Interpersonal Communication

Introduction

Interpersonal communication occurs when two or more people engage in ongoing interactions, exchanging nurturing as well as functional messages. 

• Functional messages deal with managing day-to-day necessities and sharing information.  Nurturing messages indicate supportiveness. 
• Relationships develop in four stages.  They begin with first meetings, move to friendly relations, then to involved relationships, and finally to stable relationships. 
• Most workplace relationships remain at either the first or second stage.  Relational skills are interpersonal skills used to build and to maintain a good relationship with another person.  
• Four important relational skills are recognition, sharing personal information, active listening, and constructive criticism.  Recognizing message direction; managing humor, rumors, and gossipl and reading interpersonal culture are important interpersonal issues in the workplace. 
• Messages can travel in downward, upward, or horizontal directions.  Downward communication occurs when superiors send messages to subordinates.  Upward communication occurs when subordinates send messages to superiors.  Horizontal communication occurs between peers. 
• Appropriate humor in the workplace can create a sense of ease and belonging, but destructive gossip and rumors are inappropriate and irresponsible.  Every workplace has its own interpersonal style or personality.  Some workplaces are aggressively competitive; others are team-oriented and highly supportive; still others are impersonal and independence-oriented.