Interpersonal Communication Analysis

Communication has different meanings. The definition can vary from person to person. To a student, it can mean learning, to people in the work environment it can mean whatever it takes to get a job done, and for friends/family, it can mean maintaining a relationship. Each person can communicate by using spoken words, sign language, and body language. Sometimes we do not realize the messages we convey because we are unaware of body language, tone, and even the words we choose to use. Communicating effectively is an important skill to have both personally and professionally. It is something we continue to develop everyday, it takes practice to perfect it. According to, the article from Business Communication Quarterly, “Having
Difficult Conversations,” focused on problems such as reducing “drama” in the work environment, providing and receiving criticism, dealing with insubordination, and resolving conflicts. The article also focused on disciplining workers, conducting performance reviews, counseling employees, and handling terminations (“Interpersonal Communication in the Workplace: A largely unexplored region,” 2012). The business of “interpersonal communication is considered a moneymaker,” (“Interpersonal Communication in the Workplace: A largely unexplored region,” 2012, p.
451). There are training sessions that teach people how to be speak like a leader. There are motivational speakers such as Tony Robbins. Motivational speakers provide us with rules on how to deal with situations in our “personal and professional lives.” It is how people handle situations they are faced with throughout their life. According to Robles formulation, soft skills are a composite of interpersonal (people) skills and personal (career) attributes (“Interpersonal Communication in the Workplace: A largely unexplored region,” 2012, p. 451). Personal attributes refer to behavioral traits specific to a person. Interpersonal skills include traits when a person interacts with others. Both of these characteristics are important in
communication. According to, the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI), most protective services are resolved by voluntary compliance. Communication skills are one of the officer’s most important weapons on the street, (Cheesebro, O 'Connor, & Rios, 2010). These officers are provided with extensive training on firearms; however, most officers will not use their weapons frequently throughout their career. Unfortunately, very little time is placed on effective communication, (Cheesebro, O 'Connor, & Rios, 2010). Nurses must have effective communication skills. As a nurse, a person must be a good listener, provide good instructions, motivate patients, build relationships, exchange routine information and provide feedback, (Cheesebro, O 'Connor, & Rios, 2010). Effective communication uses the following skill set: a good listener, being able to provide feedback, accepting constructive criticism, build relationships with others, work well with a group of people, and motivate others. Incorporating these skills allows us to effectively communicate. According to, the Communicating About Health book, “communication is crucial to the success of health care encounters.” Du Pre (2005) stated, “Without it, caregivers cannot hear patients’ concerns, make diagnoses, share their recommendations or follow up on treatment outcomes.” In actuality, there is no difference in between effective communication and health care communication. It is important to possess all the tools whether when speaking to a friend, or a colleague. Being able to get a consumer to speak candidly is difficult at times. There must be some level of trust that a consumer must have in his or her health care provider. Once a relationship is established, and the trust is built; consumers are more likely to be open with their health care provider. Cultural differences play a huge part in communication. Not only with the choice of words that individuals uses but also the body language. In the book communicating in the Workplace, people of different cultures may prefer to stand closer or establish more eye contact than we find comfortable. There is also the issue of time. Other people may be more relaxed about time. There is also corporate culture, which is the way employees view their work environment. Depending on the company you work for, people may or may not feel comfortable approaching and speaking to their managers. It all depends on the environment created by the manager and the company environment. The culture that a corporation creates significantly influence individuals productivity, morale, and personal satisfaction, (Cheesebro, O 'Connor, & Rios, 2010). In conclusion, whether you are communicating with a colleague, a family member, or a health care provider, the same rules apply.
There will always be a sender/receiver, encoding/decoding process, a channel used to transport the message and feedback. The way communication is interpreted is dependent on the way the message is sent, how it is interpreted, the tone used, and the language used. We must all focus on all these to effectively communicate with each other. It will prevent misunderstandings or misinterpretations for us on a personal and professional level. Being able to speak clearly , and concisely is the key to effective
communicating.

References Cheesebro, T., O 'Connor, L., & Rios, F. (2010). Communicating in the Workplace . Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. du Pre, A. (2005). Communicating About Health: Current Issues and Perspectives (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Interpersonal Communication in the Workplace: A largely unexplored region. (2012, September). Business Communication Quarterly, 75(4), 449-452.