How to become an effective leader? Perhaps you may have to possess at least one of the attributes. In this paper, interpersonal communication would be discussed and elaborated.
Interpersonal communication has a great deal of definitions. It is defined as an interactive face-to-face process between two people, in which one’s personal characteristics, relationship with another and social status can be reflected (Hartley, 1993). However, on the other hand, some experts express interpersonal communication as a process, which gives everyone an equal opportunity to influence one another, under the situation that everyone endeavors to sway the others (Emmert, 1984).
From the above two definitions, we know that interpersonal communication requires the existence of two or more people in the same space while the social roles is not important in the process yet it can be delivered to others via the conversation. Besides that, the relationship between the deliverer and the receiver can be reflected through the way of expressing idea or even enhanced by dialogue. How is the concept of social roles permeated through the speech? For instance, when followers are speaking to their bosses, they will speak politely; they will mind their wording; and they will address him deferentially. From another aspect, when bosses are giving an order or admonishing subordinates, they will also speak in a courteous manner too to show their respect towards the subordinates whereas their intonation would be sometimes agitated. By listening to the intonation throughout the communication, the social roles of the recipient and the deliverer can be figured out.
There are also a massive number of theories regarding interpersonal communication and they are divided into three areas: individually centered theories, interaction centered theories and relationship centered theories (Bylund, Peterson and Cameron, 2012). They are Goals-Plans-Action Theory, Uncertainty Reduction Theory,