Language - Nonverbal Communication.
Here, we will provide tips and methods for proper reading signals in different contexts.
The Role of Body Language
Body language plays an essential role in nonverbal communication. For example, a hunched, sunken body posture may indicate a lack of self-confidence, fatigue, or resistance to cooperate. Another example is the positioning of the body during team meetings. Leaning the body back or moving away from the conference table with the chair indicates a lack of interest in the topic or opposition. Crossing the arms across the chest is used to oppose.
Tone of Voice, Its Timbre and Pace
A quiet tone of voice and a lack of speech fluency indicate a lack of self-confidence. A raised tone indicates strong emotions, either excitement or anger. A fast tempo indicates nervousness or stress. A high-pitched voice as well.
Eye Contact
Eye contact is a crucial element of non-verbal communication. It plays a fundamental role in the so-called first impression. What counts here is avoiding contact and how long we can maintain such contact. In the long run, it also plays a significant role in building trust and bonds. If, at work or in a relationship, one of the parties avoids eye contact, it indicates an unspoken problem that needs to be overcome in this relationship.
Interpersonal Communication Process. Coding and Decoding. Transmission and Reception
In the process of interpersonal communication, we can distinguish the following key stages:
Shaping the Information: The speaker formulates the message to convey.
Transmission of the message: The sender sends the message to the recipient using appropriate channels (speech, writing, gestures, touch).
Receiving the message: The recipient gets the message to understand it.
Interpretation: The recipient interprets the message based on their experiences and context.
Feedback: The receiver responds to a message by providing feedback to the sender.
The effect of communication is the changes that occur mainly on the recipient's side. These are changes in their knowledge, behavior, way of feeling, and thinking. Often, the interlocutors switch roles, and changes also occur on the speaker's side.
Interpersonal Communication Features
Now, let us see the functions of broadly understood social communication. This may be a dry, descriptive part of this article, but it is worth reminding ourselves or realizing where interpersonal communication plays a key role.
Information Exchange
Interpersonal communication enables the mutual flow of information. That is an essential building block for mutual understanding, decision-making, cooperation, and goal achievement.
Building Relationships
Communication is fundamental to building and maintaining relationships. Good relationships are based on open, honest, and two-way communication.
Problem-Solving
Skillful communication is essential to eliminating problems and enabling finding a solution.
Conflict Resolution
Wise communication is essential to overcoming conflict. By clearly and directly communicating their thoughts and feelings, the parties to the conflict can find a solution.
Communication Barriers
There are many reasons why the proper transmission and reception of information may fail.
Here, we will list five main obstacles.
Physical Barriers
Physical barriers are obstacles resulting from the environment, such as noise, distance, or inappropriate acoustic conditions.
Psychological Barriers
Psychological barriers are obstacles resulting from emotions and mental states, such as fear, prejudice, or stress. These barriers also include cognitive errors. We will devote more attention in a minute.
Semantic Barriers
Semantic barriers are differences in the meanings of words and phrases interpretation.
Behavioral Barriers
These obstacles concern behavior. It may be, for example, congenital hyperactivity or a lisping of one of the parties.
Cultural Barriers
These barriers result from cultural differences between the interlocutors. Lack of tolerance and sensitivity to the nuances related to the traditions and culture of a given nationality or geographical area can lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, and comic situations.
Example: There are countries where nodding your head down means refusal.
We encourage you to read our dedicated column, in which we describe the Lewis Model. This model comprehensively describes the characteristics of all nationalities and shows what obstacles they encounter when interacting with each other.
Cognitive Biases and Prejudices
Groups of obstacles are cognitive biases - also called heuristics or mental shortcuts. This is stereotypical thinking, which prevents us from starting a conversation with an individual who seems different at first glance. According to Wikipedia, over 180 such errors have been identified to date.
A cognitive bias is a persistent, irrational distortion in our thinking that influences our conclusions, emotions, and, ultimately, decisions, attitudes, and behaviors.
The concept was first introduced in 1972 by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. This led to the creation of behavioral economics, and Kahneman is the author of, among other things, the famous book "Thinking Traps: On Thinking, Fast and Slow."
Our coaching portal contains a special section describing the most common effects, heuristics, and cognitive syndromes.
There is, among other things, the List of Cognitive Biases - Top 50. This is a graphical presentation of the 50 most common errors, explanations, examples, and often a bit of humor. Each error corresponds to one infographic. Infographics can be freely downloaded and distributed.
Here is an example of one of them:
And What Does Effective Communication Look Like? How to Communicate Effectively and Overcome Communication Barriers?
It is worth starting with the fact that a personal conversation will always be a better solution than other methods of communication. We have a chance to observe the rich diversity of all signals. This is especially true when an exchange of feelings between two parties is necessary. Remote mode, a phone conversation, or an exchange of written words will always cause some parts of communication to remain beyond our reach.
Sometimes, however, we do not have the opportunity (or courage) to meet and talk in person. So, let us look at the success factors that apply in most cases.
Clarity of Message
The message should be clear and understandable. Avoid using complicated language or jargon that may be incomprehensible to the recipient. Avoid using abbreviations that may sound like Chinese - especially to people outside your industry. If necessary, clarify and agree on the same understanding of key concepts at the beginning of the conversation.
Sometimes, it is better to keep your mouth shut than to speak up. As Albert Einstein said, If you can't simply explain something, you don't understand it well enough yourself, and another saying goes: Silence is better than bullshit.
Barrier Awareness
Do not assume your interlocutor thinks the same way and understands your intentions. Be prepared to observe any potential obstacles in the process of receiving the message - message. Being aware of the barriers is the first step to overcoming them.
Active Listening
It is not enough to listen to respond. It is about understanding. This skill involves a focus on the other person, the desire to understand their message, and responding appropriately. Make your other person feel that you are engaged in the conversation. You can find more details about possible techniques in a separate article on listening skills.
Flexibility and Adaptation of Communication Styles
Adapting the communication style to the context and recipient is the key to catching a common wave. It is an art that takes time and consistent work to develop.
Empathy
Empathy allows you to understand and feel your interlocutor's emotions, which helps to establish a bond and build trust. You can develop it and consciously work on it. You will find a comprehensive explanation of who an empathetic person is in another dedicated article.
Assertiveness
This is a higher, more advanced level of interpersonal relations. Expressing your feelings and thoughts in an assertive (not aggressive) way while maintaining respect for yourself and others allows you to reach compromise and cope with overcoming conflicts maturely. Assertiveness is a broad topic to which we have also devoted an entire series of articles.
Expanding Self-Awareness
This is the next more advanced level. It is about self-awareness and working on the coherence of our behaviors, words, and gestures. It often happens that we are not aware of certain aspects of our personality, but they are visible to others. This is the so-called Blind Area or Blind Spot.
On the other hand, internal barriers prevent us from showing others everything. We protect certain parts. This requires an expenditure of energy and prevents us from behaving naturally. This is the so-called Facade, or I know - others do not know.
There is a very effective tool that expands our self-awareness of the existence of these areas. It is the Johari Window.
The Johari Window exercise helps you to know yourself better, discover your non-obvious aspects, and build better interpersonal relationships. Regular work with this tool can help everyone - regardless of age, experience, or professional role.
This tool can be beneficial for managers and business leaders. It helps build healthy authority, inspire others, develop trust in the team, support employee development, and even skillfully provide valuable feedback.
Communication in the Workplace
According to various studies, up to 80% of all business problems have their source in faulty communication. After all, a company is primarily people who constantly interact with others. That is an often underestimated aspect that affects company results and employee satisfaction.
The Importance of Communication in the Workplace
The best way to show the importance of interpersonal communication skills at work is through exercises offered in many business training courses. It is a game of telephone showing how easily distortions occur in the message flow - particularly when we deal with the transfer of excessive information.
Communication at work is the key to cooperation, achieving goals, and building a positive atmosphere. It helps solve problems, make decisions, and improve the efficiency of each team.
It is worth noting that the non-verbal part is the success factor for a team leader. Body language, gestures, facial expressions, and tone of voice significantly influence trust in the team. A contradiction between the verbal and non-verbal layers will always cause doubts, withdrawal, and caution among team members. In the long run, this will become a reason for the decreasing motivation of employees.
Summary: Key Findings on Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication is the foundation of effective communication and building relationships in personal and professional life. Understanding communication processes and the ability to recognize and overcome barriers are the keys to improving the quality of our interactions.
Key Conclusions
Interpersonal communication involves the mutual flow of information, thoughts, and feelings.
The two basic types of communication are verbal and non-verbal.
The communication process involves a sender, a receiver, a message, and feedback.
Effective communication, above all, requires a clear message, active listening, empathy, and awareness of obstacles.
Communication in the work environment is crucial for good cooperation and goal achievement.
Communication barriers can be physical, psychological, semantic, behavioral, and cultural.
Breaking down barriers requires mindfulness, awareness, and flexible adaptation of communication styles.
Interpersonal communication is present in every area of our lives. Improving communication skills can significantly contribute to building better relationships and allow us to achieve our goals in private and professional life.
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