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Interpersonal Communication

Interpersonal Communication came to being when men began to exchange ideas and thoughts to one another. Interpersonal Communication is a kind of communication in which people communicate their feeling, ideas, emotions and information face to face to each other.

Interpersonal communication

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It can be in verbal or non-verbal form. Interpersonal communication is not only about what is said and what is received but also about how it is said, how the body language used, and what was the facial expression.

In simple words the communication between two people is referred as Interpersonal communication. It is one of the basic means of communication. The Interpersonal communication skills can be improved by practice, Knowledge and feedback.

The Interpersonal Communication takes place when two people are at same place and aware of each other’s presence, no matter how unintentional or unpremeditated it is. It may not be in the form of speech, it may be a gesture, an expression, the dress, or the body. The essential factor is there should be a message and it should be send by the sender and it should be received by the receiver.

There are certain elements involved in the process Interpersonal communication, they are as follows

The Communicators

The communicators refer to the sender and the receiver. The sender is the person who sends the message and receiver is the person who receives the message.

For the occurrence of Interpersonal communication there should be at least two individuals, one to send the message and other to receive the message.

The Message

It is the idea conveyed through speech, facial expression, body language, tone of voice, gestures and other verbal and non-verbal means.

The non-verbal means have the ability to bear additional information such as the persons attitude and interests.

Noise

Noise refers to any sort of distortion causes to the message while it is sent. The noise causes differences in what is received from what is sent.

The background sound of a jet while talking is a kind of noise.

The other kind of noise includes the use of complicated jargon, inappropriate body language, inattention, disinterest, cultural differences, language difference etc..

Feedback

Feedback is the respond of the receiver, it comprises the message he sends back. Feedback enables the sender to know how accurately the message is being received and how it is being interpreted.

The feedback includes respond for the intentional as well as unintentional message. The feedback can be even in the form of a gesture.

Context

How the message is being interpreted is mostly depend on the context he receives the message. The process of communication is influenced by the context it occurs.

The emotional climate and expectations of the people, the place of occurrence, and social, political cultural and environmental conditions comprise context.

Channel

Channel is the means through which communication happen. The message is sent and received through the channel. It is also referred as the medium through which message transmitted.

The speech and vision are the channels in a face to face communication whereas the cable or electromagnetic waves in a communication through telephone.

Related: What is SMCR Model of Communication?

Example 1

Joe texts Rachel “I am throwing a party tonight, please come” when they were in class and Rachel replied texting “I am in”.

Here

Sender – Joe

Receiver – Rachel

Message – ‘I am throwing a party tonight’

Noise – All the barriers which occurred

Feedback – ‘I am in’

Context – Class, emotional situation of Joe and Rachel

Channel – Mobile phone.

Example 2

Sam was driving his car in 100 miles per hour, cop followed him, blows the siren but Sam was listening to music so he couldn’t hear. Then cop drove closer blows the siren, this time Sam listened and stopped his car.

Here

Sender – Cop

Receiver – Sam

Message – Siren

Noise – Music

Feedback – Sam stopped his car

Context – Driving Car, Outdoor

Channel – Loudspeaker through which siren blows.

{ 12 comments… add one }
  • Idowu Olaoluwa Joshua December 22, 2016, 8:25 pm

    communication model has gone wider in scope from just the sender, receiver, channel, noise and feedback. The scope is now broad that it covers more scopes. The context of communication is the emotional feeling, climate conditions, location e.t.c. which has made the model of communication lucid and less esoteric.
    Communication as we know is the process of encoding and deciphering of information. In other words, it is the creation of shared meaning either from a sender to a receiver or vise -versa. according to the axioms of communication, you cannot not communicate, that is what gave route to the emergency of interpersonal and intra personal communication.
    Interpersonal communication is a communication between persons i.e. two people. it is one of the easiest form of communication which has affotiori existing for aeons and this genre of communication also oezile health communication which also can be done via interpersonal communication.

  • Javier Navarro January 5, 2019, 10:06 am

    Thanks, this information give me a context about this topic!

  • Sandra S Lynn November 3, 2019, 4:59 am

    This was such a good breakdown of Interpersonal Communication(s) taking place. It helped me to look at how communicating can be impacted by many different influences.
    Eyeopener for a novice.
    Thank you

  • JORDANY JEAN January 5, 2020, 8:27 pm

    It was nice to read the format of the interpersonal communication

  • JORDANY JEAN January 5, 2020, 8:31 pm

    That’s make me lean more how to communicate with other people

  • Pheriya Muniandy February 26, 2020, 11:45 pm

    It’s really helpful n very useful notes for me…Thank u

  • Alize September 14, 2020, 3:02 am

    It helped me to look at how communicating can be impacted by many different influences.

  • O'neil Watt September 14, 2020, 7:28 am

    I receive a better understanding of interpersonal communication. and also the different elements that makes up interpersonal communication.

  • Yashecia Amanda Higgins September 29, 2020, 9:21 am

    I have a better understanding now

  • kevin December 17, 2020, 2:36 pm

    both parties are tired. both explain.no harm no fowl.both drive away headed home slowly.

  • Augustina agboyehimen March 9, 2021, 6:12 pm

    Now I understand what interpersonal communication is

  • Mudiaga Okoro January 1, 2023, 9:38 pm

    Great format. Am considering taking communication theory in college right now, and this breaks down what to expect.

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