Let's take a look at what Interpersonal Communication is!

Have you guys heard about this type of communication? Well I bet most of you did since the last time we've talked about all type of communications that occur in our life.

But, do you guys really know what Interpersonal Communication really is?

DEFINITION
Now let us see what do these scholars define Interpersonal Communication.

Michael J. Cody
"The exchange of symbols used to achieve interpersonal goals."

Kory Floyd
"Communication that occurs between two people within the context of their relationship and that, as it evolves, helps them to negotiate and define their relationship."

Joseph A. Devito
"The process of sending and receiving messages between two people or among a small group of people, with some effects and some immediate feedback."

Purwanto
"Interpersonal communication is the communication between a person with others within a society or an organization (business and non-business), using a certain communication media and comprehensive language (informal) to achieve a particular goal."

Based on the definitions given by them, basic things that need to be taken into account are :
1. Face-to-face
2. Communication made by two or more persons
3.Using a particular medium,such as telephone,mobile phone,or the language used is informal,
4. The objective
     - Can be personal when occurs in a community.
     - Can be execution of job duties when occurs in an organization.

TYPE OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

Interpersonal communication occurs in two ways which are verbal and non-verbal communication.

VERBAL COMMUNICATION
- A form of communication which messages is transmitted verbally whether by word of mouth or a piece of writing or both to whoever is receiving the message.

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
- A form of communication but through sending wordless messages. It's all about the body language of the speaker and it helps in interpreting the message. Usually non-verbal reflects the situation more accurately than verbal messages and sometimes, non-verbal response contradicts verbal communication and hence affect the effectiveness of message.

ELEMENTS OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

Interpersonal communication has been broken down into a number of elements by researchers in order that it can be more easily understood. The elements are :

1. The Communicators
    There must be at least two people involved for any communication to occur. We usually think that communication basically involves a sender and a receiver only, which presents communication as a one-way process where one person sends the message and the other receives it, simply talking and listening. However, it is fact that communications are always almost complex. Communication should be as a two-way process where people sending and receiving messages to and from each other simultaneously. For instant, while one person is talking and the other is listening-but while listening they are also sending feedback in the form of smiles,head nodes,etc.

2. The Message
    Message not only means the speech used or information conveyed, but also the non-verbal messages exchanged such as facial expressions, tone of voice, gestures and postures. Non-verbal behavior can convey additional information about the message spoken by mouth. Particularly, it can reveal more about what's inside-emotional attitudes which may underlie the content of speech.

3. Noise
    Noise has a special meaning in communication theory and it refers to anything that distorts the message, so that what is received is different from what is intended by speaker. Whilst physical noise such as background sounds or a low-flying jet plane can interfere with communication, other factors are considered to be 'noise'. The use of inappropriate body language, inattention, disinterest and cultural differences can be considered 'noise' in the context of interpersonal communication. In other words, any distractions or inconsistencies that occur during an attempt to communicate can be seen as noise.

4. Feedback
    Feedback consists of messages the receiver returns, which allows the sender to know how accurately the message has been received, as well as the receiver's reaction. Feedback allows the sender to regulate, adapt or repeat the message in order to improve communication.

5. Context
    All communication are influenced by the context in which it takes place. However, apart from looking at situational context of where the interaction takes place, for example in a room, office, or perhaps outdoors, the social context also needs to be considered (the roles, responsibilities and relative status of the participants). The emotional climate and participants' expectation of the interaction will also affect the communication.

6. Channel
    The channel refers to the physical means by which the message is transferred from one person to another.In face-to-face context, the channels which are used are speech and vision, however during a telephone conversation the channel is limited to speech alone.

PRINCIPLES OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

1. Interpersonal communication is inescapable.
  Not to communicate is impossible! The very attempt not to communicate communicates something. Not only through words but through gesture, posture and tone of voice which is simply known as non-verbal communication and thus,proving that we constantly communicate to those around us. Through these channels, we receive any form of communication from others constantly. Our mind and intention cannot be read by people, but the behavior can easily judged. Hence, interpersonal communication is inescapable.

2. Interpersonal communication is irreversible.
  Taking back the words that has been said is something is something that can never really happen. As the saying goes, " Once a word goes out of your mouth, you can never swallow it again". Though the words might be taken back,well literally, but still the effect must inevitably remain.Therefore, we have to think before we speak or act so there would be no regret or offense.

3. Interpersonal communication is complicated.
   A simple form of communication is never going to happen, because the number of variables involved and even simple requests are extremely complex. Scholars and theorists note that there are at least six 'people' involved whenever a communication occur, which are :
      1. Who you think you are
      2. Who you think the other person is
      3. Who you think the other person thinks you are
      4. Who the other person thinks she/he is
      5. Who the other person thinks you are
      6. Who the other person thinks you think she/he is
   Prof Osmo Wiio, the creator of Wiio's laws which discuss about how human communication usually fails exceptby accident, stated that :
   - If a communication can fail, it will.
   - If a message can be understood in different ways, it will be understood in just that way which does the most harm.
   - There is always somebody who knows better than you about what you meant by your message.
   - The more communication there is, the more difficult it is for communication to succeed.

4. Interpersonal communication is contextual.
  - Psychological context, which is who you are and what you bring to the interaction.
  - Relational context, which concerns your reactions to the other person.
  - Situational context, which deals with the psycho-social 'where' you are communicating.
  - Environmental context, which deals with the physical 'where' you are communicating.
  - Cultural context, includes all the learned behaviors and rules that affect the interaction.


I think that's all I can share about Interpersonal Communication. Hopefully this information would be useful for us someday.... Thank you for spending your time reading this post! God bless us all. :)