Work relationships and communication

How communication affects relationships at work

The way in which we communicate with people is important because it can affect the
relationship we have, the effectiveness of our own and others’ work and of the organisation in
which we work.

How communication affects at work in a positive way.

 Positive communicators establish relationships of trust, with service users, their carers
and our colleagues and to ensure that other parties involved in our interactions understand
the scope and limitations of our work and what is appropriate and inappropriate for us to
take on.
 Communicating positively has an impact on the quality of the relationships we form with
other people, it can have a profound influence on other people and on how they respond
to us.
 We need to be aware of how we present ourselves in conversation of in written
communication (grammar, vocabulary we choose to use, volume and tone of voice, how
we use nonverbal communication; our awareness of personal space) to make sure we are
communicating the right message.

How communication affects relationships at work in a negative way

 Poor communicators are not effective in their work role and can let themselves and others
down, giving a poor image of the organisations where they work.
 Poor communication can quickly lead to confusion and distress. The process of
exchanging information through communication is not always straightforward. If the
information shared is
accurate or misleading, mistakes can be made which can result in poor care.

Poor communication can quickly lead to confusion and distress. The process of exchanging
information through communication is not always straightforward. If the information shared is
accurate or misleading, mistakes can be made which can result in poor care.
Our ability to be able to take turns in conversations and to listen appropriately as well as to speak
is crucial. Showing that we are listening is important. The use of reflective listening (listening to
what the person is saying and checking our understanding by expressing it back to them) and
active listening skills (focussing entirely on the person and not be distracted or interrupted by
others) enables us not to impose our own views or decisions on people but to enable them to
have the means to feel supported when resolving things themselves.
Remember It is often not what we say but how we say it which has the effect!
Interpersonal Communication(include technological correspondence)
What is Interpersonal
Communication?
 Interpersonal Communication came from the Latin word “inter”, meaning between.
 It pertains to relations between persons. [dictionary.com] 
 “The dyad [or communication between two people] is the building block of human
social interaction.” [Zimmerman, Owen and Seibert, 1986]

What is Interpersonal
Communication?

 “Interpersonal Communication is a selective, systemic, unique and on-going process of

interaction between people, who reflect and build personal knowledge of one another
and create shared meanings.”[Wood, 2002]

Why do we communicate
to form relationships?

 “Interpersonal Communication is a selective, systemic, unique and on-going process of

interaction between people, who reflect and build personal knowledge of one another
and create shared meanings.”[Wood, 2002]
 “Interpersonal Communication is a selective, systemic, unique and on-going process of
interaction between people, who reflect and build personal knowledge of one another
and create shared meanings.”[Wood, 2002]
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Physiological needs
 At the most basic level, human needs air, food and water in order to survive.
 We rely on communication to communicate what we need (e.g. a baby crying for milk)
or if something is amiss (e.g. when we are in pain)
Safety Needs
 We meet safety needs by communicating what we need (e.g. fix a leaking roof, report
threats to police or authority, etc.)
 News announcements are also made if food threats or natural calamities are taking
place.

Belongingness and Love needs

 This may also refer to social needs. We want other people’s acceptance and affirmation.
 We want to be included in groups.
 Our fear of rejection prevents us from disclosing information about ourselves [Powell,
1969]

Esteem needs

 Value that we give ourselves and value other people gives us.
 Derived from positive evaluation of other people.

Self Actualization

 The most abstract human need.

 “It is defined as the fully using and developing our unique talents, capacities and
potentials.” [Maslow, 1970]

Adler and Towne, 1987

 We like people who are similar to us.

 We like people who are different from us.
 We like people who like us.
 We are attracted to people who can help us.
 We like competent people.
 We like people who discloses themselves to us.
 We feel strongly towards people we encounter often.

A Communication Continuum
Interpersonal vs. Impersonal

 All communication happens between people yet many interactions don’t involve us
personally [Wood, 2002]
 When we talk about interpersonal communication, we are referring to the quality of
interaction between individuals [Adler & Towne, 1987]
 In impersonal interactions, we tend to classify the other person by using labels. [Adler &
Towne, 1987]
 I-IT relationship  We do not acknowledge the humanity of other people, sometimes not
even their existence. [Buber, 1970].
 The degree to which the communicators rely socially constructed rules to interact with
other people determine the degree of our relationship with other people. [Adler &
Towne, 1987]
 I-You relationships  We don’t look at other people as objects, but we don’t see them as
unique individuals either. [Buber, 1970].
 The amount of information the communicators have about each other also determines
the level of their relationship with one another. [Adler & Towne, 1987]
 I-Thou relationships  The rarest kind of relationship…the highest form of human
dialogue because each person affirms the other as cherished and unique. [Buber, 1970]
Self-Disclosure in Relationships

Self-Disclosure - “It is the process of deliberately revealing information about oneself that is
significant and that would not normally be known by others” [Adler & Towne, 1987]
Stages of Interpersonal Relationships

Initiating - To show that you are interested in making contact and to show that you are a
person worth talking to.

Experimenting
 Initially, people tend to look for a common ground.
 The hallmark of this stage is small talk. “Small talk is like Listerine: we don’t like it but we
get a doze of it everyday” Mark Knapp

Integrating - As the relationship strengthens, the parties begin to take on an identity as a
social unit. [Adler & Towne, 1987]
Intensifying
 The amount of personal information disclosed increases.
 Forms of addresses become more informal.

Bonding - At this stage, parties make symbolic public gestures to show the world of the
relationship.

Differentiating

 After both parties have established their commonality, they now seek to re-establish
their individual identities.
 The key to successful differentiation is the need to maintain commitment to a
relationship while creating the space for members to be individuals as well. [Adler &
Towne, 1987]

Circumscribing

 The communication concentrates more on superficial and public topics with less
breadth or depth
 Communication decreases in amount and becomes more restricted to certain "safe"
topics

Stagnating

 Communication about the relationship ceases

 Participants may sit in each other's presence for long periods without communicating ›
There is a great amount of tension in the relationship and it is evident the relationship is
in jeopardy. [Thomlison, 2000]

Avoiding

 Parties in the relationship begin to put distance between each other, sometimes in
guises of excuses or more direct “I don’t want to be with/see you today”. [Adler &
Towne, 1987]
 Includes avoidance of physical contact as well as ignoring the other nonverbally and
verbally when they are in the same physical space [Thomlison, 2000]
Terminating
 This final stage may include dialogues of where the relationship has gone and the desire
to disassociate [Adler & Towne, 1987]
 Open access ceases and it is clear the relationship, in its current form, no longer exists
[Thomlison, 2000]

Four Principles of Interpersonal Communication

 Interpersonal Communication is in-escapable
 We constantly communicate with others.
 Gestures, posture, facial expressions, clothing, etc. play a role in substituting spoken
language in its absence
 People are judged by behaviour, not by intent.

 Interpersonal Communication is irreversible

 Messages cannot be taken back once uttered or shown
 Actions and spoken messages make an impression that cannot be erased.

 Interpersonal Communication is complicated

 No form of communication is simple.
 The number of variables involved can make the simplest requests complex
There are 6 people involved when we communicate:
 Who you think you are ?
 Who you think the other person is ?
 Who you think the other person thinks you are ?
 Who the other person thinks he/she is ?
 Who the other person thinks you are ?
 Who the other person thinks you think he is ?

 Interpersonal Communication is contextual

 Communication does not happen in isolation; it occurs in different contexts at
the same time.
 Psychological Context
 Relational Context
 Situational Context
 Environmental Context
 Cultural Context
Models of Interpersonal Communication
Linear Models Laswell’s Communication Model

 Who?
 Says what?
 To whom?
 In what channel?
 With what effect?
Interactive Models : Adopted from Schramm’s Model, 1955

Transactional Model
Theories on Interpersonal Communication

 Confucianism

A. A study and theory of relationship within hierarchies.

B. When each person within a society plays his or her part well in the social order,
social harmony will be achieved.

 Social Exchange Theory

A. “Relationships grow, develop and deteriorate and dissolve as a consequence

of an unfolding social-exchange process…” [Huston & Burgess, 1979]
B. “Relationships grow, develop and deteriorate and dissolve as a consequence
of an unfolding social-exchange process…” [Huston & Burgess, 1979]

 Social Penetration Theory

A. It is customary for the individuals within the relationship to undergo the

process of selfdisclosure [Ledbetter, 2012]
Example: A facebook user’s profile

B. The user’s level of self-disclosure is directly related to the level of

interdependence with other people.
Technological Correspondence

Technology and interpersonal communication skills

 Technologies such as email, text messaging and social media have added a new
dimension to interpersonal communication. There are increasing claims that over-
reliance on online communication affects the development of interpersonal
communication skills, in particular nonverbal communication. Psychologists and
communication experts argue that listening to and comprehending conversations plays
a significant role in developing effective interpersonal communication skills.
Social networks
 A social network is made up of a set of individuals (or organizations) and the links
among them. For example, each individual may be treated as a node, and each
connection due to friendship or other relationship is treated as a link. Links may be
weighted by the content or frequency of interactions or the overall strength of the
relationship. This treatment allows patterns or structures within the network to be
identified and analyzed, and shifts the focus of interpersonal communication research
from solely analyzing dyadic relationships to analyzing larger networks of connections
among communicators.[44] Instead of describing the personalities and communication
qualities of an individual, individuals are described in terms of their relative location
within a larger social network structure. Such structures both create and reflect a wide
range of social phenomena.