Interpersonal and Communication Skill Introduction One day, when Robinson Crusoe was at work, Poll called, pretty

poll, pretty poll. Oh, how glad Robinson Crusoe was then! It seemed so good to hear someone talk, even if it was only a parrot. They were the first words Robinson Crusoe had heard since he had been upon the island. (Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe) It is beyond imagination for us human to live without communicating to other people. The ability to converse to the people around us is crucially plays a huge role throughout this life. Human communication can be classified into five levels and one of them is an interpersonal communication. We participate in interpersonal communication nearly in every circumstance we encounter each day of our lives. Unconsciously, wherever we are; at school, at the workplace or during the social gatherings, we used interpersonal communication for the intention of informing, educating, persuading or entertaining other people around us. According to a statement in Beebe, Steven, Beebe, J. Susan & Redmond, V. Mark. (2005) Interpersonal Communication: relating to others, Interpersonal Communication is a distinctive, transactional form of human communication involving mutual influence, usually for the purpose of managing relationship. This statement contains three

ideas which are; interpersonal communication as a distinctive form of human communication, it involves the mutual influence and it happens for the purpose of managing relationship. The explanation for each will follows in sequence.

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Interpersonal and Communication Skill

1. Interpersonal communication

Communication

as

distinctive

form

of

human

Distinctive can be defined as the uniquely characteristic of something or someone. What makes interpersonal communication different from any other human communication is we treated someone during the process as a unique, authentic individual rather than an object. Meaning to say that the way we communicate will be different, correspondingly to whom we are communicate with. We use I - thou or I - You relationship during this process. In this manner, both parties become more open and honestly expressing things. They also become more positive and focusing on good things rather than thinking negatively of the issue present. 1.1 Implication The peoples we meet every single day are coming from a various background and not all of these peoples we knew. As we proceed through our life daily, we encounter new people indirectly. They maybe a fellow colleague from another department, a shop assistant where we often do grocery shopping or even a total stranger we passed by in the post office. We personally dont know each other and not expecting anything from these people but for the sake of living, we probably communicate to each other to fulfill our objective. So when the communication occurs in a good form, we considered making each others life easy for everyones convenience.

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Interpersonal and Communication Skill

2. Interpersonal Communication involves a mutual influence During the communication process occurs, all the communicator involved is mutually influencing one another. To whom we converse with determine how much the communication affects us. It also determined by how well we know that person, or how close we are or how much we care. Surely it feels different to receive same remarks from two different people such as from our partner or spouse and from fellow colleagues in the workplace. 2.1.Implication Interpersonal communication often involved the person we love and close to. It could be a family member, partner or simply a friend. To these people, we supposed to be able to communicate openly without worrying that he or she is not going to listen or accept. We know these people very well to the extent that we express things spontaneously and listen to what they say in the same manner.

This characteristic of interpersonal communication is very important in a human relationship. Communication is not about how much time we spend talking to a particular person. If communication is so, we do talk a lot every day, yet it conveys little meaning and contribution in maintaining the relationship. If we really apply good interpersonal communication skills, we deliver the message clearly and listen carefully to what the other person say, even it just a brief session, it contains quality that benefits both sides. empezar_dc@ymail.com 3

Interpersonal and Communication Skill

3. Interpersonal communication happen for the purpose of managing relationship Communication is a vital necessity in managing human relationships. In fact, every relationship established when communication occurs. It also determined whether human relationship would become a successful one or not. Every party who involved in the relationship express what they think or feel through communication, either in a form of verbal or non-verbal messages. Every element that exists during the communication affects the communicators. Apart from the meaning conveying by the messages itself, an element such as receivers feedback and environment also has an impact to the effectiveness of the communication. For example, if we fail to notice other peoples body language, posture, facial expression or eye contact, we perhaps missed the messages that person is trying to deliver and this can cause a misunderstanding. 3.1 Implication Within the family circle, the effectiveness of interpersonal communication between family members can brings harmony and convenience for everyone. Otherwise, lack of communication can be the major cause of gap existence between members and eventually leads to bigger problem even to the level of separation and broken family. It is better to discuss any arising issue, even it just a small one, before things got piling up and the issue gets bigger.

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Interpersonal and Communication Skill For example, if there are two people in the family having an argument, either one of them normally come to the person they trust to seek for advice or help. In this situation, interpersonal communication occurs as he or she open up to share their problem and the other person would give a reassurance along with opinion to solve the problem. If the communication occurs effectively, even maybe no solution had been compromise at that time, still, it has its own value for the relationship to remain intact.

There must be an argument or misunderstanding in every relationship. During such time, a good communication can make things gets better and back to the normal state. But, if both parties refuse to sort things out, eventually they would stop discussing the problem and finally a total breakdown happen. Since interpersonal communication can also happen through non-verbal messages, both parties should be aware of each other body language, facial expression or posture. However, a good communication will never take place if anybody involved still exhibit an attitude such as being ego or narrow-minded that could became a hindrance to solve the problem.

Conclusion Indeed an interpersonal communication held a huge benefit in our life and in our relationships specifically, it is important for everyone to acquire a good communication skills. It certainly helps us to communicate to people around us effectively in order to build and preserve our relationships.

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Interpersonal and Communication Skill

Bibliography Monograph 1. Beebe, Steven, Beebe, J. Susan & Redmond, V. Mark. (2005). Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others, Fourth Edition. (Boston: Allyn & Bacon). Website 2. George Wood, (n.d.). Lack of Communication in a Relationship. Ezine Articles. Retrieved October 10, 2010, from http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=George_Wood 3. Interpersonal Communication. (n.d.). Retrieved October 09, 2010, from http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Interpersonal-Communication/166864

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