6 Different Styles Of Interpersonal Communication

Effective interpersonal communication helps us express ourselves and share our thoughts with the people around us.

 Have you ever seen a job advertisement where they required that applicants must possess “good communication and interpersonal skills”? I’m sure that like most people, you must have included this line in your CV, right? But let’s be honest here, most people don’t even have a clue what that skill entails. If they did, then employers would not continue to complain about the rampant failures at job interviews due to poor self expression by applicants. Are you one of most people who merely state it in their CVs just to fulfill all righteousness? How much do you really know about this thing called “interpersonal skills”? Read on to find out. Interpersonal communication is the process where a person expresses his thoughts, converts the thoughts into a well designed message and sends the message across a communication channel (oral, visual, written, etc) and the receiver receives the message and responds to the message and sends his reply back via the communication channel.

 Interpersonal communication can be a formal dialogue between two people at a workplace, or even an informal chat between two friends.Communication can occur with or without words and through a number of communication media.

 Here are the various channels of communication that can be used in interpersonal communication:

1. Oral Communication (face-to-face or on the phone)
2. Written Communication (emails, letters, instant messaging or Short Messaging Service)
3. Visual Communication (body language, gestures, or symbols)

Factors that Determine Communication Efficiency

[1] Clarity of Message

The way in which the sender presents a message plays an instrumental role in the success or failure of the communication process.
A message should be formulated taking into account the receiver’s frame of mind and simple message formulation that conveys the correct meaning.

[2] Communication Channel

Choose the right communication channel according to the situation and the receiver.
 For example think whether in a particular situation having a face-to-face conversation would be a better option instead of speaking on the phone, or writing an email. This is why you often hear words like, “No, this is not something we should talk about on phone. I’d rather wait till we see”.
 We all have at one point or another had to choose a particular channel of communication over its alternatives simply because of the type of message we wanted to pass. I know I have done so, many times. Haven’t you?

[3] Rapport between Sender and Receiver

If the sender and the receiver share a common background and have faced similar experiences, it increases the mutual understanding level and hence enhances the outcome of the communication process.
The development of rapport will depend on the educational background, social background, family upbringing and the kind of experiences the person has come across.

Styles of Interpersonal Communication, There are various styles of interpersonal communication, which are as follows:

[1] Controlling Style of Interpersonal Communication:

The controlling style is actually a style of interpersonal communication wherein the sender leaves little or no room for the receiver to provide feedback or reply. 

People who are generally senior in workplace hierarchy use it to communicate with their subordinates. That is the status-quo in the military. 

It is the idea behind the popular saying, “Soldier go, soldier come”. Fela’s popular song “Zombie” describes the unquestionable nature of military commands.

Although this style might prove to be an efficient form of communication during crisis situations, it can intimidate the receiver or the audience and can actually create a communication gap, which may prove counter-productive in the same crisis situation. 

Hence, because there is little room for feedback or reply, extreme clarity in the message is essential in order to prevent misunderstandings.

[2] Egalitarian Style of Interpersonal Communication:

The Egalitarian style of interpersonal communication is much more efficient than the controlling style above since it facilitates healthy two-way communication wherein information is shared mutually. 

This style of communication encourages the participants to express their ideas and hence creates a co-operative and healthy atmosphere.

[3] Structuring Style of Interpersonal Communication:

The structuring style of interpersonal communication is generally used to communicate specific goals and bring co-ordination to an organization.
 To avoid making this a one-way conversation it is always better to modify this style and keep it more open to responses from the audience.

[4] Dynamic Style of Interpersonal Communication:

This is style of interpersonal communication is a high-energy approach which involves use of motivating words and phrases to encourage the person to get inspired and achieve a certain goal.
However this style cannot function when the receiver does not have enough knowledge about the required action desired out of him/her.
In other words, no matter how sensational and motivational your speech may be, you cannot move a mechanical engineer to represent you as your attorney in a court of law.
It won’t work. He just doesn’t have it (unless, of course, he is also a trained lawyer).

[5] Relinquishing Style of Interpersonal Communication:

The relinquishing style of interpersonal communication is highly open for ideas to the extent that it can transfer the responsibility of the communication to the receiver.
This style of communication works well when the sender and the receiver are equally interested in carrying the conversation ahead.
 It is common among senior officers of an organization or business who together contribute ideas to the running the establishment.

The head of the organization would speak to his “junior” colleague (who is actually a senior officer in the organization as a whole) like they were equals.
 Ever heard a Chairman discussing with a Director of a company? They talk at a somewhat “higher level” than they would if either of them were talking to someone much lower down the ranks in the organization.

So, an idea from the Chairman could easily be taken up by the Director, who is at liberty to make sound modifications of his own—contributing his own ideas.
 But when this “finished” idea is to be passed down to the junior workers (in an internal memo, for example), what started out as a Relinquishing Style now reaches the workers either as a Controlling Style or as a Structured Style interpersonal communication—little or no room for any further inputs.

[6] Withdrawal Style of Interpersonal Communication:

It is ironic to call this process a style of interpersonal communication since the withdrawal style is basically the failure or lack of communication.
 This is a style of interpersonal communication in which the person shows complete disinterest to participate in the communication process or carry it forward.

Sometimes, people do this deliberately when they wish to cause a break-down in interpersonal relationship between themselves and someone else—it could be malice. 

At other times, people do it with good intentions (thinking their trying to build good relationships) only to end up ruining whatever that was left of the “relationship” due to ignorance of tactics.

 It’s like taking the wrong medication for an ailment. It could be deliberate—suicidal at times—or it could be plain ignorance on the part of the one involved.

Interpersonal communication is the process by which we express our feelings, ideas and thoughts and share them with the people around us.
 Efficient interpersonal communication is a very good quality that helps people in every aspect of life be it personal or professional.

“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world, and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others”. ~ Anthony Robbins

In the end, no one is an island. Have a nice day.

10 Important And Very Helpful Speech Writing Tips

Speaking is one of the most powerful tools of mass communication and very helpful in case one has to communicate with a large audience. A speech is prepared according to the audience and their language. 

Speeches used to be spontaneous but the modern day speeches are well planned and there are speech writing tips that can make a lot of difference to the quality of a speech. Public speaking is about delivering the thoughts of the speakers to the audience effectively.

  A speech well written and prepared in advance can help a person to face the audience with confidence.

  Here are ten speech writing tips to help out.

[1] Primary Objective:

A speech writer should present and emphasis on the primary objective of the speech. A speech written with too many ideas will divert the intention of the speaker and confuse the audience.
 Normally, focus on three or four ideas only and build your speech on these. Better to hit three strong points properly than to attempt to make ten but end up poorly tackling them.

[2] Speech Structure:

A good speech should be written in a structured manner to present the audience with the ideas in a 'query and solution' form. A speech can be segregated into Opening, Body and Conclusion.

 

[3] Content:

A good speech should have a good quality in the right quantity. An excessive content written in an uninteresting manner will dilute the idea of the speech and make the speech ineffective. Be prudent with your write-up; make every sentence count. Avoid using too many words to describe something you could quite easily describe with fewer words without loss of meaning — unless you deliberately mean to do so for reasons best known to you.

[4] Target Audience:

The speech writer should consider the type of audience for whom the speech is intended. The language of the speech or the medium should be easily understandable and comfortable to the target audience. Depending on the topic, you would not speak to teenagers and youths the way you’d speak to parents or middle-aged people. Both groups could potentially interpret your message in very different ways.

[5] Facts:

A good speech should have multiple numbers of facts to validate the speech. Relevant facts related to the subject should be used in the speech as without facts a speech, however good it may be, will be invalid. Do not quote incorrect figures. One misquoted date, for example can harm the authenticity of your presentation and ultimately harm your own integrity and reputation. Always cross-check facts and figures properly. Use reliable sources.

[6] Emotional Quotient:

A good speech writer can add an emotional touch to the speech by using personal stories, examples and even some metaphors. A human touch to the problems is useful in presenting the speech.

Depending on the type of speech and occasion, you might want to weigh the appropriateness of emotion in the speech. Read this article on the four types of public speaking for more about this.

[7] Strong Opening and Closing:

A strong opening will make an effective and strong impression and a good closing a useful reminder. First impression is very effective as it has a lasting impression on the audience. A good closing, with a strong call to act, can help in reinforcing and imprinting the idea of the speech in their memories.

[8] Written Handout:

A printed handout with details of the speech can be provided to the audience after the speech is over. A printed handout will be a written reminder and will make the audience more receptive to the speaker. If you plan to hand out printed scripts of your speech or presentation, it is advisable you inform your audience before the speech. This will allow focus on your presentation rather than struggling to jot down bits of information from your presentation as you speak. This normally divides audiences’ attention.

[9] Simple and Short Language:

A good speech with short and simple words to express the idea without the use of jargons will make it easier on the audience to grasp the idea. Simple words and simple language will make the speech much clearer to the audience making it easier in retaining the speech.  Don’t try to be a Soyinka or a Shakespeare. Why use a 15-syllable Latin word where a 2-syllable English word could do just fine? Don’t confuse your own audience!

[10] Evaluate the Speech:

A good speech can be improved by taping and listening to the speech, before presenting it to the audience. The writer can make improvements in the speech with the feed backs to bring perfection. As the eminent poet Robert Frost observed: "Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it." – Robert Frost.  Speech writing tips like these can help a speaker without creative writing skills to still prepare a decent speech and, hopefully, eliminate much of the shortcomings most speakers have in expressing their ideas effectively.