NURS 204 – INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS
WEEK 1 NOTES:
Communication Definitions
Beebe, et al.
- Communication: “process of acting on information”
- Human communication: “process of making sense out of the world & sharing that sense with
others by creating meaning through the use of verbal & non-verbal messages”
Why study communication? Research shows nurses rate their communication skills as high, but patients
are less satisfied & feel communication could be improved
Types of Communication
Beebe, et al.
1. Interpersonal – distinctive, transactional, involving mutual influence, helps us manage our
relationships
2. Intrapersonal – communicate with oneself
3. Impersonal – treat people as objects or by their role rather than as unique individuals
4. Mass – same message communicated to many people at once but generally not in person
5. Public – in person address large number of people
6. Hyperpersonal – use email or instant messaging to establish relationship with others via
computer
7. Small Group – 3 to 15 people interact with common purpose, mutual influence
Importance of Interpersonal Communication
Improved relationships with:
Family, Friends, Partners/ Lovers, Classmates and Colleagues, Self (physical & emotional health)
Evolving Models of Human Communication
Beebe, et al.
- Action: Message Transfer
- Source – originator of thought/emotion
- Encoding – translate thoughts/ideas/feelings into an understandable code
- Decoding – receiver interprets the thoughts/ideas/feelings
- Message – written, spoken or unspoken, sent intentionally or unintentionally, verbally or non-
verbally or written
- Channel – pathway on which message is communicated
- Receiver – person who decodes the message which is filtered through past experiences,
attitudes, believes, values, prejudices and biases
- Noise – interferes with message, preventing it from being understood
,Model of Human Communication as Action
Interaction: Message Exchange
This perspective adds 2 additional elements
- Feedback
- response to message
- necessary for message to be effective
- Context
- physical & psychological environment
- Includes # people present, goal of communication & relationship of receivers with source
- This model still does not completely capture the complexity of human communication
Model of Communication as Interaction
Transaction: Message Creation
Most realistic model because considers:
- Transaction – interaction is simultaneous (send & receive messages concurrently) with people
reacting to each other
- Systems Theory – system of interconnected elements - change in one element can affect the
other elements
- Episodes – sequence of interactions whereby message of one person influences the message of
the other
Model of Communication as Transaction
,Principles of Interpersonal Communication Beebe, et al
- Connects us to others
- Irreversible
- Complicated
- Governed by rules
- Content & Relationship Dimensions
Improving Communication
Beebe, et al.
Social learning theory – people can adapt behaviour toward others
Strategies:
- Become knowledgeable - about communication
- Become skilled – practice and feedback
- Become motivated – want to improve skills
- Become adaptable – skills differ by situation
- Become ethical – sensitive, give people choices
- Become other-oriented – not egocentric
Interpersonal Communication Skills (See Notes)
- Active Listening
- Questioning
- Encouraging
- Re-stating
- Reflecting Feelings
- Empathizing
- Summarizing
- Clarifying
- Paraphrasing
- Confronting
- Re-framing
- Setting Goals, Problem Solving, Evaluating
- Supporting, Facilitating & Initiating
ACTIVE LISTENING
The interactive process of responding mentally, verbally and non-verbally to a speaker’s message
SOLER
- Squarely face the person
- Open your posture
- Lean towards the sender
- Eye contact maintained
- Relax while attending
, WEEK 2 NOTES:
Self-Awareness & Self -Assessment Class Outline
- Self-Concept
- Self-Assessment Tools
- Self-Esteem
- Self-Disclosure
- Perception
Stages
How formed?
Interpreting behaviour of others
Self-Concept
Definition – “your subjective description of who you think you are”
Components of Self
Material Self – physical things eg. body, possessions, home … if discrepancy between desired and
material self, may try to change
Social Self – part of you that interacts with others
eg. Son/daughter, friend, colleague, classmate
Spiritual Self – your thoughts & introspections about your values and morals … who you think you are
and how you feel about that
Self-Concept
Also reflected in:
Attitudes – learned predisposition, reflect what you do and don’t like
Beliefs – the way you structure your understanding of reality (true vs false)
Values – enduring concepts, one’s judgement of what is important in life… more difficult to identify &
more resistant to change than attitudes & beliefs
Development of Self-Concept
Interaction with Individuals
- Reflected appraisal/looking glass – develop self-concepts that often match ways in which we
believe others see us
- Comments of others more credible if:
- It is repetition of what have heard already
- It comes from someone we have confidence in
- It is consistent with our own experiences
WEEK 1 NOTES:
Communication Definitions
Beebe, et al.
- Communication: “process of acting on information”
- Human communication: “process of making sense out of the world & sharing that sense with
others by creating meaning through the use of verbal & non-verbal messages”
Why study communication? Research shows nurses rate their communication skills as high, but patients
are less satisfied & feel communication could be improved
Types of Communication
Beebe, et al.
1. Interpersonal – distinctive, transactional, involving mutual influence, helps us manage our
relationships
2. Intrapersonal – communicate with oneself
3. Impersonal – treat people as objects or by their role rather than as unique individuals
4. Mass – same message communicated to many people at once but generally not in person
5. Public – in person address large number of people
6. Hyperpersonal – use email or instant messaging to establish relationship with others via
computer
7. Small Group – 3 to 15 people interact with common purpose, mutual influence
Importance of Interpersonal Communication
Improved relationships with:
Family, Friends, Partners/ Lovers, Classmates and Colleagues, Self (physical & emotional health)
Evolving Models of Human Communication
Beebe, et al.
- Action: Message Transfer
- Source – originator of thought/emotion
- Encoding – translate thoughts/ideas/feelings into an understandable code
- Decoding – receiver interprets the thoughts/ideas/feelings
- Message – written, spoken or unspoken, sent intentionally or unintentionally, verbally or non-
verbally or written
- Channel – pathway on which message is communicated
- Receiver – person who decodes the message which is filtered through past experiences,
attitudes, believes, values, prejudices and biases
- Noise – interferes with message, preventing it from being understood
,Model of Human Communication as Action
Interaction: Message Exchange
This perspective adds 2 additional elements
- Feedback
- response to message
- necessary for message to be effective
- Context
- physical & psychological environment
- Includes # people present, goal of communication & relationship of receivers with source
- This model still does not completely capture the complexity of human communication
Model of Communication as Interaction
Transaction: Message Creation
Most realistic model because considers:
- Transaction – interaction is simultaneous (send & receive messages concurrently) with people
reacting to each other
- Systems Theory – system of interconnected elements - change in one element can affect the
other elements
- Episodes – sequence of interactions whereby message of one person influences the message of
the other
Model of Communication as Transaction
,Principles of Interpersonal Communication Beebe, et al
- Connects us to others
- Irreversible
- Complicated
- Governed by rules
- Content & Relationship Dimensions
Improving Communication
Beebe, et al.
Social learning theory – people can adapt behaviour toward others
Strategies:
- Become knowledgeable - about communication
- Become skilled – practice and feedback
- Become motivated – want to improve skills
- Become adaptable – skills differ by situation
- Become ethical – sensitive, give people choices
- Become other-oriented – not egocentric
Interpersonal Communication Skills (See Notes)
- Active Listening
- Questioning
- Encouraging
- Re-stating
- Reflecting Feelings
- Empathizing
- Summarizing
- Clarifying
- Paraphrasing
- Confronting
- Re-framing
- Setting Goals, Problem Solving, Evaluating
- Supporting, Facilitating & Initiating
ACTIVE LISTENING
The interactive process of responding mentally, verbally and non-verbally to a speaker’s message
SOLER
- Squarely face the person
- Open your posture
- Lean towards the sender
- Eye contact maintained
- Relax while attending
, WEEK 2 NOTES:
Self-Awareness & Self -Assessment Class Outline
- Self-Concept
- Self-Assessment Tools
- Self-Esteem
- Self-Disclosure
- Perception
Stages
How formed?
Interpreting behaviour of others
Self-Concept
Definition – “your subjective description of who you think you are”
Components of Self
Material Self – physical things eg. body, possessions, home … if discrepancy between desired and
material self, may try to change
Social Self – part of you that interacts with others
eg. Son/daughter, friend, colleague, classmate
Spiritual Self – your thoughts & introspections about your values and morals … who you think you are
and how you feel about that
Self-Concept
Also reflected in:
Attitudes – learned predisposition, reflect what you do and don’t like
Beliefs – the way you structure your understanding of reality (true vs false)
Values – enduring concepts, one’s judgement of what is important in life… more difficult to identify &
more resistant to change than attitudes & beliefs
Development of Self-Concept
Interaction with Individuals
- Reflected appraisal/looking glass – develop self-concepts that often match ways in which we
believe others see us
- Comments of others more credible if:
- It is repetition of what have heard already
- It comes from someone we have confidence in
- It is consistent with our own experiences
