PART II: CONTENT & APPLICATION (20 points)

SECTION 1: ANALYZING AN INTERPERSONAL SITUATION (10 points)

SITUATION: Chelsea and Tori, both in their early 20s, have been friends since preschool, but
recently their relationship has become strained. Chelsea has been attending a local community
college part time, while she continues to work at a job she’s had for almost 10 years. Tori left
home to go to a university in another state, where she’s been having a lot of fun but has been
struggling financially. Chelsea has been romantically involved with the same person for over five
years, while Tori has not dated since she left for college. When Tori comes home for winter break,
she suggests they meet for dinner and drinks at a busy restaurant. Chelsea gets backed up at
work and arrives half an hour late. Tori has already finished her first drink when Chelsea arrives,
and Chelsea notices Tori looks angry.

1. According to the transactional model of communication, environments are

not just the physical places we occupy. What environmental differences do
you think will impact Chelsea and Tori’s communication? Explain how their
communication/relationship might be impacted.

○ In the textbook, it says that environments are not just physical places but
also personal experiences. After reading the situation between Chelsea and
Tori, they seem to be drifting apart and are going down two different paths in
their lives. Chelsea seems like she is ready to settle down and is very
committed to her job and relationship. Whereas Tori is enjoying the college
life and doesn’t have the responsibility of a job or a relationship. Reading that
Tori seemed to be angry that Chelsea was late for their dinner because of
work goes to show that Tori does understand the work life and that Chelsea
had no choice but to finish her work responsibilities before meeting her for
dinner. Their personal experiences have affected the way they are able to
communicate and relate to each other. For example, to me, if Chelsea were
 to talk about something that was happening at work, Tori would find it hard
to relate to the situation since she doesn’t have a job and is financially
unstable at the moment.

2. The transactional model of communication also specifies three distinct types

of noise: external, physiological, and psychological. Give a specific example of
each of the three types of noise that you think will affect Chelsea and Tori’s
communication.

○ External: Tori and Chelsea meet at a busy restaurant. The amount of external
noise caused by other people and maybe loud music can cause
miscommunication between the two.

○ Physiological: Chelsea gets backed up at work and arrives half an hour late.
Chelsea may be tired from a long day at work which could affect her ability to
listen to Tori and participate in the conversation.

○ Psychological: Tori is struggling financially. When talking with Chelsea about

work, Tori could possibly have a wandering thought about her financial
struggles and fail to listen to what Chelsea is saying.

3. What advice would you give to Chelsea and Tori to improve this situation and
their overall relationship?

○ I would say that they should be more understanding of their differences. Tori
needs to understand that Chelsea has job responsibilities that she needs to
uphold. Chelsea could possibly help Tori get a job if Tori decided to tell her
about her financial struggles. They could turn their differences from
negatives to positives in their friendship.