Assessment Task 2: Argumentative Essay
Question:
Evaluate the extent to which electronic communication enhances or detracts from the quality of interpersonal communication. Your analysis must engage with three elements of Interpersonal communication and discuss how each is affected by a particular electronic channel of communication. Your essay should be grounded in communication theory from appropriate academic sources.
Name: Shylana Cole
Student ID: 1059780
Tutor: Mairead Shanahan
Date due: Week 6 Tuesday 6pm
Word count: 968
The quality of interpersonal communication for an individual is vital for the receiver to be able to decode a message sufficiently. The quality of interpersonal communication has drastically changed due to the expanse of electronic communication channels readily available in modern times. Eye contact, head movements and paralinguistics are aspects of interpersonal communication that electronic communication means can obstruct or assist – whether in a positive or a negative manner. E-mail, Text Messaging and Video Conferencing are three forms of electronic communication that can enhance or detract from effective and efficient interpersonal communication. Eye contact – a form of non-verbal interpersonal communication – is used to communicate information that cannot be translated verbally. Eye contact is obstructed when communicating by e-mail. E-mail is a form of non-verbal electronic communication and detracts from effective interpersonal communication due to the lack of face-to-face interaction. Head movements are a form of non-verbal interpersonal communication that can effectively and efficiently communicate messages clearly. Text messaging – a form of non-verbal electronic communication – can often be misconstrued due to an obvious lack in non-verbal prompts; primarily head movements, which consequently detracts from effective