Ch. 13 Interpersonal and Collaborative Messages summary

Humans are social creatures, we spend 80% to 90% of our time interacting with others, and because of this reason interaction is the center of our personal and professional existence, states the author. Interpersonal communication is defined as verbal, nonverbal, and listening interaction between at least two people engaged in co-creation of a relationship. When two individuals interact, they send and receive verbal and nonverbal messages at the same time. Verbal messages convey content, and nonverbal messages imply status and emotional clues. A relationship is a dynamic system of interaction coordinated through communication between two or more people. Relationships are established through interpersonal interaction. Communication and relationships are interlaced. Communicators do affect on another through verbal and nonverbal behaviors, relationships do change due to the fact that people sometimes change. Business relationships are important because a positive relationship with co-workers, clients, and vendors could lead to increased productivity, better purchase and delivery of services, and greater customer satisfaction. Two types of relationships are, complementary relationships, and symmetrical relationships. A complementary relationship occurs when communicators engage in contrasting behavior in which one person controls and the other person relinquishes control. One person does most of the talking and the other person listens. A symmetrical relationship occurs when the communicators mirror each other’s behavior. Sometimes symmetrical relationships could degenerate into power struggles when the individuals compete for control. Relationships can be redesigned through the communicators engaging in dialogue about the unsettling aspects of the relationship, they can negotiate new rules and structure, changing the context, and changing reaction patterns. There are rules for business relationships. Communication rules are cultural because they are associated with norms that determine what behaviors are acceptable and which are not. The cultural rules for business groups are subdivided into three categories; interactive rules consist of participating in group discussions, taking turns in conversation, and not interrupting speakers. Standard rules relate to general conduct, such as punctuality and performance of required tasks. Role-related rules are connected to a given position or role. Broken rules may be overlooked sometimes or they may bring about negative responses. Nonverbal communication refers to body movements or vocal variations that communicate without words. This type of communication can happen continuously, it can happen unintentionally, and it is often more reliable than verbal communication. The author lists six types of nonverbal behavior. Kinesic behavior refers to body movements we use to communicate. Eye behavior refers to eye movements that communicate emotions, facilitate and regulate conversation, and monitor reactions. Paralanguage behavior involves vocal sounds other than words. Chronemics is the study of how people use and perceive time, proxemics is the study of how people use space and distance, and haptics involves touching behaviors. There are differences between the way men and women communicate nonverbally, such as women make eye contact more during conversations but they break contact earlier then men do. Men also use more gestures than women do, and women tend to have a tense posture while men usually have a relaxed one. A small group is composed of two or more interdependent people who are aware of their group membership and who communicate and accomplish common goals. In business groups and teams are need for a variety of purposes, such as planning, organizing, negotiating, and problem solving. The four C’s of effective small groups are, commitment, cohesion, collaboration, and conflict modification strategies. Agendas are guidelines for discussion topics and time frames for goal accomplishment during meetings. In a small group meeting, the leader is in charge of managing the collaborative process during meetings by creating agendas that include open dialogue and member participation. I work for a medical office with three doctors on staff, two sleep study technicians, four administrative assistants including me, a biller, and a manager. It is important for the staff to maintain a positive relationship because we are a small group of people. There are times when positive interpersonal communication failed and we got on each other’s nerves, things have gotten tense from time to time, but overall we try to work as harmoniously as possible with one another.