INTERPERSONAL

COMMUNICATION
PRINCIPLES
 THE PRINCIPLES OF INTERPERSONAL
COMMUNICATION
1. COMMUNICATION IS PURPOSEFUL
2. COMMUNICATION IS TRANSACTIONAL
3. COMMUNICATION IS A PACKAGE OF SIGNALS
4. COMMUNICATION IS A PROCESS OF ADJUSTMENT
5. COMMUNICATION INVOLVES CONTENT AND RELATIONSHIP DIMENSIONS
6. COMMUNICATION IS AMBIGUOUS
7. COMMUNICATION IS PUNCTUATED
8. COMMUNICATION IS INEVITABLE, IRREVERSIBLE, AND UNREPEATABLE
 6. COMMUNICATION IS AMBIGUOUS

• AMBIGUOUS MESSAGES ARE MESSAGES WITH MORE THAN ONE POTENTIAL MEANING.
SOMETIMES THIS AMBIGUITY OCCURS BECAUSE WE USE WORDS THAT CAN BE INTERPRETED
DIFFERENTLY (E.G. SOON, RIGHT AWAY, IN A MINUTE, AND SIMILAR TERMS OFTEN MEAN
DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE).
• A MORE INTERESTING TYPE OF AMBIGUITY IS GRAMMATICAL AMBIGUITY (E.G. VISITING
RELATIVES CAN BE BORING; IT CAN MEAN TWO THINGS 1. TO VISIT RELATIVES CAN BE BORING
OR 2. RELATIVES WHO VISIT CAN BE BORING).
• WHEN YOU EXPRESS AN IDEA, YOU NEVER COMMUNICATE YOUR MEANING EXACTLY AND
TOTALLY; RATHER, YOU COMMUNICATE YOUR MEANING WITH SOME REASONABLE ACCURACY—
ENOUGH TO GIVE THE OTHER PERSON A REASONABLY CLEAR SENSE OF WHAT YOU MEAN.
 7. COMMUNICATION IS PUNCTUATED

• COMMUNICATION EVENTS ARE CONTINUOUS TRANSACTIONS. THERE IS NO

CLEAR-CUT BEGINNING AND NO CLEAR-CUT END. AS PARTICIPANTS OR
OBSERVERS OF THE COMMUNICATION ACT, YOU SEGMENT THIS CONTINUOUS

A B
STREAM OF COMMUNICATION INTO SMALLER PIECES AND LABEL SOME OF
THESE AS CAUSES OR STIMULI AND OTHERS AS EFFECTS OR RESPONSES.

c
 7. COMMUNICATION IS PUNCTUATED

• THIS TENDENCY TO DIVIDE COMMUNICATION TRANSACTIONS INTO SEQUENCES OF STIMULI AND

RESPONSES IS REFERRED TO AS PUNCTUATION.
• EVERYONE PUNCTUATES THE CONTINUOUS SEQUENCES OF EVENTS INTO STIMULI AND RESPONSES
FOR CONVENIENCE. MOREOVER, AS THE EXAMPLE ILLUSTRATES, PUNCTUATION USUALLY IS DONE
IN WAYS THAT BENEFIT THE SELF AND ARE CONSISTENT WITH A PERSON’S SELF-IMAGE.
• UNDERSTANDING HOW ANOTHER PERSON INTERPRETS A SITUATION, HOW HE OR SHE PUNCTUATES,
IS A CRUCIAL STEP IN INTERPERSONAL UNDERSTANDING.
• IN ALL COMMUNICATION ENCOUNTERS, BUT ESPECIALLY IN CONFLICTS, TRY TO SEE HOW OTHERS
PUNCTUATE THE SITUATION.
8. COMMUNICATION IS INEVITABLE, IRREVERSIBLE, AND
UNREPEATABLE

• COMMUNICATION MESSAGES ARE ALWAYS BEING SENT (OR ALMOST ALWAYS), CAN’T BE
REVERSED NOR UNCOMMUNICATED, AND ARE ALWAYS UNIQUE AND ONE TIME OCCURRENCES.
• INEVITABLE; THE PRINCIPLE OF INEVITABILITY MEANS THAT IN ANY INTERACTIONAL
SITUATION COMMUNICATION WILL OCCUR (E.G. STUDENT SITTING AT THE BACK AND STARING
OUT THE WINDOW). WHEN YOU’RE IN AN INTERACTIONAL SITUATION YOU CAN’T AVOID
RESPONDING TO THE MESSAGES OF OTHERS (E.G. SOMEONE SMILES AT YOU).
• IRREVERSIBLE; COMMUNICATION IS AN IRREVERSIBLE PROCESS (GOES IN ONE DIRECTION
ONLY). ONCE YOU SAY SOMETHING, ONCE YOU PRESS THE SEND KEY ON YOUR E-MAIL, YOU
CAN’T UNCOMMUNICATE IT. YOU CAN REDUCE THE EFFECTS OF YOUR MESSAGE, BUT THE
MESSAGE ITSELF, ONCE IT HAS BEEN SENT AND RECEIVED, CAN’T BE REVERSED.
• UNREPEATABLE; EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING. AS A RESULT, YOU
CAN NEVER RECAPTURE THE EXACT SAME SITUATION, FRAME OF MIND, OR RELATIONSHIP
DYNAMICS THAT DEFINED A PREVIOUS COMMUNICATION ACT (E.G. YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION).
CASE STUDY
 WORD OF THE DAY

• WORD: ENCOMPASS
• WORD CLASS: VERB
• MEANING: 1. SURROUND AND HAVE OR HOLD
WITHIN. 2. INCLUDE COMPREHENSIVELY.
• SENTENCE: 1. THIS AREA OF LONDON
ENCOMPASSES PICCADILLY TO THE NORTH
AND ST JAMES'S PARK TO THE SOUTH. 2. NO
STUDIES ENCOMPASS ALL SECTORS OF
MEDICAL CARE.