Interpersonal Skills
Module 2 - Communication Skills
Communication is a complex process by which the sender encodes the message with language and sends to the receiver through an appropriate medium. When the other person receives the message, the receiver will listen to decode and interpret the message with understanding and then responds effectively as a feedback.
However, it is not as easy as it seems. Below I will briefly explain about interpersonal communication before moving into communication roadblocks and reflecting skills from module 2, and looking into anger and handling conflict from module 4.
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication is vital in our lives for the development of positive relationships by sharing our thoughts, feelings and behaviors with the others. Humans interact to fulfill a variety of our needs; we all need to work with other people, to feel secure about ourselves—to feel wanted, respected, accepted and valued—to love and be loved, to express ourselves, and to discover our own world, the physical world and the social world. According to Maslow (1970), the third level in his famous hierarchy of needs is ‘Love and Belonging Needs’. He found that human beings are sociable and generally need relationships with others.
Effective communication enhances our efficiency at work, personal growth, maturity and health. It helps to establish and maintain close connection with our families, friends and colleagues. This makes us feel loved and less lonely, and helps us feel more positive about ourselves (DeVito, J., 1986, p.15).
In order to have an enriching communication, we must also be empathic towards others by putting ourselves in their shoes, as mentioned by Bolton (1987) “It is the ability to understand another person pretty much as he understands himself” (p. 270). Empathy is one of the important fundamentals in positive communication, by which it will help us to understand and accept another’s feelings, and respond to him / her
Communication is a complex process by which the sender encodes the message with language and sends to the receiver through an appropriate medium. When the other person receives the message, the receiver will listen to decode and interpret the message with understanding and then responds effectively as a feedback.
However, it is not as easy as it seems. Below I will briefly explain about interpersonal communication before moving into communication roadblocks and reflecting skills from module 2, and looking into anger and handling conflict from module 4.
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication is vital in our lives for the development of positive relationships by sharing our thoughts, feelings and behaviors with the others. Humans interact to fulfill a variety of our needs; we all need to work with other people, to feel secure about ourselves—to feel wanted, respected, accepted and valued—to love and be loved, to express ourselves, and to discover our own world, the physical world and the social world. According to Maslow (1970), the third level in his famous hierarchy of needs is ‘Love and Belonging Needs’. He found that human beings are sociable and generally need relationships with others.
Effective communication enhances our efficiency at work, personal growth, maturity and health. It helps to establish and maintain close connection with our families, friends and colleagues. This makes us feel loved and less lonely, and helps us feel more positive about ourselves (DeVito, J., 1986, p.15).
In order to have an enriching communication, we must also be empathic towards others by putting ourselves in their shoes, as mentioned by Bolton (1987) “It is the ability to understand another person pretty much as he understands himself” (p. 270). Empathy is one of the important fundamentals in positive communication, by which it will help us to understand and accept another’s feelings, and respond to him / her
References: Bolton, R. (1987). People skills: How to assert yourself, listen to others, and resolve conflicts. Brookvale, NSW: Simon & Schuster. DeVito, J. (1986). The interpersonal communication book. (4th Ed.). New York: Harper & Row Publishers. Maslow, A. (1970). Motivation and personality. New York: Harper & Row Publishers.