interpersonal communication plan assignment

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6.1 Principles of Interpersonal Communication

Learning objectives.

• Define interpersonal communication.
• Discuss the functional aspects of interpersonal communication.
• Discuss the cultural aspects of interpersonal communication.

In order to understand interpersonal communication, we must understand how interpersonal communication functions to meet our needs and goals and how our interpersonal communication connects to larger social and cultural systems. Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging messages between people whose lives mutually influence one another in unique ways in relation to social and cultural norms. This definition highlights the fact that interpersonal communication involves two or more people who are interdependent to some degree and who build a unique bond based on the larger social and cultural contexts to which they belong. So a brief exchange with a grocery store clerk who you don’t know wouldn’t be considered interpersonal communication, because you and the clerk are not influencing each other in significant ways. Obviously, if the clerk were a friend, family member, coworker, or romantic partner, the communication would fall into the interpersonal category. In this section, we discuss the importance of studying interpersonal communication and explore its functional and cultural aspects.

Why Study Interpersonal Communication?

Interpersonal communication has many implications for us in the real world. Did you know that interpersonal communication played an important role in human evolution? Early humans who lived in groups, rather than alone, were more likely to survive, which meant that those with the capability to develop interpersonal bonds were more likely to pass these traits on to the next generation (Leary, 2001). Did you know that interpersonal skills have a measurable impact on psychological and physical health? People with higher levels of interpersonal communication skills are better able to adapt to stress, have greater satisfaction in relationships and more friends, and have less depression and anxiety (Hargie, 2011). In fact, prolonged isolation has been shown to severely damage a human (Williams & Zadro, 2001). Have you ever heard of the boy or girl who was raised by wolves? There have been documented cases of abandoned or neglected children, sometimes referred to as feral children, who survived using their animalistic instincts but suffered psychological and physical trauma as a result of their isolation (Candland, 1995). There are also examples of solitary confinement, which has become an ethical issue in many countries. In “supermax” prisons, which now operate in at least forty-four states, prisoners spend 22.5 to 24 hours a day in their cells and have no contact with the outside world or other prisoners (Shalev, 2011).

Solitary confinement is common in supermax prisons, where prisoners spend 22.5 to 24 hours a day in their cells.

Jmiller291 – Solitary Confinement, Old Geelong Gaol 7 – CC BY 2.0.

Aside from making your relationships and health better, interpersonal communication skills are highly sought after by potential employers, consistently ranking in the top ten in national surveys (National Association of Colleges and Employers, 2010). Each of these examples illustrates how interpersonal communication meets our basic needs as humans for security in our social bonds, health, and careers. But we are not born with all the interpersonal communication skills we’ll need in life. So in order to make the most out of our interpersonal relationships, we must learn some basic principles.

Think about a time when a short communication exchange affected a relationship almost immediately. Did you mean for it to happen? Many times we engage in interpersonal communication to fulfill certain goals we may have, but sometimes we are more successful than others. This is because interpersonal communication is strategic, meaning we intentionally create messages to achieve certain goals that help us function in society and our relationships. Goals vary based on the situation and the communicators, but ask yourself if you are generally successful at achieving the goals with which you enter a conversation or not. If so, you may already possess a high degree of interpersonal communication competence , or the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in personal relationships. This chapter will help you understand some key processes that can make us more effective and appropriate communicators. You may be asking, “Aren’t effectiveness and appropriateness the same thing?” The answer is no. Imagine that you are the manager of a small department of employees at a marketing agency where you often have to work on deadlines. As a deadline approaches, you worry about your team’s ability to work without your supervision to complete the tasks, so you interrupt everyone’s work and assign them all individual tasks and give them a bulleted list of each subtask with a deadline to turn each part in to you. You meet the deadline and have effectively accomplished your goal. Over the next month, one of your employees puts in her two-weeks’ notice, and you learn that she and a few others have been talking about how they struggle to work with you as a manager. Although your strategy was effective, many people do not respond well to strict hierarchy or micromanaging and may have deemed your communication inappropriate. A more competent communicator could have implemented the same detailed plan to accomplish the task in a manner that included feedback, making the employees feel more included and heard. In order to be competent interpersonal communicators, we must learn to balance being effective and appropriate.

Functional Aspects of Interpersonal Communication

We have different needs that are met through our various relationships. Whether we are aware of it or not, we often ask ourselves, “What can this relationship do for me?” In order to understand how relationships achieve strategic functions, we will look at instrumental goals, relationship-maintenance goals, and self-presentation goals.

What motivates you to communicate with someone? We frequently engage in communication designed to achieve instrumental goals such as gaining compliance (getting someone to do something for us), getting information we need, or asking for support (Burleson, Metts, & Kirch, 2000). In short, instrumental talk helps us “get things done” in our relationships. Our instrumental goals can be long term or day to day. The following are examples of communicating for instrumental goals:

• You ask your friend to help you move this weekend (gaining/resisting compliance).
• You ask your coworker to remind you how to balance your cash register till at the end of your shift (requesting or presenting information).
• You console your roommate after he loses his job (asking for or giving support).

When we communicate to achieve relational goals, we are striving to maintain a positive relationship. Engaging in relationship-maintenance communication is like taking your car to be serviced at the repair shop. To have a good relationship, just as to have a long-lasting car, we should engage in routine maintenance. For example, have you ever wanted to stay in and order a pizza and watch a movie, but your friend suggests that you go to a local restaurant and then to the theatre? Maybe you don’t feel like being around a lot of people or spending money (or changing out of your pajamas), but you decide to go along with his or her suggestion. In that moment, you are putting your relational partner’s needs above your own, which will likely make him or her feel valued. It is likely that your friend has made or will also make similar concessions to put your needs first, which indicates that there is a satisfactory and complimentary relationship. Obviously, if one partner always insists on having his or her way or always concedes, becoming the martyr, the individuals are not exhibiting interpersonal-communication competence. Other routine relational tasks include celebrating special occasions or honoring accomplishments, spending time together, and checking in regularly by phone, e-mail, text, social media, or face-to-face communication. The following are examples of communicating for relational goals:

• You organize an office party for a coworker who has just become a US citizen (celebrating/honoring accomplishments).
• You make breakfast with your mom while you are home visiting (spending time together).
• You post a message on your long-distance friend’s Facebook wall saying you miss him (checking in).

Gathering to celebrate a colleague’s birthday is a good way for coworkers to achieve relational goals in the workplace.

Twingly – Happy b-day – CC BY 2.0.

Another form of relational talk that I have found very useful is what I call the DTR talk , which stands for “defining-the-relationship talk” and serves a relationship-maintenance function. In the early stages of a romantic relationship, you may have a DTR talk to reduce uncertainty about where you stand by deciding to use the term boyfriend , girlfriend , or partner . In a DTR talk, you may proactively define your relationship by saying, “I’m glad I’m with you and no one else.” Your romantic interest may respond favorably, echoing or rephrasing your statement, which gives you an indication that he or she agrees with you. The talk may continue on from there, and you may talk about what to call your relationship, set boundaries, or not. It is not unusual to have several DTR talks as a relationship progresses. At times, you may have to define the relationship when someone steps over a line by saying, “I think we should just be friends.” This more explicit and reactive (rather than proactive) communication can be especially useful in situations where a relationship may be unethical, inappropriate, or create a conflict of interest—for example, in a supervisor-supervisee, mentor-mentee, professional-client, or collegial relationship.

We also pursue self-presentation goals by adapting our communication in order to be perceived in particular ways. Just as many companies, celebrities, and politicians create a public image, we desire to present different faces in different contexts. The well-known scholar Erving Goffman compared self-presentation to a performance and suggested we all perform different roles in different contexts (Goffman, 1959). Indeed, competent communicators can successfully manage how others perceive them by adapting to situations and contexts. A parent may perform the role of stern head of household, supportive shoulder to cry on, or hip and culturally aware friend to his or her child. A newly hired employee may initially perform the role of serious and agreeable coworker. Sometimes people engage in communication that doesn’t necessarily present them in a positive way. For example, Haley, the oldest daughter in the television show Modern Family , often presents herself as incapable in order to get her parents to do her work. In one episode she pretended she didn’t know how to crack open an egg so her mom Claire would make the brownies for her school bake sale. Here are some other examples of communicating to meet self-presentation goals:

• As your boss complains about struggling to format the company newsletter, you tell her about your experience with Microsoft Word and editing and offer to look over the newsletter once she’s done to fix the formatting (presenting yourself as competent).
• You and your new college roommate stand in your dorm room full of boxes. You let him choose which side of the room he wants and then invite him to eat lunch with you (presenting yourself as friendly).
• You say, “I don’t know,” in response to a professor’s question even though you have an idea of the answer (presenting yourself as aloof, or “too cool for school”).

“Getting Real”

Image Consultants

The Association of Image Consultants International (AICI) states that appearance, behavior, and communication are the “ABC’s of image.” Many professional image consultants are licensed by this organization and provide a variety of services to politicians, actors, corporate trainers, public speakers, organizations, corporations, and television personalities such as news anchors. [1] Visit the AICI’s website ( http://www.aici.org/About_Image_Consulting/Image_Consulting.htm ) and read about image consulting, including the “How to Choose,” “How to Become,” and “FAQs” sections. Then consider the following questions:

• If you were to hire an image consultant for yourself, what would you have them “work on” for you? Why?
• What communication skills that you’ve learned about in the book so far would be most important for an image consultant to possess?
• Many politicians use image consultants to help them connect to voters and win elections. Do you think this is ethical? Why or why not?

As if managing instrumental, relational, and self-presentation goals isn’t difficult enough when we consider them individually, we must also realize that the three goal types are always working together. In some situations we may privilege instrumental goals over relational or self-presentation goals. For example, if your partner is offered a great job in another state and you decided to go with him or her, which will move you away from your job and social circle, you would be focusing on relational goals over instrumental or self-presentation goals. When you’re facing a stressful situation and need your best friend’s help and call saying, “Hurry and bring me a gallon of gas or I’m going to be late to work!” you are privileging instrumental goals over relational goals. Of course, if the person really is your best friend, you can try to smooth things over or make up for your shortness later. However, you probably wouldn’t call your boss and bark a request to bring you a gallon of gas so you can get to work, because you likely want your boss to see you as dependable and likable, meaning you have focused on self-presentation goals.

The functional perspective of interpersonal communication indicates that we communicate to achieve certain goals in our relationships. We get things done in our relationships by communicating for instrumental goals. We maintain positive relationships through relational goals. We also strategically present ourselves in order to be perceived in particular ways. As our goals are met and our relationships build, they become little worlds we inhabit with our relational partners, complete with their own relationship cultures.

Cultural Aspects of Interpersonal Communication

Aside from functional aspects of interpersonal communication, communicating in relationships also helps establish relationship cultures. Just as large groups of people create cultures through shared symbols (language), values, and rituals, people in relationships also create cultures at a smaller level. Relationship cultures are the climates established through interpersonal communication that are unique to the relational partners but based on larger cultural and social norms. We also enter into new relationships with expectations based on the schemata we have developed in previous relationships and learned from our larger society and culture. Think of relationship schemata as blueprints or plans that show the inner workings of a relationship. Just like a schematic or diagram for assembling a new computer desk helps you put it together, relationship schemata guide us in how we believe our interpersonal relationships should work and how to create them. So from our life experiences in our larger cultures, we bring building blocks, or expectations, into our relationships, which fundamentally connect our relationships to the outside world (Burleson, Metts, & Kirch, 2000). Even though we experience our relationships as unique, they are at least partially built on preexisting cultural norms.

Some additional communicative acts that create our relational cultures include relational storytelling, personal idioms, routines and rituals, and rules and norms. Storytelling is an important part of how we create culture in larger contexts and how we create a uniting and meaningful storyline for our relationships. In fact, an anthropologist coined the term homo narrans to describe the unique storytelling capability of modern humans (Fisher, 1985). We often rely on relationship storytelling to create a sense of stability in the face of change, test the compatibility of potential new relational partners, or create or maintain solidarity in established relationships. Think of how you use storytelling among your friends, family, coworkers, and other relational partners. If you recently moved to a new place for college, you probably experienced some big changes. One of the first things you started to do was reestablish a social network—remember, human beings are fundamentally social creatures. As you began to encounter new people in your classes, at your new job, or in your new housing, you most likely told some stories of your life before—about your friends, job, or teachers back home. One of the functions of this type of storytelling, early in forming interpersonal bonds, is a test to see if the people you are meeting have similar stories or can relate to your previous relationship cultures. In short, you are testing the compatibility of your schemata with the new people you encounter. Although storytelling will continue to play a part in your relational development with these new people, you may be surprised at how quickly you start telling stories with your new friends about things that have happened since you met. You may recount stories about your first trip to the dance club together, the weird geology professor you had together, or the time you all got sick from eating the cafeteria food. In short, your old stories will start to give way to new stories that you’ve created. Storytelling within relationships helps create solidarity, or a sense of belonging and closeness. This type of storytelling can be especially meaningful for relationships that don’t fall into the dominant culture. For example, research on a gay male friendship circle found that the gay men retold certain dramatic stories frequently to create a sense of belonging and to also bring in new members to the group (Jones Jr., 2007).

We also create personal idioms in our relationships (Bell & Healey, 1992). If you’ve ever studied foreign languages, you know that idiomatic expressions like “I’m under the weather today” are basically nonsense when translated. For example, the equivalent of this expression in French translates to “I’m not in my plate today.” When you think about it, it doesn’t make sense to use either expression to communicate that you’re sick, but the meaning would not be lost on English or French speakers, because they can decode their respective idiom. This is also true of idioms we create in our interpersonal relationships. Just as idioms are unique to individual cultures and languages, personal idioms are unique to certain relationships, and they create a sense of belonging due to the inside meaning shared by the relational partners. In romantic relationships, for example, it is common for individuals to create nicknames for each other that may not directly translate for someone who overhears them. You and your partner may find that calling each other “booger” is sweet, while others may think it’s gross. Researchers have found that personal idioms are commonly used in the following categories: activities, labels for others, requests, and sexual references (Bell & Healey, 1992). The recent cultural phenomenon Jersey Shore on MTV has given us plenty of examples of personal idioms created by the friends on the show. GTL is an activity idiom that stands for “gym, tan, laundry”—a common routine for the cast of the show. There are many examples of idioms labeling others, including grenade for an unattractive female, gorilla juice head for a very muscular man, and backpack for a clingy boyfriend/girlfriend or a clingy person at a club. There are also many idioms for sexual references, such as smush , meaning to hook up / have sex, and smush room , which is the room set aside for these activities (Benigno, 2010). Idioms help create cohesiveness, or solidarity in relationships, because they are shared cues between cultural insiders. They also communicate the uniqueness of the relationship and create boundaries, since meaning is only shared within the relationship.

Routines and rituals help form relational cultures through their natural development in repeated or habitual interaction (Burleson, Metts, & Kirch, 2000). While “routine” may connote boring in some situations, relationship routines are communicative acts that create a sense of predictability in a relationship that is comforting. Some communicative routines may develop around occasions or conversational topics.

For example, it is common for long-distance friends or relatives to schedule a recurring phone conversation or for couples to review the day’s events over dinner. When I studied abroad in Sweden, my parents and I talked on the phone at the same time every Sunday, which established a comfortable routine for us. Other routines develop around entire conversational episodes. For example, two best friends recounting their favorite spring-break story may seamlessly switch from one speaker to the other, finish each other’s sentences, speak in unison, or gesture simultaneously because they have told the story so many times. Relationship rituals take on more symbolic meaning than do relationship routines and may be variations on widely recognized events—such as birthdays, anniversaries, Passover, Christmas, or Thanksgiving—or highly individualized and original. Relational partners may personalize their traditions by eating mussels and playing Yahtzee on Christmas Eve or going hiking on their anniversary. Other rituals may be more unique to the relationship, such as celebrating a dog’s birthday or going to opening day at the amusement park. The following highly idiosyncratic ritual was reported by a participant in a research study:

I would check my husband’s belly button for fuzz on a daily basis at bedtime. It originated when I noticed some blanket fuzz in his belly button one day and thought it was funny…We both found it funny and teased often about the fuzz. If there wasn’t any fuzz for a few days my husband would put some in his belly button for me to find. It’s been happening for about 10 years now (Bruess & Pearson, 1997).

A couple may share a relationship routine of making dinner together every Saturday night.

Free Stock Photos – Cooking – public domain.

Whether the routines and rituals involve phone calls, eating certain foods, or digging for belly button fuzz, they all serve important roles in building relational cultures. However, as with storytelling, rituals and routines can be negative. For example, verbal and nonverbal patterns to berate or belittle your relational partner will not have healthy effects on a relational culture. Additionally, visiting your in-laws during the holidays loses its symbolic value when you dislike them and comply with the ritual because you feel like you have to. In this case, the ritual doesn’t enrich the relational culture, but it may reinforce norms or rules that have been created in the relationship.

Relationship rules and norms help with the daily function of the relationship. They help create structure and provide boundaries for interacting in the relationship and for interacting with larger social networks (Burleson, Metts, & Kirch, 2000). Relationship rules are explicitly communicated guidelines for what should and should not be done in certain contexts. A couple could create a rule to always confer with each other before letting their child spend the night somewhere else. If a mother lets her son sleep over at a friend’s house without consulting her partner, a more serious conflict could result. Relationship norms are similar to routines and rituals in that they develop naturally in a relationship and generally conform to or are adapted from what is expected and acceptable in the larger culture or society. For example, it may be a norm that you and your coworkers do not “talk shop” at your Friday happy-hour gathering. So when someone brings up work at the gathering, his coworkers may remind him that there’s no shop talk, and the consequences may not be that serious. In regards to topic of conversation, norms often guide expectations of what subjects are appropriate within various relationships. Do you talk to your boss about your personal finances? Do you talk to your father about your sexual activity? Do you tell your classmates about your medical history? In general, there are no rules that say you can’t discuss any of these topics with anyone you choose, but relational norms usually lead people to answer “no” to the questions above. Violating relationship norms and rules can negatively affect a relationship, but in general, rule violations can lead to more direct conflict, while norm violations can lead to awkward social interactions. Developing your interpersonal communication competence will help you assess your communication in relation to the many rules and norms you will encounter.

Key Takeaways

• Getting integrated: Interpersonal communication occurs between two or more people whose lives are interdependent and mutually influence one another. These relationships occur in academic, professional, personal, and civic contexts, and improving our interpersonal communication competence can also improve our physical and psychological health, enhance our relationships, and make us more successful in our careers.

There are functional aspects of interpersonal communication.

• We “get things done” in our relationships by communicating for instrumental goals such as getting someone to do something for us, requesting or presenting information, and asking for or giving support.
• We maintain our relationships by communicating for relational goals such as putting your relational partner’s needs before your own, celebrating accomplishments, spending time together, and checking in.
• We strategically project ourselves to be perceived in particular ways by communicating for self-presentation goals such as appearing competent or friendly.

There are cultural aspects of interpersonal communication.

• We create relationship cultures based on the relationship schemata we develop through our interactions with our larger society and culture.
• We engage in relationship storytelling to create a sense of stability in the face of change, to test our compatibility with potential relational partners, and to create a sense of solidarity and belonging in established relationships.
• We create personal idioms such as nicknames that are unique to our particular relationship and are unfamiliar to outsiders to create cohesiveness and solidarity.
• We establish relationship routines and rituals to help establish our relational culture and bring a sense of comfort and predictability to our relationships.
• Getting integrated: In what ways might interpersonal communication competence vary among academic, professional, and civic contexts? What competence skills might be more or less important in one context than in another?
• Recount a time when you had a DTR talk. At what stage in the relationship was the talk? What motivated you or the other person to initiate the talk? What was the result of the talk?
• Pick an important relationship and describe its relationship culture. When the relationship started, what relationship schemata guided your expectations? Describe a relationship story that you tell with this person or about this person. What personal idioms do you use? What routines and rituals do you observe? What norms and rules do you follow?

Bell, R. A. and J. G. Healey, “Idiomatic Communication and Interpersonal Solidarity in Friends’ Relational Cultures,” Human Communication Research 18 (1992): 307–35.

Benigno, A., “Jersey Shore Glossary: This Dictionary of Terms Will Get You (Fist) Pumped for Season Two,” N.Y. Daily News , July 28, 2010, http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-07-28/entertainment/27071281_1_jersey-shore-fist-pump-snooki .

Bruess, C. J. S. and Judy C. Pearson, “Interpersonal Rituals in Marriage and Adult Friendship,” Communication Monographs 64, no. 1 (1997): 35.

Burleson, B. R., Sandra Metts, and Michael W. Kirch, “Communication in Close Relationships,” in Close Relationships: A Sourcebook , eds. Clyde Hendrick and Susan S. Hendrick (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2000), 247.

Candland, D. K., Feral Children and Clever Animals: Reflections on Human Nature (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995).

Fisher, W. R., “Narration as Human Communication Paradigm: The Case of Public Moral Argument,” Communication Monographs 51, no. 1 (1985): 1–22.

Goffman, E., The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (New York: Anchor Books, 1959).

Hargie, O., Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice (London: Routledge, 2011), 2.

Jones Jr., R. G., “Drag Queens, Drama Queens, and Friends: Drama and Performance as a Solidarity Building Function in a Gay Male Friendship Circle,” Kaleidoscope: A Graduate Journal of Qualitative Communication Research 6, no. 1 (2007): 61–84.

Leary, M. R., “Toward a Conceptualization of Interpersonal Rejection,” in Interpersonal Rejection , ed. Mark R. Leary (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001), 3–20.

National Association of Colleges and Employers, Job Outlook 2011 (2010): 25.

Shalev, S., “Solitary Confinement and Supermax Prisons: A Human Rights and Ethical Analysis,” Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice 11, no. 2 (2011): 151.

Williams, K. D. and Lisa Zadro, “Ostracism: On Being Ignored, Excluded, and Rejected,” in Interpersonal Rejection , ed. Mark R. Leary (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001), 21–54.

• “About Image Consulting,” Association of Image Consultants International webpage, accessed June 3, 2011, http://www.aici.org/About_Image_Consulting/Image_Consulting.htm . ↵

Communication in the Real World Copyright © 2016 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Interpersonal Effectiveness: 9 Worksheets & Examples (+ PDF)

There is a myriad of skills that can be added to our repertoire, enhanced, and improved.

There are thousands of courses, millions of books and articles, and countless tips and suggestions to improve our lives by cultivating a certain skill or set of skills.

But which one is most important?

There may not be a definitive answer to that question, but I think one of the most common answers would be: communication (or interpersonal) skills.

It is simply a fact of life that we will encounter thousands, even tens of thousands, of people in our lifetime. While we don’t need to make a good impression on each individual we meet (which would be an impossible task anyway), we do need to at least get along with others well enough to get by.

This is especially true for those of us struggling with a mental disorder like depression, anxiety, or Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). It can be doubly difficult for people with these obstacles to effectively interact with others.

Fortunately, there are ways to enhance your interpersonal effectiveness. Whether you are a successful public speaker or an introverted loner, there are resources and activities that can help you improve your communication skills and enhance your quality of life.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Relationships Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients build healthy, life-enriching relationships.

This Article Contains:

What is the definition of interpersonal effectiveness, interpersonal effectiveness & dialectical behavioral therapy, the importance of developing your interpersonal effectiveness skills, 6 games & activities (for groups) to develop effective interpersonal skills, 3 ways to improve your interpersonal effectiveness in the workplace, a take-home message.

Interpersonal effectiveness, at its most basic, refers to the ability to interact with others. It includes skills we use to (Vivyan, 2015):

• Attend to relationships
• Balance priorities versus demands
• Balance the “wants” and the “shoulds”
• Build a sense of mastery and self-respect

Our ability to interact with others can be broken by the goal we have in mind for our interactions. There are three main goals to interaction:

• Gaining our objective
• Maintaining our relationships
• Keeping our self-respect

Each goal requires interpersonal skills; while some interpersonal skills will be applied in many situations, some skills will be especially important for achieving one of these goals.

When we are working towards gaining our objective, we need skills that involve clarifying what we want from the interaction, and identifying what we need to do in order to get the results we want.

When maintaining our relationships is our first priority, we need to understand how important the particular relationship is to us, how we want the person to feel about us, and what we need to do in order to keep the relationship going.

Finally, when our goal is to keep our self-respect, we will use interpersonal skills to help us feel the way we would like to feel after the interaction is over and to stick to our values and to the truth (Vivyan, 2015).

In fact, it’s the second core skills module in classic DBT, with tons of materials and resources dedicated to improving the client’s interpersonal skills.

You might be wondering why interpersonal effectiveness is so important that it warrants an entire module in one of the most popular forms of therapy. Sure, communication is important, but does it really require this much time and effort? Why?

DBT’s take is that these skills are so important because the way we communicate with others has a huge impact on the quality of our relationships with others and the outcomes of our interactions with others (Linehan, 2015). In turn, the quality of our relationships and the outcomes of our interactions have a significant influence on our wellbeing , our sense of self-esteem and self-confidence , and our very understanding of who we are.

While there are many skills related to communication and interaction with others, DBT focuses on two main components:

• The ability to ask for things that you want or need
• The ability to say no to requests, when appropriate

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These detailed, science-based exercises will equip you or your clients to build healthy, life-enriching relationships.

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By now, you have surely recognized the importance of having good, or at least adequate, communication and interaction skills. However, you may be thinking that if you have the skills to communicate with others at a minimum level of effectiveness, you’re set! Why bother working on skills you already have?

Like any set of complex skills, there will never be a point at which you have completely mastered them. Even the best motivational speakers and public relations experts are not perfect communicators. There is always room for improvement!

Research has provided evidence that improving these interpersonal skills leads to positive outcomes, especially for clients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). For example, DBT skill utilization has been shown to improve BPD symptoms overall, reduce affective instability, and improve the client’s relationship capabilities (Stepp, Epler, Jahng, & Trull, 2008).

The ultimate guide to expert interpersonal skills – Science of People

While there are many worksheets and individual exercises you can engage in to build your interpersonal skills, they are not always the most effective way to do this.

It’s no surprise that the best way to improve your interactions with others is to practice interacting with others!

Not only are group activities generally more effective in improving interpersonal skills, they are often more fun. Below, we’ve listed and described 5 fun games and activities that you can practice to improve your interpersonal effectiveness (as well as one handout you can use to assess your interpersonal skills).

Skills Assessment Handout

Before trying to improve your interpersonal communication skills, it is a good idea to find out where you currently are with each one. The assessment on page 3 of this handout can help.

On this page, you will find 29 skills, such as:

• Introducing yourself
• Listening – taking in what people say
• Listening – showing interest in people
• Responding to praise
• Responding to negative feedback
• Self-disclosure as appropriate

For each skill, you are instructed to rate yourself on a scale from 1 to 5, according to the following rubric:

• 1 – I am very poor at that skill
• 2 – I am poor
• 3 – I am sometimes good
• 4 – I am usually good
• 5 – I am always good

You can take the average of your ratings to give yourself an overall “interpersonal effectiveness” skill rating, but the individual ratings are valuable by themselves.

If you are looking to enhance your communication skills, make sure to establish a baseline first. If you have a baseline to compare back to, it is much easier to notice improvements!

Try Not To Listen Activity

In this fun and potentially eye-opening activity, group members will get a chance to put their acting chops to the test.

The group should be broken into pairs for this activity. In each pair, one individual should be designated to speak first while the other “listens,” before switching roles.

The first speaker (Partner A) is instructed to talk for two minutes straight, about any subject they’d like to talk about. While Partner A is speaking, Partner B’s job is to make it crystal clear that he or she is not listening to Partner A at all.

Partner B cannot say anything, instead relying on body language to communicate their message to Partner A.

Once Partner A’s two minutes of speaking time is up, Partner B gets two minutes to talk while Partner A “listens.”

The group will likely find that it is extremely hard to keep talking when their partner is so clearly not listening! This is an important lesson from the activity: that body language plays a vital role in communication, and listeners have a significant influence over how the interaction goes in addition to those speaking.

Once all group members have taken their turn both speaking and “listening,” each individual should write down their immediate reactions to having a speaking partner that is clearly not listening.

They will probably come up with feelings like:

• I felt frustrated.
• I was angry.
• I felt that I wasn’t important.
• I felt like what I was saying must be boring.
• I couldn’t keep talking.
• I felt insignificant and unimportant.

Next, group members should note the behaviors that their partner was exhibiting to show that they weren’t listening, behaviors like:

• Facing away, with head bent toward the floor or turned to the side
• Avoiding eye contact
• Looking at the floor/ceiling
• Folded arms/crossed legs
• Blank or bored expression
• Yawning, whistling, scratching or other activity incompatible with active listening
• Preoccupation (with looking at one’s surroundings, one’s phone, etc.)
• No interaction at all

While this exercise is clearly an exaggeration of what it is like to talk to someone who isn’t listening, this can help those who are not very observant or limited in their social skills to monitor their own behavior when interacting with others.

It’s easy to decide to practice active listening in your interactions, but it’s harder to keep all of the target behaviors (and all of the decidedly non-target behaviors) in mind. Practicing this exercise will help participants identify and remember the behaviors that make a person a good listener .

You can find this exercise on page 4 of the handout mentioned above ( Interpersonal Skills Exercises ).

Sabotage Exercise

This is another fun exercise that incorporates poor interpersonal behaviors in order to highlight what the good interpersonal behaviors are.

This exercise should be undertaken in a fairly large group, large enough to break into at least two or three groups of four to five individuals.

Instruct each group to take about 10 minutes to brainstorm, discuss, and list all the ways they can think of to sabotage a group assignment. Anything they can think of is fair game – it just needs to be something disruptive enough to drive a team task right off the rails!

Once each group has a good-sized list of ways to sabotage a group assignment, gather into the larger group again and compare responses. Write them all on the chalkboard, whiteboard, or a flip board in the front of the room.

Next, reform the groups and instruct them to produce a 5- to 10-point contract with agreed-upon guidelines for successful group work . Group members should draw from the sabotage ideas (i.e., what not to do for successful group work) to identify good ideas (i.e., what to do for successful group work).

For example, if a group listed “do not communicate with any of the other group members” as a way to sabotage the group assignment, they might come up with something like “communicate with other group members often” as a guideline for successful group work.

This exercise will help participants learn what makes for a positive group experience, while also giving them a chance to have a positive group experience along the way.

This exercise was described on page 14 of  this handout .

Group Strengths and Weaknesses

Groups have one very important advantage over individuals when it comes to accomplishing work – they can offset individuals’ weaknesses, complement their strengths, and bring balance to the group.

Group members will engage in some critical thinking and discussion about their own strengths and weaknesses in this exercise, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the other group members and the group as a whole.

To give this exercise a try, instruct the group to think about the strengths and weaknesses of each individual group member. Encourage them to be honest but kind to one another, especially when discussing weaknesses.

Once each team has come up with a good list of strengths and weaknesses for each group member, have each group think about how these will affect group dynamics. What strengths will positively influence group interactions? Which weaknesses have the potential to throw a monkey wrench into group interactions?

Finally, have each team discuss the composition of a “perfect” team. Is it better to have members with similar characteristics or with a wide range of personalities, abilities, and skills? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each type of team?

This discussion will help participants think critically about what makes a good team, how different personalities interact, and how to modify your behavior, group norms, or expectations to match the differing personalities and abilities of others.

This exercise is also described on page 14 of the handout on interpersonal skills ( Interpersonal Skills Exercises ).

Count the Squares

This game is a fun and engaging way to encourage group interaction and communication.

All you need is this image (or similar image of multiple squares), displayed on a PowerPoint presentation or on the wall or board at the front of the room.

In the first step, give the group a couple of minutes to individually count the number of squares in the figure and write down their answer. They should do this without speaking to others.

Next, have each group member call out the number of squares they counted. Write these down on the board.

Now instruct each participant to find someone to pair up with and count the squares again. They can talk to each other when determining how many squares there are, but no one else.

Have each pair share their number again once they are finished.

Finally, have the participants form groups of four to five members each and instruct them to count the squares one more time. When they have finished, once again take down the numbers each group counted.

At least one group will almost certainly have counted the correct number of squares, which is 40. Have this group walk the rest of the participants through how they got to 40.

Finally, lead the whole group through a discussion of group synergy, and why the counts (likely) kept getting closer and closer to 40 as more people got together to solve the problem.

Participants will learn about the importance of good group communication, practice working in pairs and in groups, and hopefully have fun completing this activity.

You can find more information about this activity here .

Non-Verbal Introduction Game

This game is a fun twist on an old classic – meeting a new person and introducing them to the group.

You should plan this game on the first day of a group therapy , training, or other activity to take advantage of the opportunity to introduce each group member.

Have the group members pair up with a person sitting next to them. Tell them to introduce themselves to each other and include something interesting or unusual about themselves.

Once every pair has been introduced and has found out something interesting about the other person, bring the focus back to the larger group.

Tell the group members that each person must introduce their partner to the group, but with a catch – they cannot use words or props! Each partner must introduce the other partner with actions only.

This game is not only a great icebreaker for introducing people to one another, it’s also a fun way for group members to see both the utility of verbal communication (something you might only recognize when cannot use it!) and the importance of nonverbal communication.

If you have time, you can lead the group in a discussion of nonverbal communication, the cues we pick up on in other peoples’ behavior, and how getting feedback from those you are communicating with is vital.

You can read more about this game here .

Luckily, most of these skills transfer nicely from therapy to family life, interactions with friends, and the workplace. Additionally, there are some exercises and resources developed to improve work-related interpersonal skills directly.

Below you will find a few different ways to improve your communication at work .

Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills Handout

This helpful handout can be reviewed and returned to while you or your client are working on enhancing interpersonal effectiveness.

It outlines the skills needed to communicate effectively with others, separated into three different skill sets:

• Objective Effectiveness
• Relationship Effectiveness
• Self-Respect Effectiveness

For each set, there is a handy acronym to help you remember which skills are included.

For objective effectiveness, the acronym is “DEAR MAN” and the skills are:

• D – Describe: use clear and concrete terms to describe what you want.
• E – Express: let others know how a situation makes you feel by clearly expressing your feelings; don’t expect others to read your mind.
• A – Assert: don’t beat around the bush – say what you need to say.
• R – Reinforce: reward people who respond well, and reinforce why your desired outcome is positive.
• M – Mindful : don’t forget the objective of the interaction; it can be easy to get sidetracked into harmful arguments and lose focus.
• A – Appear: appear confident; consider your posture, tone, eye contact, and body language.
• N – Negotiate: no one can have everything they want out of an interaction all the time; be open to negotiation.

These skills allow those who practice them to effectively and clearly express their needs and desires, and get what they want out of an interaction.

The acronym for relationship effectiveness is “GIVE”:

• G – Gentle: don’t attack, threaten, or express judgment during your interactions; accept the occasional “no” for your requests.
• I – Interested: show interest by listening to the other person without interrupting.
• V – Validate: be outwardly validating to the other person’s thoughts and feelings; acknowledge their feelings, recognize when your requests are demanding, and respect their opinions.
• E – Easy: have an easy attitude; try to smile and act lighthearted.

These skills help people to maintain relationships with others through fostering positive interactions.

Finally, the acronym for self-respect effectiveness is “FAST”:

• F – Fair: be fair; not only to others but also to yourself.
• A – Apologies: don’t apologize unless it’s warranted; don’t apologize for making a request, having an opinion, or disagreeing.
• S – Stick to Values: don’t compromise your values just to be liked or to get what you want; stand up for what you believe in.
• T – Truthful: avoid dishonesty such as exaggeration, acting helpless as a form of manipulation, or outright lying.

The self-respect skill set will help protect you from betraying your own values and beliefs to receive approval or to get what you want.

Knowing what these skills are and how they can be applied is the first step towards enhancing your ability to interact with others. You can find this handout online at this link .

Radical Acceptance Worksheet

This worksheet helps you to identify and understand a situation you are struggling to accept, whether it is at work, in your personal life, an issue with your family, or something else entirely. Whatever difficult thing you are working through, you can use this worksheet to help yourself accept the reality of your situation .

First, the worksheet instructs you to answer the question “What is the problem or situation?”

Next, you will describe the part of this situation that is difficult for you to accept.

Then, you describe the reality of that situation. Think critically here about the reality, don’t just write down what you want the situation to be or what your worst possible interpretation of the situation is.

After describing the reality, think about the causes that led up that reality (hint: you will probably notice that many of them are outside of your control!).

Next, you practice acceptance with the whole self (mind, body, and spirit) and describe how you did this. The worksheet encourages you to try the following:

“Breathe deeply, put your body into an open, accepting posture, and notice and let go of thoughts and feelings that fight the reality. Practice skills for acceptance such as half-smile, awareness exercises, or prayer. Focus on a statement of acceptance, such as “it is what it is” or “everything is as it should be.”

Finally, you rate your distress tolerance about this difficult situation both before and after practicing radical acceptance, on a scale from 0 (you just can’t take it) to 100 (total acceptance of reality).

This worksheet will be available for download soon.

Compass Points Emotional Intelligence Activity

This exercise from the National School Reform Faculty is a fantastic way for a team to improve their emotional intelligence together (Allen, 2015).

To prepare for this exercise, create four signs – North, South, East, and West – and post them on the room walls. Under each point, write out the traits associated with each sign:

• North: Acting o Likes to act, try things, dive in; “Let’s do it!”
• East: Speculating o Likes to look at the big picture and all the possibilities before acting.
• South: Caring o Likes to know that everyone’s feelings have been taken into consideration and that their voices have been heard before acting.
• West: Paying Attention to Detail o Likes to know the who, what, when, where, and why before acting.

To begin the activity, point out the four points to the participants and ask them to read each one and select the one that most accurately captures how they work with others on teams. Have them walk over to that point and remain there for the activity.

Once each participant has chosen a compass point, ask them to recall a personal past team experience that was either very positive or very negative. They shouldn’t share this experience yet, but they should keep it in mind to discuss later.

Next, have the natural groups (formed by compass point selection) designate three positions amongst themselves:

• Recorder – to record the responses of the group
• Timekeeper – to keep the group members on task
• Spokesperson – to share out on behalf of the group when time is up

Once the roles have been assigned, provide 5 to 8 minutes for the teams to respond to the following questions:

• What are the strengths of your style?
• What are the limitations of your style?
• What style do you find most difficult to work with and why?
• What do people from other “directions” or styles need to know about you so you can work together effectively?
• What’s one thing you value about each of the other three styles?

Once each team has discussed these five questions and come up with something to share with the larger group, have them share their responses out. You may hear things like:

• North gets impatient with West’s need for details.
• West gets frustrated by North’s tendency to act before planning.
• South group members crave personal connections and get uncomfortable when team members’ emotional needs aren’t met.
• East group members get bored when West gets mired in details; East gets frustrated when North dives in before agreeing on big goals.

Once participants have shared their responses to the five questions, ask them to recall their very positive or very negative team experience. Tell them to take a moment or two to reflect on whether there was anything they learned from this exercise that helps them to better understand why their positive team experience was positive, or why their negative team experience was negative. This can be a great way to provoke some “a-ha!” moments (Allen, 2015).

Finally, shift to the conclusion of the exercise and give participants a few minutes to share their key takeaways from the exercise. Different groups will highlight different takeaways, but make sure to point these out if no one brings them up:

• This activity increases our awareness of our own and others’ preferences.
• Increased awareness opens the door to empathy.
• Our preferences have their strengths and limitations.
• A diversity of preferences is what makes for better teamwork and results.

You can find more information on this exercise here .

17 Exercises for Positive, Fulfilling Relationships

Empower others with the skills to cultivate fulfilling, rewarding relationships and enhance their social wellbeing with these 17 Positive Relationships Exercises [PDF].

Created by experts. 100% Science-based.

In this piece, we defined interpersonal effectiveness, described its importance in terms of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy , and provided several ways for you or your clients to work on improving interpersonal skills.

I hope I communicated my message clearly in this piece, and I hope you found a valuable takeaway from reading it. If you learned something particularly useful, what was it? Do you have other activities or exercises you use to keep your interpersonal skills sharp? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks for reading, and happy skill-building!

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Relationships Exercises for free .

• Allen, G. (2015). A simple exercise to strengthen emotional intelligence in teams. Mind Shift. Retrieved from https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/06/22/a-simple-exercise-to-strengthen-emotional-intelligence-in-teams/
• Linehan, M. M. (2015).  DBT skills training manual (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
• Stepp, S. D., Epler, A. J., Jahng, S., & Trull, T. J. (2008). The effect of dialectical behavior therapy skills use on borderline personality disorder features.  Journal of Personality Disorders ,  22 (6), 549-563.
• Vivyan, C. (2015). Interpersonal effectiveness: Getting on with others using DBT. Get Self Help UK. Retrieved from https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/interpersonal.htm

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– Nicole | Community Manager

very helpful article

Great article!! Thanks!!

This is a wonderful share by the author. Thanks a ton Ms Ackerman for this great effort.

I am trying to run zoom classes and will attempt the ei interpersonal exercise virtually. Wish me luck!

I wanted to download a free book on Positive Psychology with 3 games/case studies. It would have really helped me during my teaching Management students. Despite filling all entries, it did not work. If you can help me that would be great ! Thanks in anticipation. my mail id is “[email protected]” Thanks, Professor Brijendra Dhup

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3 Positive Relationships Exercises Pack

The Compass for SBC

Helping you Implement Effective Social and Behavior Change Projects

How-To-Guide

How to Plan an Interpersonal Communication Intervention

Home > How to Guides > How to Plan an Interpersonal Communication Intervention

Introduction

What is interpersonal communication.

Interpersonal communication (IPC) is the tailored exchange or sharing of information, thoughts, ideas and feelings between two or more people to address behavioral determinants of health. It is influenced by attitudes, values, social norms and the individuals’ immediate environment. IPC can be one way or two way. It can also be verbal, non-verbal or both. Types of IPC include one-on-one interactions (at clinic or community), small group interactions, large group discussions, hotlines, supportive supervision visits, peer education, parent-child or inter-spousal communication.

People often engage and communicate better when they have shared values and attitudes or can at least see things from each other’s perspective and accept each other’s values and attitudes.

Interpersonal communication builds on values and attitudes for interaction and information sharing, skills and persuasive arguments with one another for better health behavior.

Why should IPC be used?

IPC is a channel that allows for exploration of attitudes and values and determinants of behavior of the participants. IPC reaches participants with tailored information that promotes specific healthy behaviors in an environment that allows for skills building/practice and exchange of information with peers. There is immediate feedback between those involved.

This direct, human contact and the ease with which information can be immediately clarified can help overcome certain challenging barriers to behavior change that general information through community, mass media or other media cannot easily address. If this is what the communication program needs, then IPC should be used. This choice is discussed in detail in Step One of this guide.

Who can use interpersonal communication?

In the context of social and behavior change communication (SBCC), interpersonal communication is most useful for peer educators, IPC agents or communication agents, community health workers, community-based distributors, counselors in a clinical or community setting, help line or hotlines, during community discussions, inter-spousal, parent-child or student-child communication and also when doing personal advocacy with influential people on a health issue.

Who should develop IPC interventions?

A small, focused team of key communication and creative staff should lead the development process of IPC tools. It may be helpful to include counseling and content experts who can guide the sections on counseling skills and technical content respectively.

When should IPC interventions be developed?

Once the situation analysis , program analysis and audience analysis are complete and SBCC messages are designed , it is time to select the appropriate channels of communication to fit the audience’s needs. While learning how to develop a channel mix , IPC is one of the channels to consider.

Learning Objectives

After completing this interpersonal communication guide, the team will be able to:

• Identify when IPC would be an appropriate channel to use
• Identify the type of IPC tool or intervention that would be most appropriate for an audience
• Assess if existing counseling/facilitation skills are adequate and improve any gaps or shortcomings through skills building
• Determine whether any existing IPC materials can be used, either in their current or an adapted form, or whether new materials need to be developed

Estimated Time Needed

Developing IPC interventions can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months depending on the nature and complexity of the activity.

Prerequisites

• Situation Analysis
• Audience Analysis
• Program Analysis
• Creative Brief
• Message Design

Step 1: Decide Whether IPC Is a Suitable Intervention for the Priority Audience

The decision to use IPC depends on two variables: the characteristics of the audience and the characteristics of the type of intervention needed to address behavioral determinants of health. Refer to the audience analysis to determine: what media the priority audience is exposed to, their key influencers, and their preferred sources of health information and opinion.

Refer to the audience analysis that was conducted to determine their information needs. Do the participants need facts, persuasion, motivation, support etc. in order to adopt the recommended behavior? Knowing what was identified in the audience analysis will help determine the type of information intervention that is needed.

IPC is a resource intensive intervention and therefore should be used when one or more of these hold true:

• The audience is not reached by other channels or does not regularly access health services
• Information needs to be reinforced, clarified and discussed in depth – social norms or cultural barriers that need to change
• Content is challenging or sensitive
• Demonstrations are required like mixing ORS, putting on a condom correctly, hand washing correctly, etc.
• When social support is a key determinant of the behavior being addressed. The perceived lack of social support could be addressed by creating and engaging in discussion. For example, people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA), breastfeeding mothers, or youth.

Fill out the following table to determine if IPC is a good fit.

If the priority audience’s preferred information source includes at least one of the first four listed in the table above AND it includes at least one of the information needs listed in the third column, then IPC may be a suitable intervention.

Step 2: Decide Which IPC Method to Use and Identify Supportive Tools Needed

If IPC is identified as a potentially effective intervention to reach the priority audience, consider the IPC method that will work best for the program. There are three aspects to the IPC approach:

a. The human component (interpersonal skills of the IPC agent)

b. The tools (supporting materials to guide the counselor/ facilitator in method and content)

c. The location or setting where the IPC takes place

Use the table below to determine which IPC methods and tools the program will use, based on the audience’s information needs.

Using the above table as a guide, fill out each column of the Tools Template (see Template 1: IPC Methods and Tools).

Determining the IPC method suitable for the audience is the first step. The next step is to look at whether the IPC agents have the requisite skills and tools they need to effectively execute the IPC method.

Step 3: Assess and Build Counseling and Facilitation Skills

Interpersonal counseling on health issues and related health behaviors requires a specific set of skills designed to facilitate informed decision-making.

Also, IPC agents, whether they are providers, peer educators, helpline counselors or any other kind, bring their own personalities, values, judgment and interpersonal skills to the IPC approach.

There are many ways to assess IPC agents’ communication skills. One example of a communication skills assessment can be found here . For more in-depth assessment tools, see the Resources section.

Although many counselors may have had basic training in counseling and facilitation skills, If the program has identified a gap or weakness in this area, then there is a need to strengthen and build those skills to ensure effective IPC.

Some of the key aspects of good counseling include:

• Non-judgmental openness to what is being discussed. Putting aside one’s own value judgments and being open to see the issue from the audience’s point of view
• Listening actively to what the client/ individual/ group has to say
• Summarizing what has been heard
• Paraphrasing what has been heard to confirm it has been understood correctly
• Reflecting on what has been said and what can be done as positive action going forward
• Praise, encouragement and reassurance to help clients practice or continue to practice the positive health behavior
• Referral services and products that the client will require to practice the health behavior

Management/oversight in the form of supportive supervision will help better equip users to design programs, appropriately train and supervise staff, and manage and adapt their IPC programs.

Step 4: Assess and Plan Development of Effective IPC Tools

Counselors and facilitators need the help of good quality IPC tools to be most effective. These tools may be adapted or created from scratch to suit the purpose and context in which they will be used (see the Materials Adaptation Guide and the Materials Development Guide for more detailed guidance on materials). Answer the following questions to help determine a course of action:

Effective IPC tools should include the following elements:

• A clear focus on the identified primary audience
• Well-articulated objectives of what will be achieved by using this tool
• A reminder of basic communication and facilitation skills
• Scripts, facilitation guide and talking points where helpful and relevant
• Correct and consistent information about the health issue/ behaviors being discussed that are consistent with program and national strategy
• Glossary of key words, health/ technical terms and phrases with translation into the local language for ease of reference for counselor and facilitator
• List of frequently asked questions about the topic and their answers
• Links to other elements of the program through visual and audio clues (taglines, logos, call to action etc.)
• List of additional resources for further reference on the topic

Some IPC tools are also accompanied by teaching aids like:

• Short, informational videos
• Posters or flip charts with attractive visuals and simple information to help with explanations
• Take-home materials to reinforce key information
• Models or props to help with demonstrations

Step 5: Develop IPC Intervention

After completing the above steps, the team will be clear on the following:

• Whether IPC is an appropriate intervention for the campaign
• The IPC method best suited to the audience and the supporting tools that will be needed
• The skill level of the counselors and steps to strengthen those skills if necessary
• The availability of existing tools or whether development of new tools is necessary

With this information in hand, the team is now ready to develop the IPC intervention. See the Resources section for resources that guide the development of quality IPC interventions.

IPC Methods and Tools Template

Tips & Recommendations

• IPC is effective when done well. Careful design and training of the facilitators or counselors in IPC techniques will significantly improve the effectiveness of the IPC session
• IPC works well when also combined with other channels like print (for take-away information and posters that reinforce messages)
• There are many tried and tested IPC tools available – see if any can be adapted to the current needs before developing new materials.
• Counselor training is a critical element of IPC to ensure that the skills of the counselor increase the effectiveness of the IPC interaction.
• Supportive supervision and oversight of IPC agents is a critical component of success in IPC programs. Additionally, routine monitoring/evaluation of IPC activities/programs is important for program managers to inform supportive supervision, program adaptation, refresher training and tweaking tools used by IPC agents.

Lessons Learned

• IPC is an intervention heavily dependent on the quality of the IPC agent, tools and teaching aids and the location/ context where the IPC intervention takes place. It is critical to ensure that the counselor possesses the requisite skills and attitudes as well as has access to high-quality materials with the information and messages specific to what the project wants to communicate.

Resources and References

A Field Guide to Designing a Health Communication Strategy

Improving Interpersonal Communication Between Health Care Providers and Clients

IPC Toolkit

When to Use IPC and When Not to

Gather Cue Card

Counseling for Effective Use of Family Planning [Curriculum]

Social and Behavior Change Communication for Frontline Health Workers

Interpersonal Communication and Counseling for Clients on Tuberculosis and HIV and AIDS: Training Curriculum

Seis saberes basicos da comunicacao interpessoal e aconselhamento [Six Basic Skills of Interpersonal Communication and Counseling]

The Balanced Counseling Strategy Plus [Toolkit]

• What Is Interpersonal Communication – Definition and 3 Myths by Lei Han – https://bemycareercoach.com/soft-skills/communication-skills/interpersonal-communication-definition.html

• ‘Green Book’ for Leadership in Strategic Health Communication – A workshop Manual (2015 Edition) Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs (CCP)

ABOUT HOW TO GUIDES

SBC How-to Guides are short guides that provide step-by-step instructions on how to perform core social and behavior change tasks. From formative research through monitoring and evaluation, these guides cover each step of the SBC process, offer useful hints, and include important resources and references.

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4 Practical and Fun Interpersonal Communication Activities

We all know that authentic communication goes both ways, as an ongoing dialogue between two or more people.

But so often, we struggle to teach language in that way. That’s why it’s necessary to stress the importance of interpersonal communication.

Keep on reading to find out about 4 fun interpersonal communication activities that you can do with your students!

4 Effective Interpersonal Communication Activities

1. post-presentation q and a session, 2. conversation around the circle, 3. student-generated surveys, 4. random object improv, what are the 3 modes of communication, 1. interpretive communication, 2. presentational communication, 3. interpersonal communication, why your students need interpersonal communication activities.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

This is a clever way to inject some interpersonal flavor within the presentational mode.

Next time your students give a prepared presentation , follow up with a spontaneous question-and-answer session.

Provide some brief coaching on the vocabulary and sentence structure needed for asking questions, and then let the students ask whatever comes to mind related to the information presented. For this activity, make sure students know they will not be penalized in any way for incorrect grammar or pronunciation. If they feel free to make mistakes, it can lead to a truly uninhibited, two-way conversation.

Here’s a fun activity to do with your class.

Arrange your students to sit in a circle. Then, move the conversation in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction as each student asks a question. Depending on their level of proficiency, these questions may be improvised on the spot or prepared ahead of time. You can choose to have each student ask a question of the peer sitting next to him/her; or you can have 3-5 different students volunteer answers to the question, depending on the group and their comfort level.

This activity can be adapted to different seating arrangements, and works well in a game format (i.e., have students compete to see which ones give the most answers.)

This is a survey activity that encourages short, structured responses. It can be adapted to any level and gives students structured practice with two-way communication.

Students must create survey questions based on a topic that you’re covering in class. For example, questions about their favorite leisure activities work well if you’re working on a unit about hobbies and pastimes. These can be presented in:

• Open-ended questions: “What is your favorite sport?”
• Yes/no questions: “Do you like to draw?”

Students then circulate around the room, asking their peers questions and compiling the results. At the end, the class regroups so students can share these results, using the target language. Common results shared include sentences like: “Four students like to play baseball,” “Six students like to draw,” and so on.

Jot down the names of a few random objects (i.e., “guitar,” “tree,” “pencil,” etc.) on slips of paper and put them in a hat. Students then walk up in pairs or small groups, pick an object out of the hat, and then improvise a short dialogue around that item. This activity can be loads of fun, getting even the shyest students out of their shell.

It’s widely accepted that we use three different ways to express ourselves, depending on the situation. For a language learner to become fluent in their target language, they need to first understand the different modes of communication and when to use them.

So, what’s the difference between the three? Let’s take a look.

This is a type of one-way communication where students use their listening and/or reading skills to comprehend spoken and written language. Some examples would be listening to a podcast or reading a book  and answering questions.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with interpretive communication activities in the classroom. In fact, they are invaluable for providing language exposure that can lead to fluency. And reading and listening are both crucial skills for effective communication.

But the awkward fact remains that real-life encounters with the language are usually about holding conversations  rather than one-sided listening or reading activities.

This is yet another instance of one-way communication—but in the other direction.

Presentational communication occurs when your students use their writing and speaking skills to present information or knowledge on a topic. Examples include performing a prepared skit or dialogue, or presenting a slideshow.

This type of communication is also valuable to your students. They need to learn how to organize and express their thoughts clearly.

But real conversations are spontaneous. You don’t get a chance to prepare a speech ahead of time. Rather, it’s a give-and-take of listening and responding.

This is two-way communication in which both sides actively negotiate meaning through a process of observing, monitoring and clarification.

Needless to say, this describes most authentic conversations in daily life . All parties spontaneously build meaning together.

But it’s tough to achieve this level of spontaneity within the constructs of a classroom, among students who may only have a basic vocabulary at their disposal.

Despite the challenges, though, interpersonal communication is essential for your students to learn how to use the language effectively.

Below are some reasons why you should be adding interpersonal communication activities in your lessons.

But first, if you want to maximize classroom communication and help your language learners speak more naturally,  FluentU   can help.

FluentU offers a unique learning experience not found in most language-learning curriculum—authenticity.  FluentU enables educators to teach language using a mixture of tried-and-true exercises and real-world material. As a result, students learn the mechanics of a language and practice communicating like a native speaker.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, here are some reasons why language learners should be actively building their interpersonal communication skills.

1. Interpersonal communication helps them build confidence and overcome anxiety about speaking

Let’s be honest; many students find it terrifying to speak up in a language class. They’re accustomed to carefully phrasing their communication via social media comments or text messages. Spontaneous, face-to-face communication feels unnatural and scary.

But by providing plenty of opportunities for interpersonal communication within your classroom, you can build your students’ comfort levels so they can go forth and communicate with confidence.

2. It develops a more natural understanding of language and how it works

As we constantly express ourselves and negotiate meaning with others, we develop an intuitive understanding of the language.

One example is grammatical rules. You can teach grammar in your lessons , but it won’t really make sense until someone has a chance to hear the rule in action so that they can recognize when something just doesn’t sound right.

3. It taps into the emotional, affective side of learning

What makes knowledge memorable? Often it’s the emotions we associate with it.

That’s why we often use songs, pictures,  stories and literature to make a lesson stick in our students’ minds.

The spontaneous interactions of interpersonal communication force us to dig a little deeper for our responses—tapping into that rich emotional landscape where true learning happens.

4. Interpersonal communication is the whole reason for studying a language

You know your students are not in your class because they want to learn how to prepare scripted dialogues or to read passages from a text.

They want to be able to listen and speak in their target language.

How many people do you know who studied a language for years in school, yet are unable to speak it? How sad and disappointing. The students in front of you dream of being able to converse fluently in the target language. That’s the whole reason they’re in your class in the first place.

And guess what. Interpersonal communication is the only way to get them there.

By now, you’re probably sold on the benefits of interpersonal communication— that is, if you weren’t already.

But when it comes to incorporating spontaneous, two-way communication in your classroom, you may feel that your creativity is quickly stretched to the limit. That’s where we can help! Read further to learn how to prepare interpersonal communication activities that you can easily incorporate in your classroom routine.

Communication truly is a two-way street—and the foreign language activities above can help you walk down it.

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Assignment 7: Interpersonal Communication Skills

The purpose of this assignment is to help you examine the interpersonal communication skills you possess and how to further develop them. For this assignment, you will work independently.

Learning Objectives

LO1. Describe the skills associated with effective interpersonal communication.

LO3.Compare and contrast the different types of listening.

LO4. Apply interpersonal communication concepts to personal experiences.

The time estimated to complete this activity is 45-60 minutes.

Instructions

Please address the following questions in a 200-400 word written response. Follow formal writing conventions using complete sentences and checking spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

• Of the concepts that you learned about in this chapter, which 3 do you think are most important for positive interpersonal communication experiences and why?
• What is your primary listening style (people, action, content, time)? Choose one of the other listening styles. What should you think about when communicating with someone who has the other listening style you chose?
• Recall a situation in which you experienced conflict. Now that you know some approaches to effective interpersonal communication evaluate the experience your recalled and write down what you could have done differently?

Psychology of Human Relations Copyright © by Stevy Scarbrough is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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COM 1090 - Interpersonal Communication: Relationship Assignment

• COM 1090: Interpersonal Communication

Relationship Assignment

• Research Tutorial This link opens in a new window
• Database Searching
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• Internet Resources

The purpose of this assignment is to examine the role of communication in creating and sustaining relationships by analyzing interpersonal communication principles and concepts in the development, maintenance, and possibly, the deterioration of a long term significant relationship.

This assignment is linked to the following Student Learning Outcome:

• Evaluate orally and in writing intrapersonal skill concepts

This assignment is designed to help you practice evaluating orally and in writing interpersonal skill concepts covered in this course. You will by analyzing a relationship that is important to you and describing it in terms used in the textbook and class discussions. This assignment has two components: a 2-4 page paper and an oral presentation.

No matter what type of relationship we are in—whether, in terms of friendship, romance, or family, all relationships are in the process of either developing or dying.  This paper requires you to analyze an interpersonal relationship using communication concepts/theories and principles from the text and lectures (as well as incorporating the social context of generation and culture). The relationship you choose to write about can be one that you are currently engaged in or one that has already ended.   It should, however, be a fairly recent one, not a relationship you had in grade school.  It can be a friendship relationship or a romantic relationship.  You don’t need to disclose any information you are not comfortable disclosing.

Organization

This paper involves more than just simply summarizing the development of a relationship.  While you will want to offer some description of the relationship; the main emphasis should be on how it has developed in communication between two people.  Your paper should contain the following five parts:

• Cover Page: (include your name, the date, class name, my name)
• Introduction:   Describe the relationship. Who are the participants? What is the history of the relationship? What is the current status of the relationship?  This information should be relatively brief. Next, preview the body of the paper by indicating the terms/concepts you will use to analyze the relationship.
• Body:   In this section of the paper you will analyze the relationship using interpersonal communication concepts, terms, topics, etc. This is by far the longest section of the paper.
• Select at least two concepts that we’ve discussed in class and apply them to your relationship.  You should discuss these concepts in-depth and explain how they affected the communication in your relationship. Use evidence to support your claims and ---using direct quotes from the text, and specific examples from your relationship.   If you fail to give evidence, it will significantly lower your grade. Be sure the concepts you choose are not too general. For example, mediated communication as a concept would be too general, but focusing on gender differences in mediated communication and how these differences affected your relationship would be acceptable.
• Some concepts you should consider using are self-disclosure, nonverbal communication, drawbacks of mediated communication, perception checking, listening, self-fulfilling prophecies, social roles, gender communication, the influence of culture, self-concept, self-esteem, self-disclosure, relational dialectics, confirming/disconfirming messages, interpersonal attraction, expressing emotions, trust, rituals, commitment, investment, managing conflict.
• Conclusion :  This section includes a brief summary of the body of the paper.  End the paper with some reflections on your relationship, and what you learned as a result of completing this assignment. If you feel you learned nothing, that is fine but you need to elaborate.
• Reference Page : Provide a list in APA format of any references you used in your paper. Your textbook should be included in this list.

Papers will be based on three criteria. First, papers must demonstrate an understanding of interpersonal communication topics. Second, in your paper, you must analyze how these interpersonal communication topics apply to your particular relationship. Third, papers must be well organized and demonstrate effective writing mechanics and style. Your overall grade will depend on whether or not you include the five components outlined above. 

Requirements

The paper must be typed, double spaced, 12pt font, one-inch margins all around.  Acceptable college level of grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, paragraph structure, and spelling should be utilized.  Be sure to edit your paper carefully before turning it in. Papers should be 2-4 pages (2 pages of text, one cover page, one reference page). All papers should be submitted through Blackboard by 11:59 pm  on the assigned date . I will submit all papers to Safe Assign to check for plagiarism. I will not accept late papers.

Oral Presentation

In addition to submitting a written paper, you will need to give an oral presentation to your classmates. Your presentation must be 4-5 minutes in length and should include an introduction, body and conclusion. In your presentation, share the highlights from your paper with us without reading it. You should use notecards but eye contact and adequate volume are essential! You will need to upload your video to Youtube and submit it to the appropriate link on the Discussion Board no later than 11:59 pm  on the date assigned.

*The Relationship Paper is worth 60 points and the presentation is worth 25 points.

Please be aware that this is the general assignment for COM-1090 and your professor may have altered the requirements.  Always refer  to your professor for the most up to date information.

• Relationship Assignment The purpose of this assignment is to examine the role of communication in creating and sustaining relationships by analyzing interpersonal communication principles and concepts in the development, maintenance, and possibly, the deterioration of a long term significant relationship.
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• Last Updated: Dec 6, 2023 12:39 PM
• URL: https://pgcc.libguides.com/COM1090

Home Blog Business A Manager’s Guide to Interpersonal Communication

A Manager’s Guide to Interpersonal Communication

People are promoted to management positions for a variety of reasons. For many, they rise to the top because of their knowledge, technical skills, and decision-making capabilities. Unfortunately, not all managers arrive at their jobs with all of the competencies they need to be successful. Specifically, many lack interpersonal skills .

Just What Are Interpersonal Skills?

Interpersonal skills are the combination of behaviors and methods people use to interact with other people effectively. Examples of interpersonal skills include:

• Dependability
• Active Listening
• Responsibility
• Flexibility

When surveyed , managers ranked good interpersonal skills at 4.37 on a scale of 1 to 5. This was ranked only below the ability to work in teams which was ranked at 4.49.

When discussing interpersonal skills, people may refer to a range of competencies and descriptors. People skills, emotional intelligence, soft skills, even employability skills are all terms that reference the ability to communicate effectively and form productive relationships.

Interpersonal Vs. Intrapersonal Skills – What’s The Difference?

Intra means within. So, intrapersonal communication skills are the skills that we use internally to analyze ideas, formulate conclusions, engage in internal dialogue. Interpersonal skills are the skills that we use in our interactions with other people.

However, even though they are different, they are also interrelated. Managers must recognize how their own internal dialogue and experiences inform their reactions and interactions with others.

The same is true for the people they manage. Some of the theories discussed briefly below are based on the concept that experiences, personalities, and information loops inform every person’s intrapersonal skills. That, in turn, impacts how we communicate with others.

Key Interpersonal Communication Concepts Theories and Models

Several interpersonal communication theories address how people communicate with one another, and the factors that can impact the value of that communication. It is helpful to have a very basic understanding of these to improve your communication style.

Social Penetration Theory

This theory emphasizes closeness in relationships. When people feel closer to another, emotionally and logically, they communicate more effectively. One key way to achieve this is through a process called self-disclosure. According to Pearce and Sharp , this is the voluntary disclosure of information about yourself to another person.

As a manager, you can build a better rapport with your team members through self-disclosure. You can accomplish this by showing your personality and being forthcoming with personal stories. By taking the lead on this, you will motivate your team members to reciprocate. This will build trust and empathy, and improve team communication .

Uncertainty Reduction Theory

According to the uncertainty reduction theory, when communication suffers when the two sides don’t know each other well enough. On the other hand, because people are uncomfortable with the unknown, this uncertainty motivates them to get to know each other more.

As a manager, one of the most important things you can do is understand how the unknown can impact how communication happens between your team members and you. This will allow you to set and manage expectations accordingly. At the same time, you can also facilitate ways for your team members to get to know each other better, and you as well.

Relational Dialectics Theory

This theory states that people relate better when they feel connected to one another, but still disconnected enough to have some autonomy. Thus, you should encourage opposing viewpoints and individuality among your team members. It is also important that you are aware of existing relationships between your team members, as well as your relationships as well. These can impact communication and team health.

Johari Window Model

This is a technique that was created by psychologists to help people better understand how they relate to one another.  The key idea behind this is that every person has things about themselves that they openly share, and things they actively keep from others. Further, each person has characteristics that others recognize that they do not, and characteristics that neither they or others recognize. The more that people are openly willing to share and communicate, the better interpersonal communication becomes.

Johari Window Model PowerPoint Template by SlideModel

As a manager, you can use team building sessions to help your team expand on their ‘open’ areas. In addition to this, you can also use the employee review process to engage your team members about their blind areas. At the same time, by highlighting what they may not know about themselves, you can provide guidance on tendencies they have that could be limiting their capacity to relate positively to their coworkers.

Westley And MacLean’s Model of Communication

The Westley And Maclean’s model addresses the impact of the environment on both interpersonal interactions and mass communication. These researchers believed that communication doesn’t start when people begin interacting with one another. Instead, it begins when people react to their environment, and is also impacted by the process of communication.

For managers, this means that they must understand how factors such as environment, culture, and varying feedback loops impact the understanding of information. In addition to this, using this model, managers can also better understand how different team members may interpret information.

Becker’s Mosaic Model of Communication

This interpersonal communication model posits that every individual is the recipient of different messaging and communications. They are also a creator of their own messages and communications. Personality, views, and communications are influenced by each person’s position in a particular matrix, and their sources of information.

This model could be explained in very simple terms as being a bit like the telephone game where messages become less accurate the more they are filtered through different personalities and views. Managers can get ahead of this tendency by communicating frequently and clearly with their team members.

Understanding just how interpersonal communication occurs what impacts it the first step to improvement. Beyond that, you should also look into nurturing more specific skills among your teams.

The Main Types of Interpersonal Communication Skills Your Team Needs

Verbal communication.

If there is one skill that virtually everybody must have, it’s the ability to communicate verbally. It may sound like a no-brainer, but not everyone’s naturally good at:

• Active listening
• Understanding their audience and tailoring your communication style to their level of understanding.
• Moderating their tone and body language. You may seem passive-aggressive and disingenuous if you are speaking happily, but using a huffy tone or hostile body language.
• Summarizing the other person’s reply to verify that they understood them correctly.

Communication Concept PowerPoint Template by SlideModel

To improve verbal skills among your team, you will have to take on the role of a facilitator. You can identify the communication styles and tendencies of your team members, and then prompt them to ditch the “bad practices”. This might include:

• Drawing out team members who are less likely to speak up in group settings
• Asking for clarification when it’s needed
• Being aware of those who may tend to dominate team meetings and conversations and trying to “contain” them.

There’s more to listening than hearing what the other person is saying. It involves giving them the attention they require, in order to truly understand them.

One roadblock to active listening is the tendency of the listener to spend their time formulating their response while the other person is thinking. This takes them out of the conversation and often causes them to miss important things that the speaker is communicating.

Here are some tips you and your team can use to build this skill:

• Use body language to show you are engaged.
• Clarify that you understand.
• Don’t interrupt or deflect.
• Give a relevant response.
• Don’t think about your response until it is your time to speak.

Negotiation Skills

Negotiation is a process where parties with disparate interests work together to come to a mutually beneficial resolution. Here are some examples of negotiation skills:

• Effective verbal communication

Assertiveness

• Problem Solving
• Rapport Building

To teach negotiation skills to your team, you can focus on previous negotiations, whether they have failed or succeeded. Any time you engage in the negotiation process, plan to hold a post-mortem to discuss what went right, and what did not.

Conflict Resolution Skills

It’s a normal part of the development of a team, and the execution of any project to have some conflict. Your team members need to learn how to deal with disagreements. Here are some “ground rules” you should establish:

• Not taking things personally
• Avoiding extreme language (always, never)
• Impartiality
• Avoiding Defensiveness

Conflict Resolution PowerPoint Template by SlideModel

As a manager, when you see conflict arise, your job is to mentor the impacted team members as they try to navigate things. Encourage them to use the skills mentioned above.

Assertiveness is often confused with aggressiveness. In reality, the two are not alike at all. Aggressive people seek to impose their will without consideration of others. Assertive people can clearly express their needs but are aware of the needs of others at the same time. Being assertive is beneficial because it garners respect more than passiveness or aggressive behavior.

Here are some behaviors that are common among assertive people:

• They listen and show empathy.
• They look people in the eye.
• They address issues with facts, not assumptions or judgments.
• They tell other people how they feel.
• They speak calmly and avoid yelling.
• They avoid using extreme words like never or always.

People become assertive when they work in a safe environment where communication is encouraged. Ensure that your management style is one where people feel comfortable advocating for themselves.

Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, and imagine what they might be feeling and experiencing. In fact, the 2018 State of Workplace Empathy study indicates that 96% of employees want their employers to demonstrate empathy. However, 92% believe this trait is undervalued in their workplaces. So let’s nurture it a bit. Below are some quick examples of emphatic behavior:

• Being objective
• Avoiding snap judgments
• Speaking to people before judging their behavior
• Getting to know colleagues

Another skill to nurture in your team and to model in your own interactions is validation . This is where participates in a discussion or conflict validate one another’s perspectives and experiences even if they don’t agree with them.

To Conclude

Interpersonal skills are often called “soft” and sometimes they are implied as optional. This cannot be farther from the truth. As upon a closer look at most successful organizations, you’ll be quick to notice that they heavily invest in a wholesome corporate culture that supports and promotes all of the skills mentioned above.

As a manager, your effectiveness also strongly depends on your ability to communicate well with your team members and other stakeholders. More importantly, your team counts on you to model empathy, social skills, and the ability to listen actively. So don’t let them down!

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Assertiveness, Audience, Communication, Compromise, Empathy, Interpersonal Skills, Leadership, Management, Message, Personal Development, Presentation Skills, Problem Solving, Rapport Building, Teamwork, Verbal Communication Filed under Business

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Master’s in Interpersonal Communication Degree

Transfer Credits

Next start date, accreditation, gain an advanced knowledge of communication with liberty’s interpersonal communication degree.

Have the small details of conversation always fascinated you? Perhaps, at some time or another, you found yourself studying someone you were in conversation with – picking up nonverbal cues and finding hidden messages in the way someone communicates. If that sounds like you, Liberty’s Master of Arts (MA) in Professional Communication – Interpersonal Communication may be for you. This degree program can equip you with an advanced understanding of how people and entities communicate their respective messages – and help you craft your own messages.

Because interpersonal communication is something that nearly everyone practices on a daily basis, you can gain a leg-up on others in negotiations and job applications by mastering the oft-overlooked skills taught in this degree program. Our interpersonal communication classes can also help you serve others better – at work, at home, in church, or in a hobby group.

By partnering with us for an MA in Professional Communication – Interpersonal Communication, you can gain valuable skills and enhance your life all around – especially in applicant pools. Don’t settle for just any degree at any university. Choose Liberty’s master’s degree in interpersonal communication and experience firsthand what a degree from Liberty University can do for you.

Award-Winning Campus

At Liberty, you’ll find an affordable, high-quality education that equips students like you for the real world. Our commitment to excellence helped us rank among Niche.com’s Top 3 college campuses in America . Earning your degree from a nonprofit university with state-of-the-art resources like ours can help set you apart from your peers.

Why Choose Liberty’s Master’s Degree in Interpersonal Communication?

At Liberty, our mission since 1971 has been to Train Champions for Christ . As part of that mission, we seek to equip our students with all of the resources – inside and outside the classroom – that they need to succeed. That includes a cadre of expert professors, a carefully designed and academically rigorous curriculum, over $1 million in educational facilities and resources, and a dedicated career team whose mission is to help you find the perfect job.

Liberty’s academic reputation is backed by our regional accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges ( SACSCOC ). Earning an interpersonal communication master’s degree from a university with this kind of recognition can help set you apart from competing job applicants. In addition, each of this degree’s interpersonal communication classes is taught by instructors who have years of work and academic experience, so you can be confident in the quality of education that you’ll receive.

Our School of Communication and the Arts is home to over $1 million in state-of-the-art equipment and media facilities. As a student, you’ll be able to gain experience working with a wide variety of world-class media equipment – making you a more marketable and prepared communications professional. You’ll have our top-notch equipment at your full disposal as you work through your degree.

You’ll also have ample opportunities for professional development. You could work with our radio station, the Liberty Flames Sports Network (LFSN), the Liberty Champion student newspaper, live streaming, television advertisements and productions, and much more!

What Will You Learn in Our Master’s Degree in Interpersonal Communication?

This degree program consists of 3 sections: interpersonal communication classes, elective courses, and theory and research courses.

The interpersonal communication section of this degree program offers you flexibility to choose 4 courses from a list of 5. You could study interpersonal communication theory and practice, small group and team communications, listening and nonverbal communication, communication and conflict, or intercultural communication. Check out the featured courses below to learn more about your options!

In addition, our interpersonal communication master’s degree features an elective course section. Here, you are able to choose 5 courses from our entire catalog of graduate-level communications and strategic communication courses. There are a bevy of options available – including strategic storytelling; video, social, and mobile promotion; strategic media; or emerging trends in strategic communications.

In the theory and research section, you will study communication theory and practices. You will also study communication research design, then complete a thesis defense or a final project. This step is to be taken upon completion of every other course, including the interpersonal communication specialization.

View the Degree Completion Plan and check out our featured courses below for more information!

Featured Courses

COMS 522 – Interpersonal Communication Theory and Practice

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Practices in interpersonal communication
• Theories in self-concept, gender, culture, language, and paralanguage

COMS 524 – Small Group and Team Communications

• Effective problem-solving techniques for small groups
• Theories, research, and practice of small group communication in various contexts

COMS 558 – Listening and Nonverbal Communication

• How listening and nonverbal communication are treated in popular publications
• How to discern the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to nonverbal communication

COMS 560 – Communication and Conflict

• Conflict-resolution communication strategies and how to implement them
• The role communication plays in conflict of various kinds

Highlights of Our Interpersonal Communication Degree

• Liberty University is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges ( SACSCOC ).
• This program emphasizes experiential and hands-on learning.
• You could develop your professional portfolio through working with our radio and television studios, on-campus sports network, client promotional projects, and more!
• This degree is career-focused with instructors who have both academic and professional credentials – and many of them working in their field as they teach.
• As a nonprofit, Christian university, we aim to help raise the next generation of media professionals with personal integrity and unshakable ethics grounded in the Christian faith.

Admission Requirements for the Master’s in Interpersonal Communication

Every application is reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and all applicants must submit the following documents and meet the minimum requirements for admission:

• Admission application
• Official bachelor’s degree transcripts with a 3.0 GPA or higher
• Self-certification form (for students who are in the final term of their bachelor’s degree)
• Current Liberty undergraduate students seeking preliminary acceptance into a graduate program must complete a degree completion application through their ASIST account

Professional and Interpersonal Communication Degree Information

• Residential
• 36 total hours
• Transfer up to 50% of your credits
• This program falls under the School of Communication and the Arts
• View the Degree Completion Plan  
• Check out our course catalog

Potential Career Opportunities for Master’s in Interpersonal Communication Graduates

• College instructor
• Content manager
• Director of communication
• Nonprofit development director
• Promotions manager
• Special events coordinator

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Liberty has taught me how big the world is and how many opportunities there are out there. I have met so many authentic people that embody how the Lord cares for each of us and seen how Liberty is life-giving and perspective-broadening in terms of possibility."

– Sarah Blanke ‘19, B.S. in Fashion Design and Business Entrepreneurship