978-0134202037 Chapter 1 Soluotion Manual

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Interpersonal Communication

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1.1 Compare and contrast definitions of communication, human communication, and

interpersonal communication.

1.2 Explain why it is useful to study interpersonal communication.

1.3 Describe the key components of the communication process, including communication as

action, interaction, and transaction.

1.4 Discuss five principles of interpersonal communication.

1.5 Discuss the role of electronically mediated communication in developing and maintaining

interpersonal relationships.

1.6 Identify strategies that can improve your communication competence.

CHAPTER OUTLINE

The chapter introduction defines other-oriented as an awareness of the thoughts, needs,

experiences, personality, emotions, motives, desires, culture, and goals of your communication

partners while still maintaining your own integrity.

I. Interpersonal Communication Defined

Learning Objective 1.1: Compare and contrast definitions of communication, human

communication, and interpersonal communication.

A. To understand interpersonal communication, we must begin by understanding how it

relates to two broader categories: communication in general and human communication.

1. Communication is the process of acting on information.

2. Human communication is the process of making sense out of the world and sharing

that sense with others by creating meaning through the use of verbal and nonverbal

messages.

3. Interpersonal communication is a distinctive, transactional form of human

communication involving mutual influence, usually for the purpose of managing

relationships.

B. Interpersonal Communication Is a Distinctive Form of Communication

1. Interpersonal Versus Impersonal Communication

a. There is a continuum running from impersonal communication to interpersonal

communication.

b. Impersonal communication occurs when you treat people as objects or relate to

them as roles.

c. Interpersonal communication occurs when you treat others as unique and relate to

them as authentic individuals.

2. I-It and I-Thou Relationships

a. Impersonal communication involves an “I–It” relationship in which you have a

role to perform and there is mechanical, stilted interaction.

b. Interpersonal communication involves an “I–Thou” relationship that is true

dialogue and honest sharing.

c. It is unrealistic to think that all communication will be interpersonal.

3. Interpersonal Versus Other Forms of Communication

a. Mass communication occurs when one person issues the same message to many

people at once.

i. The creator of the message is usually not physically present.

ii. There is virtually no opportunity for listeners to respond to the speaker.

iii. TV and radio messages are good examples of mass communication.

b. Public communication occurs when a speaker addresses an audience in person.

c. Small group communication occurs when a group of from three to fifteen people

meet to interact with a common purpose and mutually influence one another.

d. Intrapersonal communication is communication with yourself.

C. Interpersonal Communication Involves Mutual Influence Between Individuals

1. Every interpersonal communication transaction influences us.

a. The degree of mutual influence varies a great deal from transaction to transaction.

b. Long-lasting interpersonal relationships are sustained not by one person giving

and another taking, but by a spirit of mutual equality.

c. Both you and your partner listen and respond with respect for each other.

d. There is no attempt to manipulate others.

2. The concept of an “I–Thou” relationship includes the quality of being fully “present”

when communicating with another person.

a. To be present is to give your full attention to the other person.

b. The quality of interpersonal communication is enhanced when both you and your

partner are simultaneously present and focused on each other.

D. Interpersonal Communication Helps Individuals Manage Their Relationships

1. A relationship is defined as the connection we make when we communicate with

another person.

a. When two individuals are in a relationship, what one person says or does

influences the other person.

b. People in relationships are affected by the situation in which they are

communicating, the personal skills they possess, and the moves and counter-

moves of their relationship partner.

2. You initiate and form relationships by communicating with others whom you find

attractive in some way.

a. You seek to increase your interactions with people with whom you wish to

develop relationships, and you continually communicate interpersonally to

maintain the relationship.

b. You also use interpersonal communication to end or redefine relationships that

you have decided are no longer viable or need to be changed.

3. You are increasingly likely to use social media to connect with friends and manage

your relationships.

a. Research has found that instant messages (including text messages) have an

overall positive effect on your relationships.

b. E-mail, texting, and other forms of instant messages appear to be primarily used

to maintain existing relationships.

c. E-mail, texting, and other forms of instant messages also play a role in

establishing initial contact with others.

d. Online and instant messages at first are perceived as lower quality than face-to–

face interactions, but over time they are judged just as positively.

II. Interpersonal Communication’s Importance to Your Life

Learning Objective 1.2: Explain why it is useful to study interpersonal communication.

A. Improved Relationships with Family

1. Relating to family members can be a challenge.

2. You can develop more options for how to respond when family communication

challenges occur.

3. Virginia Satir calls family communication “the largest single factor determining the

kinds of relationships [we make] with others.”

4. Communicating with family members and loved ones is the fundamental way of

establishing close, personal relationships with them.

B. Improved Relationships with Friends and Romantic Partners

1. Unmarried people have reported that developing friendships and falling in love are

the top-rated sources of satisfaction and happiness.

2. Losing a relationship is among the most stressful experiences.

3. Individuals between the ages of 19 and 24 years report having already had five to six

romantic relationships and to have been in love once or twice.

4. Studying interpersonal communication can offer insight into our behaviors in

friendship, romance, and love.

C. Improved Relationships with Colleagues

1. Colleagues at work are like family members.

2. While we choose friends and lovers, we often cannot choose colleagues.

3. Understanding how relationships develop at work can help you avoid conflict and

stress and increase your sense of satisfaction.

4. Success and failure often hinge on how well we relate to supervisors and peers.

5. The abilities to listen to others, manage conflict, and develop quality interpersonal

relationships with others are usually at the top of the list of skills that employers are

seeking in job applicants.

D. Improved Physical and Emotional Health

1. The lack or loss of a close relationship can lead to ill health and even death.

2. Widowed or divorced patients experience more medical problems than do married

people.

a. Grief-stricken spouses are more likely than others to die prematurely, especially

around the time of the departed spouse’s birthday or their anniversary.

b. Childless, middle-aged wives are almost two and one-half times more likely to die

in any given year than those who have at least one child.

c. Terminally ill patients with limited social support die sooner than those with

stronger ties to friendships.

d. Without companions and close friends, opportunities for intimacy and stress-

minimizing interpersonal communication are diminished.

III. Interpersonal Communication and the Communication Process

Learning Objective 1.3: Describe the key components of the communication process,

including communication as action, interaction, and transaction.

A. Elements of the Communication Process

1. The most basic components of communication include source, message, channel,

receiver, noise, feedback, and context.

2. Understanding these elements can help you analyze your own communication with

others.

a. Source is the originator of a thought or emotion who puts it into a code that can

be understood by a receiver.

b. Encoding is the action of translating ideas, feelings, and thoughts into code.

c. Decoding is the action of interpreting ideas, feelings, and thoughts that have been

translated into a code.

d. Message is the written, spoken, and unspoken elements of communication to

which people assign meaning.

e. Channel is the pathway through which messages are sent.

f. Receiver is the person who decodes the message and attempts to make sense of

what the source has encoded.

g. Noise is the interferences that keep a message from being understood and

achieving its intended effect.

i. Literal noise can be actual noise, like the roar of a plane.

ii. Psychological noise can be competing thoughts, worries, and feelings that

capture our attention.

h. Feedback is a response to the message; without it, effective communication

rarely occurs.

i. Context is the physical and psychological environment for communication.

B. Models of the Communication Process

1. Communication as Action: Message Transfer

a. The oldest and simplest model is a transferring of meaning.

b. Communication takes place when a message is sent and received.

2. Human Communication as Interaction: Message Exchange

a. In the interaction model, two new components are added to the earlier model:

feedback and context.

b. The interaction model is more realistic than the action perspective, but it still has

limitations.

c. The model is limited because it characterizes communication as a linear, step-by-

step sequence rather than a simultaneous process.

3. Human Communication as Transaction: Message Creation

a. Most scholars view this as the most realistic model for interpersonal

communication.

b. It employs the same components as the other models.

c. It adds the notion of simultaneous interaction of components. As we talk, we also

interpret our partner’s nonverbal and verbal responses.

d. This model is based on systems theory, which describes the interconnected

elements of a system in which a change in one element affects all of the other

elements.

e. A transactional approach to communication suggests that no single cause explains

why you interpret messages the way you do.

f. Communication is the “coordinated management of meaning” through episodes

or sequences of interaction between individuals during which the message of one

person influences the message of another.

In-Text Opportunity for Classroom Discussion

Relating to Diverse Others: The World Is Here

This feature addresses Ishmael Reed’s essay “The World Is Here.” Students are reminded that

America is not a one-dimensional culture and are asked to develop their sensitivity to important

issues related to cultural diversity. Use the three questions in this feature as a starting point for a

class discussion on diversity and interpersonal communication.

IV. Interpersonal Communication Principles

Learning Objective 1.4: Discuss the five principles of interpersonal communication.

A. Interpersonal Communication Connects Us to Others

1. It is through inescapable interpersonal communication with others that we affect and

are affected by other human beings.

2. The quality of interpersonal relationships stems from the quality of communication

with others.

3. Communication is inescapable because it occurs even when you are not conscious of

what you are doing.

4. People judge you by your behavior, not your intent.

B. Interpersonal Communication Is Irreversible

1. Our communication with others is irreversible.

2. Communication continues to be shaped by events, thoughts, and experiences of

communication partners.

3. You can never “take it back.”

C. Interpersonal Communication Is Complicated

1. When you communicate with someone, there are at least six “people” involved.

a. Who you think you are

b. Who you think the other person is

c. Who you think the other person thinks you are

d. Who the other person thinks he or she is

e. Who the other person thinks you are

f. Who the other person thinks you think he or she is

2. Humans use symbols to communicate.

a. Symbols are words, sounds, or visual devices that represent a thought, concept, or

object.

b. Symbols can have various meanings and interpretations, as they are merely a

representation of something else.

c. In English, symbols do not resemble the words they represent.

d. Because multiple factors result in the creation of meaning in people’s minds, it is

not accurate to assume that there are always simple solutions to communication

problems.

D. Interpersonal Communication Is Governed by Rules

1. A rule is a followable prescription that indicates what behavior is obligated,

preferred, or prohibited in certain communication situations or contexts.

a. Rules help us to define appropriate and inappropriate communication in a given

situation.

b. Rules may be explicit or implicit.

c. Rules are developed by those involved in the interaction and by the culture in

which they are communicating.

d. Rules are mutually defined and agreed on.

2. There are some general rules for relationship development and maintenance (research

by Michael Argyle and colleagues).

a. Partners should respect the other’s privacy.

b. Partners should not reveal each other’s secrets.

c. Partners should look the other person in the eye during conversation.

d. Partners should not criticize the other person publicly.

3. Interpersonal rules are learned from observing and interacting with family members

and friends.

E. Interpersonal Communication Involves Both Content and Relationship Dimensions

1. Content message refers to the information, ideas, and suggested actions the speaker

wishes to share—what is said.

2. Relationship message is the relationship dimension of a communication message

that offers cues about the emotion, attitudes, and amount of power and control the

speaker feels; it is how the message is communicated.

3. Metacommunication is “communication about communication.” A

metacommunication message can be nonverbal or verbal.

a. Accurately decoding these unspoken or even verbalized metamessages helps you

understand what people really mean.

b. Meaning is in people, not in words or gestures.

V. Interpersonal Communication and Social Media

Learning Objective 1.5: Discuss the role of electronically mediated communication in

developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships.

A. Social media, a variety of technological applications such as Facebook, Twitter, and

Instagram that serve as channels to help people connect with one another, provides

avenues for people to communicate interpersonally.

1. Electronically mediated communication (EMC) is communication that is not face

to face, but rather is sent via a medium such as a cell phone or the Internet.

2. EMC is not new; people have been communicating without being face to face for

centuries.

3. What is new is that there are so many different ways of immediately connecting with

someone.

4. We frequently use our technology to make and keep friends, to share information, to

listen and respond to and confirm and support others.

5. Mediated communication relationships can be as satisfying as face-to-face

relationships; people seamlessly and easily switch from EMC to FtF context.

6. If you are already “rich” in terms of the quality of face–to-face interpersonal

relationships, you will also enrich your online interpersonal relationships.

7. Hyperpersonal relationships are relationships formed primarily through EMC that

become even more personal than equivalent face-to-face relationships, in part because

of the absence of distracting external cues (such as physical qualities), smaller

amounts of personal information, and idealization of the communication partner.

8. If you are shy in person, you also may be less likely to tweet or IM, yet there is some

evidence that shy or introverted people may be more comfortable using instant

messaging.

9. There are gender differences in text messages and IMs in that women’s text and

instant messages use more words, longer sentences, and more emoticons, and they

discuss and include more social and relational information than men’s messages do.

In-Text Opportunity for Classroom Discussion

Communication and Emotion: The Role of Emotions in Our Relationships with Others

This feature presents information about how emotions and moods influence communication

and highlights four general principles about the role of emotions in our relationships. First,

we are more likely to discuss our emotions in an interpersonal relationship than an

impersonal relationship. Second, we express our emotional verbally and nonverbally,

although nonverbal messages often communication emotions more honestly. Third, culture

influences one’s emotional expression. Fourth, emotions are contagious (i.e., emotional

contagion—the process whereby people mimic the emotions of others after watching and

hearing their emotional expressions). Use the four points in this feature as a starting point for

a class discussion on emotion and communication.

B. Differences Between EMC and Face-to-Face Communication

1. Time Shifting

a. When you interact via EMC, you can do so asynchronously, and the message is

not read, heard, or seen at the same time it is sent; synchronous messages are

those that are sent and received instantly and simultaneously.

b. The more technology simulates a face-to-face conversation, the more social

presence it creates.

c. Social presence is the feeling that communicators have of engaging in

unmediated, face-to-face interactions even though messages are being sent

electronically.

i. It takes longer to tap out a typewritten message than to speak or to convey a

nonverbal message.

ii. When texting, participants may expect to see a response to their message very

quickly, which is one reason text messages are often very short and concise.

iii. Texting someone (as well as sending e-mail, instant messages, and tweets)

allows you time to compose your message and craft it more carefully than you

might in an FtF interaction.

2. Varying Degrees of Anonymity

a. Different forms of social media allow a person to display more anonymity than

other forms do.

b. If one is more anonymous, he or she may say things that are bolder, more honest,

or more outrageous than that person would face to face.

3. Potential for Deception

a. It is easier to lie in many forms of EMC because you cannot hear or see the other

person.

b. Research has found that those who report lying frequently online are more likely

to suspect others of lying.

c. A study using undergraduate college students found that students were more

likely to send deceptive and untrue text messages to family and friends than to

strangers.

d. Liars tend to use fewer first-person pronouns, use more negative terms like “not”

and “never,” use fewer negative words such as “sad” and “upset,” and write

briefer online personal essays.

4. Nonverbal Cues

a. Words and graphics are more important in EMC compared to face-to-face

interactions.

b. Emoticons and emoji provide emotional punctuation in written messages.

c. The ability to tease or make sarcastic remarks becomes more limited in EMC

compared to face-to-face interactions.

d. There is less emphasis on a person’s physical appearance in online situations

compared to face-to-face interactions, unless a person is using Facebook, Skype,

or other video messages.

5. Role of the Written Word

a. A person’s typing and writing abilities affect the quality of any relationship that is

developed online.

6. Distance

a. Typically, there is greater physical distance between people who are

communicating through EMC compared to face to face.

C. Understanding EMC

1. Three theories help explain and predict how EMC works.

2. Cues-Filtered-Out Theory

a. Cues-filtered-out theory suggests that communication of emotions is restricted

when people send messages to others via e-mail or other electronic means because

nonverbal cues such as facial expression and tone of voice are filtered out.

b. Because of the lack of nonverbal cues and other social information, we will be

less likely to use EMC to manage relationships because of its limited ability to

carry emotional and relational information.

3. Media Richness Theory

a. Media richness theory identifies the richness of a communication medium based

on the amount of feedback it allows, the number of cues receivers can interpret,

the variety of language it allows, and the potential for emotional expression.

b. There is some evidence that those wishing to communicate a negative message,

such as a message ending a relationship, may select a less-rich communication

medium.

c. Similarly, people usually want to share good news in person, when they can enjoy

the positive reaction to the message.

4. Social Information-Processing Theory

a. Social information-processing theory suggests that people can communicate

relational and emotional messages via the Internet, although such messages take

longer to express without nonverbal cues.

b. This theory also suggests that if you expect to communicate with your electronic

communication partner again, you will likely pay more attention to the

relationship cues.

c. EMC can actually develop into more socially rich relationships than face-to-face

communication can.

d. When using EMC, we ask questions and interact with others to enhance the

quality of our relationship with them.

e. EMC makes it possible for people to develop interpersonal relationships with

others, whether they are miles away or in the next room.

In-Text Opportunity for Classroom Discussion

#communicationandtechnology: Always On

This feature provides three points about how we are “Always On” (i.e., connected to others via

some electronic means). First, in 2014, 97 percent of people between ages 18 and 27 were online.

Second, people are more socially networked by using Facebook, Snapchat, iMessages, and text

messages. Third, we are less effective with someone in person if we are also using our phones.

Use these three main points to start a class discussion about how students are “Always On.”

VI. Interpersonal Communication Competence

Learning Objective 1.6: Identify strategies that can improve your communication

competence.

A. Become Knowledgeable, Skilled, and Motivated

1. Become Knowledgeable

a. You must know how interpersonal communication works by learning theories,

principles, concepts, and rules.

2. Become Skilled

a. Learning skills requires breaking it down into sub-skills you can learn and

practice (four steps: hear it, see it, do it, and correct it).

b. Skills require practice.

3. Become Motivated

a. You need to be motivated to use your knowledge and skill.

B. Become Other-Oriented

1. Consider the Interest of Others

a. Become an other-oriented communicator by considering the thoughts, needs,

experiences, personality, feelings, motives, desires, culture, and goals of your

communication partner, while maintaining your own integrity.

b. Being other-oriented involves a conscious effort to consider the world from the

point of view of those with whom you interact.

c. Sometimes we are egocentric communicators, such as when we create messages

without giving much thought to the person who is listening.

i. Being egocentric is detrimental to developing healthy relationships with

others.

ii. Other people can often perceive whether we are self-focused or other-

oriented.

iii. Speaking without thinking may occur when we need to purge ourselves or to

confirm our sense of self-importance. It may undermine our relationships with

others. A self-focused communicator often alienates others.

In-Text Opportunity for Classroom Discussion

Improving Your Communication Skills: Practice Being Other-Oriented

Being other-oriented is being aware of others’ thoughts, feelings, goals, and needs in order to

respond in ways that offer personal support. Sycophants—people who praise others only to

manipulate emotions so that their needs are met—are regarded as self-serving and not other-

oriented. Within this section, there are eight scenarios for students to role-play situations to

practice being other-oriented and sycophants.

2. Empathize

a. Being empathic—able to experience the feelings and emotions of others—is

especially important in becoming other-oriented.

3. Adapt

a. We can adapt to our listeners by asking questions, finding topics of mutual

interest, selecting meaningful examples, and avoiding topics that are

uncomfortable for our communication partner.

4. Be Ethical

a. Other-oriented communicators are ethical.

b. Ethics are the beliefs, values, and moral principles by which people determine

what is right or wrong.

c. Ethical communicators seek to establish trust and reduce interpersonal barriers.

d. Ethical communicators do not intentionally decrease others’ feelings of self–

worth.

e. Becoming other-oriented, as evidenced through knowledge, skill, and motivation,

can enhance your interpersonal communication competence and the quality of

your life.

In-Text Opportunity for Classroom Discussion

Applying an Other-Orientation to Being a Competent Interpersonal Communicator

This feature points out that to be a competent interpersonal communicator a person must be

other-oriented. Being other-oriented requires knowledge, motivation, and skill. Use the

information in this feature as a starting point for a class discussion on how students gain

knowledge, maintain motivation, and practice skills to be competent, other-oriented

communicators.

KEY TERMS

other-oriented

communication, LO 1.1

human communication,

LO 1.1

interpersonal

communication, LO 1.1

impersonal

communication, LO 1.1

mass communication,

LO 1.1

public communication,

LO 1.1

small group

communication, LO 1.1

intrapersonal

communication, LO 1.1

relationship, LO 1.1

source, LO 1.3

encode, LO 1.3

decode, LO 1.3

message, LO 1.3

channel, LO 1.3

receiver, LO 1.3

noise, LO 1.3

feedback, LO 1.3

context, LO 1.3

systems theory, LO 1.3

episode, LO 1.3

symbol, LO 1.4

rule, LO 1.4

content, LO 1.4

relationship dimension,

LO 1.4

metacommunication,

LO 1.4

social media, LO 1.5

electronically mediated

communication (EMC),

LO 1.5

emotional contagion,

LO 1.5

hyperpersonal relationship,

LO 1.5

asynchronous message,

LO 1.5

synchronous message,

LO 1.5

social presence, LO 1.5

cues-filtered-out theory,

LO 1.5

media richness theory,

LO 1.5

social information-

processing theory, LO 1.5

egocentric communicator,

LO 1.6

ethics, LO 1.6

LECTURE TOPICS

1. What is the importance of interpersonal communication in your life, particularly pertaining to

your relationships with family and friends?

2. What are the similarities and differences in the ways that you communicate online compared

to face-to-face? Which method of communication do you prefer and why?

3. How can you take a more other-oriented approach to the way that you communicate with

others?

GROUP IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES FOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT

1. Media Clip. Look up almost any YouTube clip from the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond

(an episode called “The Angry Family” works particularly well). Instruct students to write

down everything they notice about the communication of the participants. When the clip has

finished and students have had time to write down their reactions, ask them what they saw.

This should generate a great deal of discussion that may include the following:

• Verbal communication (raised voices, etc.)

• Nonverbal communication (proxemics, kinesics, paralinguistics, haptics)

• Lying

• Avoidance

• Defensiveness and self-protection

• Blaming

• Manipulating

Ask students why they were laughing during the clip. Why is the depiction of “brokenness”

in relationships funny to us? Why do we laugh when we see the sort of strains and tensions

among people as evidenced in this clip? Do media of this sort help us in our communication

with one another, or does it reinforce norms that support brokenness in relationships?

2. Impersonal vs. Interpersonal. Have each student prepare a list of the ways (positively or

negatively) in which he or she communicates with various members of his or her family

(parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and so on), not using real names. Then, have

students form small groups (three to five students) to discuss the ways in which each may or

may not have learned relationship communication skills from those people in his or her early

life. Finally, debrief the small groups in the larger, full class.

3. Models of Communication. A few days before this activity, ask students to bring several

magazines to class. Be prepared to supply a poster board, scissors, and glue for each group.

For this activity, have small groups (three to five students) cut out images from the

magazines and create, using those images and pasting them to their poster board, (a) an

action model, (b) an interactional model, and (c) a transactional model. Tell the class that

each group will be expected to explain how the images their group chose illustrate each

model.

4. EMC. Electronically mediated interpersonal communication is different from live, FtF

interactions in six distinctive ways: (1) time, (2) varying degrees of anonymity, (3) potential

for deception, (4) availability of nonverbal cues, (5) role of the written word, and (6)

distance. Have students form six (6) small groups (in a very large class, you may want to

have twelve small groups and assign two groups to each area). Assign each group one (1) of

the six differences. Then, each group is to create a fairly exhaustive list of the ways each

difference can be (a) detrimental to effective communication and (b) helpful in achieving

effective communication. Once these lists are completed, give each group time to present and

discuss its list to the class.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

1. Communicating on Facebook. Interpersonal communication is governed by rules, and these

rules can be extended to new media as well. Ask students to make a list of the norms

governing communication on Facebook. For example, do they think it is appropriate for a

professor to be Facebook “friends” with a student in his or her class? What sort of

communication is appropriate on Facebook? Who should and should not be friends? What

new rules do they think should apply to this sort of communication? Ask students to share

any examples of poor communication practices they have seen on Facebook. Where would

they place this sort of communication on the impersonal to interpersonal continuum? What

advantages does mediated communication like this have? What disadvantages? How can the

technologies of communication function in ways that facilitate the spreading of rumors? How

can the technologies of communication strengthen and help relationships?

2. Being Skilled. Part of being a competent communicator is being skilled. Ask students to

write a reflection about whether they believe there are any sure-fire strategies for interacting

with others. For instance, is honesty always the best policy? If you cannot say something

nice, should you refrain from saying anything at all? Invite students to consider other

proverbs and the accuracy of these proverbs in learning skills to be other-oriented and more

competent communicators.

3. Realizing Your Communication Strengths and Weaknesses. Have students list three of

their interpersonal communication strengths and three interpersonal communication

weaknesses. Then, ask students to reflect on recent interactions with others and how these

strengths and weaknesses were made known.

4. Electronically Mediated Communication Etiquette. Until the next class period have

students write down a list of etiquette rules that they think are important when using social

media. Ask students to reflect on the origin of these rules and why these rules are important

to them. Then, ask students to log any instances in which they or others have violated these

rules. Bring this list to the following class.

REVEL WRITING EXERCISES

Journal Writing

1.1 Journal: I-It and I-Thou Relationships. Using examples, describe the difference between

an “I–It” relationship and an “I–Thou” relationship.

1.2 Journal: Challenging Work Relationships. Describe a relationship you’ve developed on

the job where you encountered conflict and/or stress. How did you manage this challenging

relationship?

1.3 Journal: Everyday Communication. What makes interpersonal communication a complex

process? Explain, drawing on some of your own everyday communication exchanges.

1.4 Journal: Not Home for the Holidays. Your parents want you to visit them for the holidays,

but you would rather spend the time with a friend. You do not want to hurt your parents’

feelings, so you tell them that you are working on an important project and cannot come home. It

achieves the intended effect: Your parents do not seem to have hurt feelings and you do not go

home. Explain whether your message is ethical or unethical.

1.5 Journal: Deception and EMC. There is a greater potential for deception with electronically

mediated communication (EMC) than with face-to-face communication. What other ethical

issues arise with EMC? What are some steps you can take to be sure that you communicate

ethically via electronic media? And how do you evaluate the credibility and reliability of the

electronically mediated communication you receive?

1.6 Journal: Egocentric Communicators. What are some strategies and suggestions you can

use to avoid being an egocentric communicator?

Shared Writing: EMC versus FtF

Working together, describe the ways you use electronically mediated communication (EMC) on

a daily basis. When is EMC preferred over face-to-face (FtF) communication? When is FtF

preferred?