Reflective Essay on Interpersonal Communication

Running head: INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION 1
Reflective Essay on Interpersonal Communication
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INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION 2
Reflective Essay on Interpersonal Communication
Introduction
Communication is the process through which two people or parties pass on information
with an intended message. It is the act of passing on encoded messages from one group to the
other with the hope of the second party decoding the message, and hence a specific message has
been passed, and they do this using signs, semiotic rules, and symbols that are understood by
both parties. There are various forms of communication, and one of them is interpersonal
communication which often involves face to face communication. The interpersonal
communication model is made up of multiple elements such as the receiver, the medium, the
sender, feedback and, encoding and decoding. Therefore interpersonal communication is the act
of individuals utilizing verbal and nonverbal cues so that set personal and relational objectives
can be achieved (Wood, 2015). Hence this essay will reflect on interpersonal communication
skills while giving examples of the skills in real life situations.
Week Two- Perception and Communication
One interpersonal communication skill that I learned about was perception and
communication. This means an individual can observe the environment where the conversation
is happening and just to suite it. Basically, how we view others or the opinion, we hold of others
effects how we communicate with them, how we understand the message they pass on with their
communication and who we choose to correspond with. Knowing how perception affects
communication only if individuals are aware of the concept of self and self-esteem. By
understanding myself, I will be able to understand what motivate me to view someone in a
certain way, and then evaluate if my perception is warranted or not. By doing this, it will make

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION 3
communication better since at times people view people in the wrong way leading to hostility
while communicating when they meant no harm and were misunderstood. One example I utilized
this skill is during choosing team member for a project I undertook. While interviewing a
potential group member, I ensured I was quite observant to see what their emotions were when
asked questions. Then I asked a lot of questions about their background and if they were able to
perform as I expected. Therefore all of this helped me choose a good team since I was able to
build a perception about them. Holding a positive view of people in a group is essential for group
cohesion.
Week Three- Rapport Development
The next interpersonal communication skill I learned about was rapport development.
The most important thing to have or communication between two parties to be successful is a
relationship between the two. Hence rapport development is a way of getting this relationship
whereby rapport means the sense of being connected to an individual when you meet them and
communicate with them and with this comes trusting and liking them, and whose opinions and
views you understand. Therefore, rapport development is described as the process of creating a
pleasant, harmonious and comfy, working relationship between two parties who intend to
communicate. Any form of relationship between two people requires rapport to exist between
them since when there is a rapport between the two parties communication, it will leave a
positive feeling about it (Webb & Barrett, 2014).
An example of a situation that I applied the rapport development skill is when I had an
interview for a part-time job that I used. I am an introvert; hence I was scared about the meeting
as I thought I would freeze up when I was supposed to answer questions asked by the
interviewer. Therefore after building up some courage by reading up on the job description and

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION 4
the company so that I would know how to answer. Once I was in the interview room, however, I
got over my jitters, and the interview went well from the get-go as I was dressed similarly to my
interviewer an I saw that they appreciated this and felt we had something in common with them.
Also, I gave all my answers while smiling and politely; hence I built rapport with them. In
assessing my use of development, I developed a relationship with my interviewer which was
evident since she was smiling all through the process and she even recommended some things
for me to build up my experience while in school. I was happy with the use of this skill because
it helped me feel easier and get over my fear of speaking in front of people and I successfully got
the job. One way I could have made it better was by mirroring my interviewer’s body language
and speech tone and pitch since people like sounds and actions that seem familiar to them.
Week Four and Five- Listening Skills.
Another skill is listening skills or active listening as it is sometimes called. Excellent
listening skills are required for efficient communication to happen however most people confuse
when someone hears something which is just the message reaches the person, but listening is
where they internalize the message and decode it to understand. Hence, listening skills are
referred to as the process of an individual hearing a communication being passed on to them,
taking it in decoding the message, understanding it and finally giving feedback. It is an essential
part of communication as without it people would just be talking and with no input, the
conversation will not be able to go on. Some of the benefits of active listening skills include it
helps people avoid having misunderstandings with other people, helps people become good
students and also help understand other people’s point of view. Effective listening happens in
various stages which include; receiving the message, decoding it, recalling it, making a decision
on steps to take and giving feedback (Bodie, 2011).