Test Bank for Interpersonal Communication, 7th New International Edition

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Instructor’s Manual andTest BankforBeebe, Beebe, and RedmondInterpersonal Communication:Relating to OthersSeventh EditionbyLeonard M. EdmondsArizona State University

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1Table of ContentsIntroduction................................................................................................................................... 4Preparing to Teach Interpersonal Communication ..................................................................... 4Organizing Your Course Syllabus .............................................................................................. 5Graded Assignments ................................................................................................................... 6Classroom Management............................................................................................................ 10Using PowerPoint and other Computer-Generated Visuals...................................................... 10Using Props to Teach ................................................................................................................ 11Using Outside Resources .......................................................................................................... 11Sample Syllabus........................................................................................................................ 12Chapter 1: Introduction to Interpersonal Communication.................................................... 14Chapter-at-a-Glance.................................................................................................................. 14Learning Objectives .................................................................................................................. 14Chapter Overview ..................................................................................................................... 15Chapter Outline......................................................................................................................... 16Discussion/Journal Questions ................................................................................................... 24Activities and Assignments....................................................................................................... 24Chapter 2: Interpersonal Communication and Self............................................................... 30Chapter-at-a-Glance.................................................................................................................. 30Learning Objectives .................................................................................................................. 30Chapter Overview ..................................................................................................................... 31Chapter Outline......................................................................................................................... 32Discussion/Journal Questions ................................................................................................... 37Activities and Assignments....................................................................................................... 38Chapter 3: Interpersonal Communication and Perception................................................... 45Chapter-at-a-Glance.................................................................................................................. 45Learning Objectives .................................................................................................................. 45Chapter Overview ..................................................................................................................... 46Chapter Outline......................................................................................................................... 46Discussion/Journal Questions ................................................................................................... 50Activities and Assignments....................................................................................................... 51Chapter 4: Interpersonal Communication and Diversity: Adapting to Others................... 58Chapter-at-a-Glance.................................................................................................................. 58Learning Objectives .................................................................................................................. 58Chapter Overview ..................................................................................................................... 59Chapter Outline......................................................................................................................... 59Discussion/Journal Questions ................................................................................................... 64Activities and Assignments....................................................................................................... 65Chapter 5: Listening and Responding Skills........................................................................... 73Chapter-at-a-Glance.................................................................................................................. 73Learning Objectives .................................................................................................................. 73Chapter Overview ..................................................................................................................... 74Chapter Outline......................................................................................................................... 75Discussion/Journal Questions ................................................................................................... 82Activities and Assignments....................................................................................................... 82

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2Chapter 6: Verbal Communication Skills............................................................................... 89Chapter-at-a-Glance.................................................................................................................. 89Learning Objectives .................................................................................................................. 89Chapter Overview ..................................................................................................................... 90Chapter Outline......................................................................................................................... 90Discussion/Journal Questions ................................................................................................... 96Activities and Assignments....................................................................................................... 97Chapter 7: Nonverbal Communication Skills....................................................................... 105Chapter-at-a-Glance................................................................................................................ 105Learning Objectives ................................................................................................................ 105Chapter Overview ................................................................................................................... 106Chapter Outline....................................................................................................................... 107Discussion/Journal Questions ................................................................................................. 114Activities and Assignments..................................................................................................... 115Chapter 8: Conflict Management Skills................................................................................. 122Chapter-at-a-Glance................................................................................................................ 122Learning Objectives ................................................................................................................ 122Chapter Overview ................................................................................................................... 123Chapter Outline....................................................................................................................... 124Discussion /Journal Topics ..................................................................................................... 132Activities and Assignments..................................................................................................... 133Chapter 9: Understanding Interpersonal Relationships....................................................... 138Chapter-at-a-Glance................................................................................................................ 138Learning Objectives ................................................................................................................ 138Chapter Overview ................................................................................................................... 139Chapter Outline....................................................................................................................... 140Discussion/Journal Questions ................................................................................................. 147Activities and Assignments..................................................................................................... 147Chapter 10: Managing Relationship Challenges................................................................... 155Chapter-at-a-Glance................................................................................................................ 155Learning Objectives ................................................................................................................ 155Chapter Overview ................................................................................................................... 156Chapter Outline....................................................................................................................... 157Discussion/Journal Questions ................................................................................................. 167Activities and Assignments..................................................................................................... 169Chapter 11: Interpersonal Relationships: Friendship and Romance.................................. 176Chapter-at-a-Glance................................................................................................................ 176Learning Objectives ................................................................................................................ 176Chapter Overview ................................................................................................................... 177Chapter Outline....................................................................................................................... 177Discussion/Journal Questions ................................................................................................. 178Activities and Assignments..................................................................................................... 189Chapter 12: Interpersonal Relationships: Family and Workplace...................................... 195Chapter-at-a-Glance................................................................................................................ 195Learning Objectives ................................................................................................................ 195Chapter Overview ................................................................................................................... 196

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3Chapter Outline....................................................................................................................... 197Discussion/Journal Questions ................................................................................................. 206Activities and Assignments..................................................................................................... 207Chapter 1 Test Bank................................................................................................................. 212Chapter 2 Test Bank................................................................................................................. 225Chapter 3 Test Bank................................................................................................................. 236Chapter 4 Test Bank................................................................................................................. 249Chapter 5 Test Bank................................................................................................................. 263Chapter 6 Test Bank................................................................................................................. 276Chapter 7 Test Bank................................................................................................................. 289Chapter 8 Test Bank................................................................................................................. 302Chapter 9 Test Bank................................................................................................................. 316Chapter 10 Test Bank............................................................................................................... 334Chapter 11 Test Bank............................................................................................................... 348Chapter 12 Test Bank............................................................................................................... 364

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4IntroductionWelcome.We’re delighted that you’ve chosen to useInterpersonal Communicationas yourclass textbook and hope that you find the text and the accompanying resources useful andsupportive.This resource manual is designed with both the graduate teaching assistant and the twenty-years(plus) interpersonal communication teacher in mind.Some of the suggestions, from ways ofgetting to know your students’ names to recommendations for assessing student work, are quitebasic.Other recommendations are quite innovative and cutting-edge.We hope that allinstructors will find many practical suggestions in this manual.Specifically, this manual contains the following items:•A one-page “Chapter-at-a-Glance” summary of each chapter that includes a detailedoutline, instructor resources, and available print and media supplements;•The learning objectives for each chapter;•A chapter overview;•Key terms from each chapter;•A detailed outline of each chapter;•Suggestions for experiential activities and discussion items for each chapter.Preparing to Teach Interpersonal CommunicationIn addition to reading the textbook and the Pearson resources, there are a number of othervaluable considerations for preparing to teach interpersonal communication. Here are just a fewgood ideas:1.Join the National Communication Association (http://www.natcom.org) and subscribeto their fine journals, includingCommunication Education. Membership will allowyou to receive the NCA newsletter,Spectra(http://www.natcom.org/spectra) andCommunication Currents(http://www.natcom.org/CommCurrentsIssue.aspx).NCA is the oldest and largest national organization to promote communicationscholarshipandeducation.Foundedin1914astheNationalAssociationofAcademic Teachers of Public Speaking, the society incorporated in 1950 as theSpeech Association of America.The organization changed its name to the SpeechCommunication Association, in 1970. It adopted its present name in 1997. NCA alsomakes available a number of resources for research and education.2.VisittheEmpathysiteathttp://empathy.columbusstate.edu/index.php.Thissiteprovides links for a variety of exercises for teaching empathy in interpersonalcommunication.3.Visit the Free Management Library website on resources in communication skills at:http://managementhelp.org/search/management_help_search.html?zoom_query=communication+skills for information on a variety of communication skills.

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Introduction54.Join the International Listening Association, which promotes the study, development,and teaching of listening, and the practice of effective listening skills and techniques.See their website at http://www.listen.org/.5.Obtain a copy of your university/college’s student handbook and ensure that you arewell acquainted with student obligations, rights, and responsibilities concerninginterpersonal and academic conduct.6.Visit your university’s student resource centers including the international studentcenter, the writing center, your counseling center, and your learning resource center.It’s a good idea to post student resource information on bulletin boards in or nearyour classroom to assist students in obtaining support.7.Visit your institution’s faculty resource center and get acquainted with your ever-developingtechnologicaloptionsforpresentinginformation.Ifyouhaveaprofessional website developed, you’ll want to publish your syllabus and other usefulinformation (like handouts) for your students.8.Test the equipment in your classroom to ensure that you know how your electronicdevices operate.It is very frustrating for students to watch their instructors learnduring class sessions how to operate computers and other equipment. More and moreof our students are computer savvy and wonder at our clumsiness.9.Get to know your colleagues in the communication department.They are a richresource and will provide you with endless resources and support as you teach thiscourse.10.Visit your local commercial bookstore and check out the popular books now availableon interpersonal communication topics.Your students are likely to ask you aboutthese authors (e.g., John Grey or Daniel Coleman).11.Check out the International Society for the Study of Personal Relationships.Theirwebsite is http://www.isspr.org.ISSPR was formed in 1984 with the aim ofstimulatingandsupportingscholarshipandresearchonpersonalrelationships,improving communication between like-minded researchers around the world.12.Mel Silberman’sActive Learning: 101 Strategies to Teach Any Subject(Pearson,1996) is an excellent resource for considering strategies for getting students involved.Organizing Your Course SyllabusThe best syllabi will be clean, clear, and unambiguous for students and administrators alike.Here are some essential elements of a good syllabus:•Your institution’s name (this is useful for students who transfer credits to anotherinstitution)

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Introduction6•The title of this course including the semester and academic year•Your name and title•Ways to contact youYour office location and office hoursYour telephone numberYour e-mail addressYour professional website URLYour fax numberYour department mailbox location and telephone number•Course description•Course objectives•Textbook requirements and expectations about reading the book and bringing it to classsessions•Course requirements describing the graded activities•Your attendance policy (use specific and descriptive language)•Your participation policy (again, the more explicit you are, the easier it will be to managestudent grievances later)•Course expectations (e.g., late arrivals, participation, notifying you of absences, turningin late work, making up exams or oral assignments)•Your grading rationale•Course assignments, including: examinations, papers due, group presentations, researchassignments, and/or journal work•Miscellaneous items:•Inclement weather policy and phone numbers•Student resource centers and locations•Your teaching schedule•Sexual harassment policy•Restrictions including food, pagers, phones, or children•Academic honor policy•Notice to notify you of any learning disabilities, medical conditions, or similar studentconcerns early in the semester•Tentative class schedule including:DatesReading assignmentsAssignments dueWithdrawal datesFinal examination periodGraded AssignmentsThe study of interpersonal communication is an ongoing process of examining self in relation toothers.The instructor’s personal vision will, of course, determine the methods by whichstudents’ integration of the course concepts will be gauged.A variety of assignment typesreadily apply to the subject matter.

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Introduction71. ParticipationInterpersonal communication is ubiquitous, and students invariably offer a wealth of illustrationsfor chapter concepts—if they are asked.Including participation as part of the course graderewards these contributions.Consider whether attendance will be a part of your participation criteria.Other considerationsmight include appropriate dress, language, and demeanor.2. Communication JournalsStudent journals are highly appropriate for the exploration of interpersonal communication.Clearly established criteria for and regular instructor feedback on journals are necessary toensure their effectiveness.For journals to perform their potential integrative function, students must transcend the tendencyto write unrelated information: (a) diary entries having no clear relation to course concepts (e.g.,“My dog ran away this morning. I’m going to make hamburgers for dinner.”) Or (b) summariesof chapter material (e.g., “Chapter One focused upon communication models and principles.”)Feedback is a message sent in response to another message. Content criteria for journals may beestablished as:•A detailed description of an interpersonal communication (between at least two people)episode;•A definition of at least one course concept (or at least two or three) evidenced in theepisode; and•An (transcending) explanation of the link between the concept and the description orpiece of the description.Journals encourage students to make immediate, ongoing applications of course material.Theyare most helpful when collected and commented upon regularly by the instructor. This providesstudentsongoingevaluationoftheirprogressandprovidestheinstructoropportunitytocommunicate with every student.The instructor’s schedule is a factor to consider regarding theinclusion of journals, as they are quite time-consuming.3. Short Writing AssignmentsThe suggestions for the instructor in this resource manual will provide you with many ideas toconsider.Some writing assignments may be graded and others might contribute towardsparticipation.Assignmentsmayalsocovertheevaluationandinterpretationofcurrentresearchoninterpersonal communication reviewed from a current scholarly source.4. Movie Review Term Paper (Interpretative Paper)The purpose of this assignment is to engage the student in identifying and critically evaluatingsome of the elements of interpersonal communication found in a particular movie.Hopefully,this exercise will help the student gain a better understanding of some of the dimensions of his orher own interpersonal relationships.

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Introduction8Criteria for the assignment include:1. A brief overview of the story contained in the book or movie. (1-2 pages)2.A definition, suitable for the naïve reader, of at least three applicable text concepts. (3/4-1page)3.“Thick description” of several instances in which each of the chosen text concepts wasevidenced.(Descriptions should include as much dialogue as possible and figuratively transferthe reader to the scene.)4. Clear explanations of how the text concepts were illustrated in all supporting instances. Youranalysis should contain some discussion of both verbal and nonverbal elements of interpersonalcommunication. (#3 and #4 may be combined and should be about 2.5 pages for each concept =7.5 pages)Your analysis must contain concepts drawn from each of the three units in your text.(Unit 1:Interpersonal Communication Foundations; Unit 2: Interpersonal Communication Skills; Unit 3:Interpersonal Communication in Relationships).The assignment must be typed, double-spaced, and at least ten pages in length.5. Self-Assessment of Developing Interpersonal Communication CompetenciesStudentsmaybeaskedtosubmitbrief,writtendescriptionsofareasofinterpersonalcommunication behavior that they would like to improve.The instructor may then quicklyprovide written feedback on related text chapters and outside research areas.Students shouldalso be instructed to (a) consciously monitor their communication for occurrences of the selectedbehavior; (b) identify themes in occurrences of the behavior, i.e., “I seem to do this more whenI’m talking to a teacher;” (c) identify variables related to the behavior (i.e., status); and (d)collect written research on the behavior and its related variable(s), and prepare a written report offindings. Content criteria for a self-improvement project term paper may include:•An explanation of the chosen interpersonal communication behavior;•An explanation of the theme(s) in occurrence of the behavior, including specificexamples of occurrences;•An analysis of the relationship(s) between the behavior and the communicationcontext;•A summary of the findings of related research;•A discussion of implications of the research for the student’s case; and•A logical plan for altering the behavior.6. PresentationsStudents may be asked to deliver individual or group presentations.These are lively andinteresting learning aids provided they are assigned as extemporaneous presentations of auniform skeleton format, within set time limits.

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Introduction9Individual presentations of book or movie review findings serve as strong concluding argumentsfor the universal value of the study of interpersonal communication.Student presentations ingeneral contribute greatly to community building in the classroom. The instructor may assign orcontract volunteers of individuals or groups for brief presentations of text concepts as well.Suggested oral content criteria include:•An overview of the topic•A preview of sub-topics to be discussed•Transitions between treatments of sub-topic areas•Explanation of each sub-topic•Supporting examples that illustrate each sub-topic•A review of chosen sub-topic•A concluding statement regarding the information’s usefulness, importance, and thelike7. Skills PracticeStudents can select from several skills (assertiveness, conflict management or expressingfeelings) to develop and practice.Working in pairs, students will confer with their instructorconcerning their choice and how to develop and improve that skill in their own life.Students will be required to develop and perform a twenty- to thirty-minute role-play todemonstrate the skill. Performances can be videotaped for review and analysis by the students.8. ExaminationsStudents often appreciate the use of several examinations of relatively low numerical weights.You might offer weekly examinations that ask students to reflect upon content from the textbookand your lecture-discussions.Many students find that this motivates them to stay abreast ofchapter reading and allows them to get immediate feedback from the instructor.9.Communication WebsiteYou might ask students to develop an interpersonal communication website that characterizes thespecific class, summarizes class insights, and offers Internet resources for further study. If yourinstitutionprovidesaLearningManagementSystem(LMS)suchasBlackboard,eCollege/Learning Studio, or another, this is a resource to consider for setting up the class site.The website might include:•A picture of the class and short biographies of classmates•Student-generated test study guides for classmates•Published class notes submitted by rotating teams•Synopsis of group presentations•Good Internet resources for chat rooms, discussion lists, or websites aimed at particularinterpersonal topics of interest

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Introduction10Classroom ManagementDuring the first week of class, be sure to talk with students about mutual concerns related toclassroom deportment and demeanor.Do not assume that all students have similar attitudesconcerning showing deference or wanting to put into practice these interpersonal communicationcompetencies. Some students may believe that they need only attend and complete examinationsto succeed in the course.Others are less concerned about grades than they are about solvingsome of their personal relational crises.Be prepared to talk openly about establishing a safe environment for discussing relational issues.Below is some suggested language for use in your interpersonal communication syllabus:You are expected to actively listen and respond in a way that demonstratesthatyouhavebeendoingthereadingandthinkingaboutcommunicationprinciples. Respect for yourself and others is mandatory. Informed involvementis expected.Please use Standard American English.Attending each classsessionisnotenoughtoearnapassinggrade;youmustdemonstrateawillingness to practice your communication competencies in class role-plays,group work, class discussions, and exercises.Studying for other classes duringclass sessions, failing to prepare for class sessions, and failing to contribute togroup presentations will be factored into your grade. You are further expected todemonstrate courtesies of professional life, which includes contacting yourinstructor if you will miss a class session.Class climate is an essential ingredient for the success of this course.Atvarious points during the semester, we may be examining sensitive and personalissues as they relate to aspects of interpersonal communication.Differences ofexperience, attitude, and values can be discussed meaningfully as long as weagree to respect norms of civil discussion.Certainformsofclassroombehaviorareexpresslyprohibited.Theseinclude verbal attacks on the person and character of another; disparagingresponses to another’s group of origin or affinity, (e.g., age, gender, health status,physical or mental abilities, race, culture, sexual orientation, political philosophy,social views, or religion); any form of behavior that manifests direct or impliedsexual harassment; and any statement that questions the moral character orintegrity of another.[Note: Some film clips shown in class contain vulgarlanguage and inappropriate ways of managing emotions; your instructor does notcondone this type of communication.]The enforcement of these norms is the obligation of all members of the class.Using PowerPoint™ and other Computer-Generated VisualsFor many students, computer-generated visual presentations add interest and movement to yourlectures.If you use these for each class, however, the novelty will wear thin and students are

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Introduction11likely to become impatient.As an expert communicator, you know the value of using manydifferent modes of presentation.The PowerPoint™ slides that accompany this text are designed to be edited by you to betterreflect your teaching style, your additional research, and your students’ needs. Dan Cavanaugh’sbook,Preparing Visual Aids for Presentationsoffers some useful tips for preparing slides aswellaspublishingthesetotheWeb.ThisbookispublishedbyPearson(ISBN978-0205611157).Using Props to TeachTo describe the transactional model of communication, consider using magic. Your local magicshop probably has some simple but helpful aids including a dove pan, a felt bag (with a magicpocket), and rope or paper that can be cut and magically come together with effectivecommunication.There are a number of props you may find useful.You might use a Slinky® toy to discuss theprocess of communication.Consider mobiles to talk about the family system.Yo-yos canillustrate life’s ups and downs and ways to manage these (to do tricks like rocking the cradle orsleeping).Boo-Bricks (sponge bricks) can be quite useful during role-play demonstrations tosignal a foul or penalty. You are limited only by your imagination!Using Outside ResourcesMany expert speakers are available and are often willing to come to your class or to your campusto speak on interpersonal communication issues.Many nonprofit organizations have speakers’bureaus or educational resource staffs who are very pleased to share their resources withstudents. These resources include:•Domestic violence agency•Child protective services•Alzheimer association•Hospice volunteers•Gay and lesbian organizations•Employee assistance programs•Suicide hotline listeners•Marriage preparation organizations.Check with your institution for guidance before inviting speakers to your class.

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Introduction12Sample SyllabusText:Beebe, S.A., Beebe, S. J, & Redmond, M.V. (2014).Interpersonal Communication:Relating to Others, (7th Ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.Course Objectives•To identify the importance of interpersonal communication in our lives•To list and describe strategies for improving self-esteem•To describe and use the process of appropriate self-disclosure•To explain how we form impressions of others, describe others, and interpret others’behavior•To improve the accuracy of our interpersonal perceptions•To improve intercultural communication competence•To improve ways of being other-oriented•To identify ways to improve listening skills•To understand the influence words have on our culture and our relationships•To understand supportive approaches of relating to others•To describe the functions of nonverbal communication in interpersonal relationships•To identify and use conflict management skills•To describe theories of relationship development•To explain the stages of relational escalation and de-escalation•To discuss the skills for starting, maintaining, and ending relationships•To identify and describe the communication characteristic of a healthy family•To compare face-to-face communication with computer mediated communicationCourse Evaluation(Put your grading criteria here.For example, what scores will receive an“A,” “B,” etc.)Exams: 3 @ 100 pointsThree brief exams, including multiple choice, true/false, and short answer questions, will begiven for each unit of the text.Journal Assignments:4 @ 100 eachJournal of Websites: Each student should maintain a journal of websites that they use to seek outadditional information on various topics covered in the class. They should bring this journalwhen they come to class prepared to report on their favorite site on the date the chapter is beingdiscussed.A brief description of what learning the site provided the student will accompanyeach entry. Journals must be typed and are to be turned in during the last week of each unit.Journal of Interpersonal Relationships:Each student writes a journal on some aspect ofinterpersonal communication that is covered in a particular unit in the text.For example,students may choose to journal about how self-concept and self-esteem affect their relationshipswith others (Unit 1); the progress they are making to improve their listening skills and how this

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Chapter 4:Interpersonal Communication and Cultural Diversity: Adapting to Others13impacts their relationships (Unit 2); or journal about the use of mediated communication tomanage their relationships by keeping a record for a period of time on how and why they usetechnology (Unit 3).Journal of Activities:Students will complete each of the activities assigned as a Journal Entry.These can be turned in by the week, unit, or semester.Group Presentation: 150 pointsEachstudentwillbeassignedtoagrouptoresearchaspecificareaofinterpersonalcommunication. Each group will designate a topic, perform research, and present a thirty-minutepresentation to the class covering their topic. Students will be graded based on content, delivery,and peer evaluation.Miscellaneous Assignments: 50 points.From time to time, various in-class or homework assignments may be given to supplement thelearning process.Class Participation and Leadership: 100 pointsCourse Schedule:(Exams will be given in class the day after a unit is covered)WeekTopicReading/AssignmentWeek 1Introduction to InterpersonalCommunicationChapter 1Week 2Interpersonal Communication andSelfChapter 2Week 3Interpersonal Communication andPerceptionChapter 3Week 4Interpersonal Communication andDiversity: Adapting to OthersChapter 4Week 5Exam on Unit 1Journal Submission 1Week 6Listening and Responding SkillsChapter 5Week 7Verbal Communication SkillsChapter 6Week 8Nonverbal Communication SkillsChapter 7Week 9Conflict Management SkillsChapter 8Week 10Exam on Unit 2Journal Submission 2Week 11Understanding InterpersonalRelationshipsChapter 9Week 12Managing Relationship ChallengesChapter 10Week 13Interpersonal Relationships:Friendship and RomanceChapter 11Week 14Interpersonal Relationships: Familyand WorkplaceChapter 12Week 15Exam on Unit 3Journal Submission 3Week 16Research Presentations/Exam

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14Chapter 1: Introduction to Interpersonal CommunicationChapter-at-a-GlanceBrief Chapter OutlineLearning ObjectivesInstructor ManualResourcesNotesInterpersonalCommunication DefinedObjective 1Activity: 1.1, 1.2InterpersonalCommunication’sImportance to Your LifeObjective 2Activity: 1.3, 1.4, 1.5InterpersonalCommunication and theCommunication ProcessObjectives 3Activity: 1.6, 1.7InterpersonalCommunication PrinciplesObjective 4Activity: 1.8InterpersonalCommunication andTechnologyObjective 5Activity: 1.9. 1.10InterpersonalCommunicationCompetenceObjective 6Activity: 1.11Learning ObjectivesAfter studying this chapter, students should be able to:1.Compareandcontrastdefinitionsofcommunication,humancommunication,andinterpersonal communication.2.Explain why it is useful to study interpersonal communication.3.Describe the key components of the communication process4.Discuss five principles of interpersonal communication.5.Discuss electronically mediated communication’s role in developing and maintaininginterpersonal relationships.6.Identify strategies that can improve your communication competence.

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Chapter 1: Introduction toInterpersonal Communication15Chapter OverviewInterpersonalCommunicationDefined:Communication,humancommunication,andinterpersonalcommunicationaredefinedandcontrasted.Interpersonalcommunicationisdiscussed as a distinctive form of communication that involves simultaneous interaction betweenindividuals, usually with mutual influence in order to manage our relationships. Impersonalcommunication is defined as treating others as objects rather than as unique individuals. An “I–It” relationship is an impersonal one, in which the other person is viewed as an “It” rather than asan authentic, genuine person. An “I–Thou” relationship occurs when you interact with anotherperson as a unique, authentic individual rather than as an object or an “It.”Interpersonalcommunication is different than mass communication, public communication, small groupcommunication and intrapersonal communication is communication with yourself. Interpersonalcommunication involves mutual influence between individuals. Interpersonal communicationhelps individuals manage their relationships.Interpersonal Communication’s Importance to Your Life:Interpersonal communicationpermeatesourlives.Beingskilledininterpersonalcommunicationcanimproveyourrelationships with family, friends, and lovers, and work and school colleagues, as well asimproving your physical and emotional health.InterpersonalCommunicationandtheCommunicationProcess:Threemodelsforunderstanding communication are outlined within a historical perspective.Message transfermodels focus on the actions involved in communication.Message exchangemodels introducethe concepts of feedback and context to emphasize a less static and more interactive perspective.Message creationmodels introduce the notion of “simultaneous” interaction – a transactionalprocess involving mutual and concurrent sharing of ideas and feelings.Interpersonal Communication Principles: Underlying our understanding of interpersonalcommunication are five principles:Interpersonal communication connects us to others, isirreversible, is complicated, is governed by rules, and involves both content and relationshipdimensions.Interpersonal Communication and Technology: Today, we use a great deal of technology totransmitinterpersonalmessages.Electronicallymediatedmessagescanbechallengingtointerpret because they contain fewer nonverbal cues, are often asynchronous (not read or heard atthe same time they are sent), and have increased potential for deception. Social presence is thefeeling we have when we act and think as if we’re involved in an unmediated, FtF conversation.Cues-filtered-out theorysuggests that emotional expression is severely restricted when wecommunicate using only text messages; nonverbal cues such as facial expression, gestures, andtoneofvoicearefilteredout.Mediarichnesstheorysuggeststhattherichnessofacommunication channel is based on four criteria.Social information-processing theoryexplainshow quality relationships can be formed via e-mail and other electronic media, even thoughinformationexchangemaytakelongerthaninface-to-facecommunication.Mediatedcommunication can be evaluated, in part, according to the “richness of the channels” being used.

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Chapter 1: Introduction toInterpersonal Communication16Interpersonal Communication Competence: To be a competent communicator is to expressmessages that are perceived to be both effective (the message is understood by others andachieves its intended effect) and appropriate (the time, place, and context of the message issensitive to the feelings and attitudes of the listener). Three strategies are outlined which can helpus become more skilled communicators.These include: becoming knowledgeable, becomingskilled, and becoming motivated.These strategies all find expression in the idea of becomingother-oriented—theoppositeofanegocentricapproachtocommunication.Other-orientedcommunicators are also ethical.Chapter Outline(Allkey termsappear inbold)I.Interpersonal Communication Defined•Communicationis the process of acting on information.•Human communicationis the process of making sense out of the world and sharingthat sense with others by creating meaning through the use of verbal and nonverbalmessages.•Interpersonalcommunicationisadistinctive,transactionalformofhumancommunication involving mutual influence, usually for the purpose of managingrelationships.A. Interpersonal Communication Is a Distinctive Form of Communication1.Interpersonal versus Impersonal Communication•There is a continuum running fromimpersonal communication, whichoccurs when you treat people as objects or relate to them as roles, tointerpersonal communicationthat occurs when you treat others as uniqueand relate to them as authentic individuals.2.I-It and I-Thou Relationships•Impersonal communication involves an “I-It” relationship where you havea role to perform and there is mechanical, stilted interaction.•Interpersonal communication involves an “I-Thou” relationship that is truedialogue and honest sharing.•It is unrealistic to think that all communication will be interpersonal.3.Interpersonal Versus Other Forms of Communication•Mass communicationoccurs when one person issues the same message tomany people at once.a) The creator of the message is usually not physically present.b) There is virtually no opportunity for listeners to respond to the speaker.c) TV and radio messages are good examples of mass communication.•Public communicationoccurs when a speaker addresses an audience inperson.•Small group communicationoccurs when a group of from three to peoplemeet to interact with a common purpose and mutually influence oneanother.•Intrapersonal communicationis communication with yourself.B.Interpersonal Communication Involves Mutual Influence Between Individuals

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Chapter 1: Introduction toInterpersonal Communication17•Every interpersonal communication transaction influences us.a) The degree of mutual influence varies a great deal from transaction totransaction.b)Long-lasting interpersonal relationships are sustained not by oneperson giving and another taking, but by a spirit of mutual equality.c)Both you and your partner listen and respond with respect for eachother.d) There is no attempt to manipulate others.•The concept of an “I–Thou” relationship includes the quality of being fully“present” when communicating with another person.a) To be present is to give your full attention to the other person.b) The quality of interpersonal communication is enhanced when bothyou and your partner are simultaneously present and focused on eachother.C. Interpersonal Communication Helps Individuals Manage Their Relationships•Arelationshipis defined as the connection we make when we communicatewith another person.a) When two individuals are in a relationship, what one person says ordoes influences the other person.b) People in relationships are affected by the situation in whichthey are communicating, the personal skills they possess, and themoves and counter-moves of their relationship partner.•You initiate and form relationships by communicating with others whom youfind attractive in some way.a) You seek to increase your interactions with people with whom youwish to develop relationships, and you continually communicateinterpersonally to maintain the relationship.b) You also use interpersonal communication to end or redefinerelationships that you have decided are no longer viable or need to bechanged.•You are increasingly likely to use social media to connect with friends andmanage your relationships.a)Research has found that instant messages (including text messages)have an overall positive effect on your relationships.b)E-mail, texting, and other forms of instant messages appear to beprimarily used to maintain existing relationships.c)E-mail, texting, and other forms of instant messages also play arole in establishing initial contact with others.d) Online and instant messages at first are perceived as lower qualitythan face-to-face interactions, but over time are judged just aspositively.II.Interpersonal Communication’s Importance to Your LifeA.Improved Relationships with Family•Relating to family members can be a challenge.•You can develop more options for how to respond when family communicationchallenges occur.

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Chapter 1: Introduction toInterpersonal Communication18•Virginia Satir calls family communication “the largest single factor determining thekinds of relationships [we make] with others.”•Communicating with our family members and loved ones is the fundamental wayof establishing close, personal relationships with them.B.Improved Relationships with Friends and Lovers•Unmarried people have reported that developing friendships and falling in love arethe top-rated sources of satisfaction and happiness.•Losing a relationship is among the most stressful experiences.•Individuals between the ages of 19 and 24 years report having already had five tosix romantic relationships and to have been in love once or twice.•Studying interpersonal communication can offer insight into our behaviors infriendship, romance, and love.C.Improved Relationships with Colleagues•Colleagues at work are like family members.•While we choose friends and lovers, we often cannot choose colleagues.•Understanding how relationships develop at work can help you avoid conflict andstress and increase your sense of satisfaction.•Success and failure often hinge upon how well we relate with supervisors andpeers.•The abilities to listen to others, mange conflict, and develop quality interpersonalrelationships with others are usually at the top of the list of skills that employers areseeking in job applicants.D.Improved Physical and Emotional Health•The lack or loss of a close relationship can lead to ill health and even death.•Widowed or divorced patients experience more medical problems than do marriedpeople.a)Grief-strickenspousesaremorelikelythanotherstodieprematurely,especiallyaroundthetimeofthedepartedspouse’sbirthdayortheiranniversary.b)Childless, middle-aged wives were almost two and one-half times more likelyto die in any given year than those who had at least one child.c)Terminally ill patients with limited social support die sooner than those withstronger ties to friendships.d)Without companions and close friends, opportunities for intimacy and stress-minimizing interpersonal communication are diminished.III.InterpersonalCommunicationandtheCommunicationProcess(Threemodelsarediscussed in order of oldest to newest.)A. Elements of the Communication Process•The most basic components of communication include these elements: source,message, channel, receiver, noise, feedback, and context.•Source—the originator of a thought or emotion, who puts it into a code that canbe understood by a receiver.•Message—the written, spoken, and unspoken elements of communication towhich people assign meaning.•Channel—the pathways through which messages are sent.

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Chapter 1: Introduction toInterpersonal Communication19•Receiver—person who decodes the message and attempts to make sense of whatthe source has encoded.•Noise—the interferences that keeps a message from being understood andachieving its intended effect.a)Literal noise can be actual noise like the roar of a plane.b)Psychological noise can be competing thoughts, worries, and feelings thatcapture our attention.•Feedback– is a response to the message and without it, effective communicationrarely occurs.•Context– is the physical and psychological environment for communication.B.Models of the Communication Process1. Communication as Action: Message Transfer•The oldest and simplest model is a transferring of meaning.•Communication takes place when a message is sent and received.2. Human Communication as Interaction: Message Exchange•In the interaction model, two new components are added to theearlier model: feedback and context.•The interaction model is more realistic than the action perspective,but it still has limitations.•The model is limited because it characterizes communication as alinear, step-by-step sequence rather than a simultaneous process.3. Human Communication as Transaction: Message Creation•Most scholars view this as the most realistic model for interpersonalcommunication.•Employs the same components as the other models.•Adds the notion of simultaneous interaction of components. As wetalk, we also interpret our partner’s nonverbal and verbal responses.•Basedonsystemstheorythatdescribestheinterconnectedelements of a system in which a change in one element affects allof the other elements.•A transactional approach to communication suggests that no singlecause explains why you interpret messages the way you do.•Communicationisthe“coordinatedmanagementofmeaning”through episodes or sequences of interaction between individualsduring which the message of one person influences the message ofanother.IV.Interpersonal Communication PrinciplesA.Interpersonal Communication Connects Us to Others•It is through inescapable interpersonal communication with others that we affectand are affected by other human beings.•The quality of interpersonal relationships stems from the quality ofcommunication with others.•Communication is inescapable since it occurs even when you are not consciousof what you are doing.•People judge you by your behavior, not your intent.

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Chapter 1: Introduction toInterpersonal Communication20B.Interpersonal Communication Is Irreversible•Our communication with others is irreversible.•Communication continues to be shaped by events, thoughts, and experiences ofcommunication partners.•You can never “take it back.”C.Interpersonal Communication Is Complicated•Whenever you communicate with someone, there are at least six “people”involved.a)Who you think you are;b)Who you think the other person is;c)Who you think the other person thinks you are;d)Who the other person thinks he or she is;e)Who the other person thinks you are; andf)Who the other person thinks you think he or she is.•Humans use symbols to communicate.a)Symbolsare words, sounds, or visual devices that represent athought, concept, or object.b)Symbolscan have various meanings and interpretations, as they aremerely a representation of something else.c)In English, symbols do not resemble the words they represent.d)Because multiple factors result in the creation of meaning in people’sminds, it’s not accurate to assume that there are always simplesolutions to communication problems.D.Interpersonal Communication Is Governed by Rules•Aruleis a followable prescription that indicates what behavior is obligated,preferred, or prohibited in certain communication situations or contexts.a)Rules help us to define appropriate and inappropriate communicationin a given situation.b)Rules may be explicit or implicit.c)Rules are developed by those involved in the interaction and by theculture in which they are communicating.d)Rules are mutually defined and agreed upon.•There are some general rules for relationship development and maintenance(research by Michael Argyle and colleagues).a)Partners should respect the other’s privacy.b)Partners should not reveal each other’s secrets.c)Partners should look the other person in the eye during conversation.d)Partners should not criticize the other person publicly.•Interpersonal rules are learned from observing and interacting with familymembers and friends.E.Interpersonal Communication Involves Both Content and Relationship Dimensions1.ContentMessage:refers to the information, ideas, and suggested actions thespeaker wishes to share—what is said.2.Relationship Message:the relationship dimension of a communicationmessage offers cues about the emotion, attitudes, and amount of power andcontrol the speaker feels; it is how the message is communicated.

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Chapter 1: Introduction toInterpersonal Communication213.MetacommunicationMessage:metacommunication is “communicationabout communication.” It can be nonverbal or verbal.a)Accurately decoding these unspoken or even verbalized metamessageshelps you understand what people really mean.b)Meaning is in people, not in words or gestures.V. Interpersonal Communication and Technology•Electronically mediated communication (EMC)-- communication that is not faceto face, but rather is sent via a medium such as a cell phone or the Internet.•EMC is not new; people have been communicating without being face to face forcenturies.•What’s new is that there are so many different ways of immediately connecting withsomeone.•We frequently use our technology to make and keep friends, to share information, tolisten and respond to and confirm and support others.•Mediated communication relationships can be as satisfying as face-to-facerelationships; people seamlessly and easily switch from EMC to FtF context.•If you are already “rich” in terms of the quality of face-to-face•interpersonal relationships, you will also enrich your online interpersonalrelationships.•Hyperpersonal relationshipsare relationships formed primarily through EMC thatbecome even more personal than equivalent face-to-face relationships, in partbecause of the absence of distracting external cues (such as physical qualities),smaller amounts of personal information, and idealization of the communicationpartner.•If you’re shy in person, you also may be less likely to tweet or IM, yet there is someevidence that shy or introverted people may be more comfortable using instantmessaging.•There are gender differences in text messages and IMs in that women’s text andinstant messages use more words, longer sentences, and more emoticons, and theydiscuss and include more social and relational information than men’s messages.A.Differences Between EMC and FtF Communication•There are six key differences between electronically mediated interpersonalcommunication and face-to-face communication.1.Time:When you interact via EMC you can do soasynchronously, and themessage is not read, heard, or seen at the same time it is sent;synchronousmessages are those that are sent and received instantly and simultaneously.•The more technology simulates a face-to-face conversation, the moresocial presenceit creates.•Social presence is the feeling that communicators have of engaging inunmediated, face-to-face interactions even though messages are beingsent electronically.a) It takes longer to tap out a typewritten message than to speak or toconvey a nonverbal message.b) When texting, participants may expect to see a response to theirmessage very quickly, which is one reason text messages are oftenvery short and concise.

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Chapter 1: Introduction toInterpersonal Communication22c) Texting someone (as well as sending e-mail, instant messages, andtweets) allows you time to compose your message and craft it morecarefully than you might in an FtF interaction.2. Varying Degrees of Anonymity.•You may not always know precisely with whom you are communicatingwhen you receive an e-mail message or are “friended” or “poked” bysomeone you don’t know.•Being anonymous may tempt you to say things that aren’t true.3. Potential for Deception•Because with many forms of EMC you can’t see or hear others, it’s easy tolie.•Online deception is almost as easy as typing.•The ease with which someone can create a false persona means that youneed to be cautious in forming relationships with strangers over theInternet.4. Nonverbal Cues•Words and graphics become more important in EMC than in face-to-facecommunication, because when communicating electronically you must relysolely on words to carry nonverbal messages.•Text users can capitalize messages, add emoticons, make letters bold, andso on to compensate for the limited emotional cues available in some formsof electronic communication.•There is typically less emphasis on a person’s physical appearance onlinethan in FtF situations, unless you’re using Facebook, Skype, or other videomessages.5. Role of the Written Word•Reliance on the written word affects EMC interactions.•Your skills in typing as well as your ability to express yourself in writingaffects how others may perceive you.•Your written messages provide insights to others about your personality,skills, sense of humor, and even your values.•You communicate a message about the nature of a relationship based on theformality or informality of your language and whether your style reflectswhat the receiver expects.6. Distance•There is often a great deal of distance between two people engaged inEMC.•We can easily send a message to someone across the globe as to someonein the same building we are in.B. Understanding EMC•Three theories help explain and predict how EMC works:1.Cues-Filtered-Out Theory--suggests that communication of emotions isrestricted when people send messages to others via e-mail or other electronicmeans because nonverbal cues such as facial expression and tone of voice arefiltered out and that because of the lack of nonverbal cues and other social

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Chapter 1: Introduction toInterpersonal Communication23information, we’ll be less likely to use EMC to manage relationships becauseof its limited ability to carry emotional and relational information.2.MediaRichnessTheory--identifiestherichnessofacommunicationmedium based on the amount of feedback it allows, the number of cuesreceivers can interpret, the variety of language it allows, and the potential foremotional expression.•There is some evidence that those wishing to communicate a negativemessage, such as a message ending a relationship, may select a less richcommunication medium.•Similarly, people usually want to share good news in person, when they canenjoy the positive reaction to the message.3.SocialInformation-ProcessingTheory--suggeststhatpeoplecancommunicate relational and emotional messages via the Internet, although suchmessages take longer to express without nonverbal cues.•This theory also suggests that if you expect to communicate with yourelectronic communication partner again, you will likely pay more attention tothe relationship cues.•EMC can actually develop into more socially rich relationships than face-to-face communication can.•When using EMC, we ask questions and interact with others to enhance thequality of our relationship with them.•EMC makes it possible for people to develop interpersonal relationships withothers, whether they are miles away or in the next room.VI.Interpersonal Communication CompetenceA. Become Knowledgeable, Skilled, and Motivated1.Become Knowledgeable: You must know how interpersonal communicationworks by learning theories, principles, concepts, and rules.2.Become Skilled: by translating knowledge into action.•Learning skills requires breaking it down into sub-skills you can learnand practice (four steps: hear it, see it, do it, and correct it).•Skills require practice.3.Become Motivated: You need to be motivated to use your knowledge andskill.B. Become Other-Oriented•Become an other-oriented communicator by considering the thoughts, needs,experiences, personality, feelings, motives, desires, culture, and goals of yourcommunication partner, while maintaining your own integrity.•Being other-oriented involves a conscious effort to consider the world fromthe point of view of those with whom you interact.•Sometimes we areegocentric communicators, such as when we createmessages without giving much thought to the person who is listening.a)Being egocentric is detrimental to developing healthy relationships withothers.b)Other people can often perceive whether we’re self-focused or other-oriented.

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Chapter 1: Introduction toInterpersonal Communication24c) Speaking without thinking may occur when we need to purge ourselvesor to confirm our sense of self-importance.•It may undermine our relationships with others.•A self-focused communicator often alienates others.•We can adapt to our listeners by asking questions, finding topics ofmutual interest, selecting meaningful examples, and avoiding topicsthat are uncomfortable for our communication partner.•Beingempathic– able to experience the feelings and emotions ofothers – is especially important in becoming other-oriented.•Other-oriented communicators areethical.a.Ethics are the beliefs, values, and moral principles bywhich people determine what is right or wrong.b.Ethical communicators seek to establish trust and reduceinterpersonal barriers.c.Ethicalcommunicatorsdonotintentionallydecreaseothers’ feelings of self-worth.d.Becoming other-oriented, as evidenced through knowledge,skill,andmotivation,canenhanceyourinterpersonalcommunication competence and the quality of your life.Discussion/Journal QuestionsAsk your students how many have taken a communication course in the past. Invite them toassist you in distinguishing interpersonal communication from other types of communication,especially intrapersonal communication, small group communication, and public address. Notethat the functions of each differ: interpersonal communication focuses on initiating, building,maintaining, and terminating relationships.Have students journal for a week, noting each time they engage in interpersonal, intrapersonal,and impersonal communication, noting with each entry the context of the communication as wellas the result.Activities and AssignmentsActivity 1.1: IcebreakersLook up almost any YouTube clip from the sitcomEverybody Loves Raymond(an episode called“The Angry Family” works particularly well).Instruct the students to write down everythingthey notice about the communication of the participants. When the clip has finished and studentshave had time to write down their reactions, ask them what they saw.This should generate agreat deal of discussion that may include the following:•Verbal communication (raised voices, etc.)•Nonverbal communication (proxemics, kinesics, paralinguistics, haptics)

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Chapter 1: Introduction toInterpersonal Communication25•Lying•Avoidance•Defensiveness and self-protection•Blaming•ManipulatingAsk the students why they were laughing during the clip. Why is the depiction of “brokenness”in relationships funny to us?Why do we laugh when we see the sort of strains and tensionsamong people as evidenced in this clip?Do media of this sort help us in our communicationwith one another, or does it reinforce norms that support brokenness in relationships?Immediately following this discussion, show a clip from the Robin Williams moviePatchAdams. (The clip should be the scene where Robin William’s character Patch Adams, a medicalstudent, resists objectifying a hospital patient who has a serious illness, and who is beingdispassionately diagnosed by a team of medical students headed by their supervising physician.)In the clip, Patch asks the one question no one else thinks to ask—”What is her name?”Leadyour students in a discussion that includes the following:•Patch Adams’ focus•How he touches the woman, reaching through to her in her pain and anxiety•How he asks her name and bridges over to her humanity, refusing to objectifyher•His eye contact and vocal cuesEnd by asking the students who, in their lives, speaks to them like Patch Adams spoke to the sickwoman in the hospital—that is, who gives them “good words.” This exercise has a lot of appealto students because it has media clips they will enjoy, and it clearly demonstrates howinterpersonal communication can both damage and heal human relationships.Activity 1.2: Power and InfluenceManycommunicationscholarssuggestthateachinteractionisaccompaniedbyapowerdynamic. That is, one of the interactants has more power over the other. Thus, it would seem thatthe person with more power would be in a position in which s/he could nearly always have moreinfluence that the person less power. Have the class discuss the concept of mutual influence andhow they influence others with whom they have different types of relationships (friendships,romantic relationships, work relationships, and so on) and how the other people in theirinteractions influence THEM.Activity 1.3: People SkillsRobert Bolton, author ofPeople Skills, asserts that “80% of the people who fail at work do so forone reason: they do not relate well to other people” (Simon & Schuster, 1986, p. 7). Ask studentsto provide concrete examples of how they have seen communication negatively or positivelyimpact work environments they have been part of.

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Chapter 1: Introduction toInterpersonal Communication26Activity 1.4: Impersonal vs. InterpersonalHaveeachstudentpreparealistoftheways(positivelyornegatively)inwhichs/hecommunicates with various members of his or her family (parents, siblings, aunts, uncles,grandparents, and so on), not using real names. Then, have students form small groups (3-5) todiscuss the ways in which each may or may not have learned relationship communication skillsfrom those people in his or her early life. Finally, debrief the small groups in the larger, fullclass.Activity 1.5: Myths About Communication1.More words will make the meaning clearer.Encourage students to discover their preferred learning style: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, orany combination.Suggest that other-oriented communicators recognize their preferences but select channelsthat the recipient prefers for best results. For instance, when asking a “visual” boss for araise, showing her/him a list of reasons for this pay boost may be more effective than asimple discussion. Likewise, an “auditory” friend may prefer a phone call to a Hallmark™card.Investigate learning styles, using channel preferences. See Michael Brooks’Instant Rapport(Warner, 1989).2.Meanings are in wordsAsk students to describe the meanings of their names. Do they respond differently to peopleif they use their full name (e.g., Michael Joseph) rather than a shortened version of theirname (e.g., Mike)? Discuss this.A number of situation comedies on television rely upon semantic noise to create humor.Nearly everySeinfeldandFriendsepisode portrays bypassing. Consider showing a portionof a show to illustrate how meanings are in people, not in words.Write the following words on the board (or on PowerPoint™):WOMAN WITHOUT HER MAN IS NOTHINGAsk students to comment about the meaning of these words. Discuss the value of punctuationand how syntactic rules are important for discerning meanings of words. Do point out thatwhatever punctuation is used, both statements are sexist and untrue.WOMAN. WITHOUT HER, MAN IS NOTHING.WOMAN WITHOUT HER MAN, IS NOTHING.3.Information equals communication.Ask students to discuss or journal about using a set of instructions.Were they clear?Did they help in understanding?Bring a set of instructions for a game, building project, or recipe.Discuss how theseinstructions may be misinterpreted and what the possible outcomes might be.

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Chapter 1: Introduction toInterpersonal Communication274.Interpersonal relationship problems are always communication problems.Ask students to journal about a problem that was not related to communication incomparison to a problem that was communication based.See if some students want to support the argument that all relationship problems can besolved through communication.Activity 1.6: Understanding the Models of CommunicationModels of human communication are complex. Often, students must learn new definitions forterms for which they had pre-existing definitions, and the components can seem overwhelminglyabstract. Illustrating the models visually can help students to comprehend and remember thecomponents.The linear model:•Bring in any ball to demonstrate how a message/ball is transferred from onecommunicator to another.•A two-toned Nerf™ football makes a good model of a communication message.•Explain that the colors denote verbal and nonverbal codes/cues. Discuss how themessage is encoded, and transmitted to a receiver.•Explain further that all communication messages contain a nonverbal element but thatnot all contain verbal codes.•Ask students to think of examples of communication working in a linear model. Thismay include television, telegraph, etc.The interaction model:•Have students toss the message/ball back and forth to demonstrate this model ofcommunication.•Discuss how the roles of sender and receiver change.•Ask students how they have to “adapt” in order to catch the “message.”•Ask students to identify examples of the interaction model.This may include fax, e-mail, or mail.The transactional model:•Ask students to create their own model for this perspective.•How would they represent examples of noise and channel?*For an intercultural perspective, ask students in the class who have internationalbackgrounds, or backgrounds from outside the majority group in the class, to sharehow the norms in their culture of origin influence the models of communication theywould choose or be most comfortable with. Where would their norms differ from thenorms of “this” culture?Activity 1.7: The Team ProjectA few days prior to this activity, ask students to bring several magazines to class. The instructorshould be prepared to supply a poster board, scissors, and paste for each group. For this activity,have small groups (3-5) cut out images from the magazines and create, using those images andpasting them to their poster board, a) an action model, b) an interactional model, and c) a

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Chapter 1: Introduction toInterpersonal Communication28transactional model. Tell the class that each group will be expected to explain how the imagestheir group chose illustrate each model.Activity 1.8: Communicating on FacebookInterpersonal communication is governed by rules, and these rules can be extended to new mediaas well.Ask students to make a list of the norms governing communication on Facebook.Forexample, do they think it is appropriate for a professor to be Facebook “friends” with a student inhis or her class?What sort of communication is appropriate on Facebook?Who should andshouldn’t be friends? What new rules do they think should apply to this sort of communication?Ask students to share any examples of poor communication practices they’ve seen on Facebook.Wherewouldtheyplacethissortofcommunicationontheimpersonaltointerpersonalcontinuum?Whatadvantagesdoesmediatedcommunicationlikethishave?Whatdisadvantages? How can the technologies of communication function in ways that facilitate thespreading of rumors?How can the technologies of communication strengthen and helprelationships?Activity 1.9 EMCElectronically mediated interpersonal communication is different from live, FtF interactions insix distinctive ways: (1) time, (2) varying degrees of anonymity, (3) potential for deception, (4)availability of nonverbal cues, (5) role of the written word, and (6) distance. Have students formsix (6) small groups (in a very large class, you may want to have twelve small groups and assigntwo groups to each area). Assign each group one (1) of the six differences. Then, each group is tocreate a fairly exhaustive list of the ways each difference can be a) detrimental to effectivecommunication and b) helpful in achieving effective communication. Once these lists arecompleted, each group should be given time to present and discuss their list to the class.Activity 1.10: Hyperpersonal RelationshipsHyperpersonalrelationshipsare relationships formed primarily through EMC that become evenmorepersonalthan equivalent face-to-face relationships, in part because of the absence ofdistractingexternal cues (such as physical qualities), an overdependence on just a few tidbitsof personal information (which increases the importance of the information), and idealization ofthe partner. Have students work with a partner to discuss the relationships each has that werecreated through EMC and which of these relationships is equivalent to face-to-face relationshipsor not as personal as their face-to-face relationships. What factors make some onlinerelationships equivalent? What factors prevent some online relationships from being equivalent?Activity 1.11: Investigating Communication Strategies1.Become KnowledgeableTo learn more about the what makes a communicator competent, check out this University ofKentucky take on the topic: http://www.uky.edu/~drlane/capstone/commcomp.htm2.Become SkilledAsk students to write for five minutes about whether they believe there are any sure-firestrategies for interacting with others.For instance, is honesty always the best policy?If you can’t say something nice, should you refrain from saying anything at all?

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Chapter 1: Introduction toInterpersonal Communication29Invite students to consider other proverbs.Following the writing exercise, invite students to comment on the need for flexibility incommunication.3.Become MotivatedWhile each individual must develop a degree of self-motivation, there are ways to improve eacharea of communication and by knowing these, a person can become more motivated to be acompetent communicator. Visit this site and see “Effective communication skills #4: Emotionalawareness” to learn more about motivation:http://www.helpguide.org/mental/effective_communication_skills.htm4.Become EthicalTalk about civility and the need for interpersonal competence. Some students who work withcustomers will offer excellent examples of the need for civility.Ask students about theirexperiences with civility while engaged in electronic mediated communication.5.Become Other-OrientedShare with students these words by John Luther:“Naturaltalent,”intelligence,awonderfuleducation—noneoftheseguaranteessuccess.Something else is needed: the sensitivity to understand what other people want and thewillingness to give it to them. Worldly success depends on pleasing others. No one is going towin fame, recognition, or advancement just because he or she thinks it’s deserved. Someone elsehas to think so too.” (From “Bits & Pieces,” The Economics Press, 1992, Vol. M, No. 1.)

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