Inter-personal communication is vital in job requirements since most organizational problems are traced back to communication breakdown. Poor communication or lack of communication within the organizational environment and workplace contributes to poor performance and deterioration of an organization (Myers, Seibold and Park, 2011). The principles of communication help offer an understanding of the basic aspects of communication and aid in developing and adjusting the basic communication skills.
Principles of Interpersonal Communication
One of the principles that can support a new employee is “Communication is irreversible,” which means one cannot undo whatever message one conveys (DeVito, 2019). For instance, when in an argument with a person, you say something that hurt someone. The fact that communication is irreversible means that once something is said, the words become part of the relationship. As a new employee, communication should remain positive and aimed at building relationships. This is because we cannot retrieve or take back information, whether it was intended or not. Another principle is “Communication is Contextual,” which follows a bidirectional transfer of information among parties (DeVito, 2019). Therefore, the employee should be aware of the environmental, relational, and cultural context of exchange.
Another principle of communication that can support a new employee is “Communication is inevitable.” This means that communication has to take place, whether non-verbal or verbal (DeVito, 2019). This principle influences how people communicate and maintain relationships since even if one does not want to communicate, they can have unconscious communication, which impacts interaction. The new employees can focus on enhancing their verbal and non-verbal communication, thus facilitating better interaction.
Self-Concept
Self–concept is how you perceive abilities, behavior, and unique characteristics. Being aware of oneself means having a concept of oneself. Self-concept develops and grows based on knowledge about oneself, such as personality traits (DeVito, 2019). For instance, the belief that I am a good person is part of an overall self-concept. Therefore, self-concept comes from a combination of experiences and personality traits that one lived through. The more we know about our characteristics, feelings, beliefs, and values, the better we understand ourselves.
Self-concept influences attitude, perception, and behavior which can be illustrated through the interpersonal communication ((Myers, Seibold and Park, 2011). The beliefs and feelings that one has can affect how one understands the information and influence their response. Ideally, during communication, the parties involved are full of expectations, hopes, fears, and doubts, which impact communication among the parties. Therefore, self-concept directly impacts interpersonal communication, which means there is a need to pay attention to the tone of voice and words that indicate how we feel about others.
Perception
Perception is the interpretation of information to understand and represent information. Relatively, perception is a set of processes used to make sense out of something we are present with. An individual’s perception is grounded on how we interpret various sensations (DeVito, 2019). Therefore, this allows the taking of information and interpreting it to something we can categorize. Perception allows an individual to form impressions of others.
Perception influences interpersonal communication since communication is a manner of expression that allows conveying feelings, thoughts, and desires and giving feedback. Ideally, perceptions tend to influence an individuals’ non-verbal and verbal behaviors when around others ((Myers, Seibold and Park, 2011). Communication and interaction with others are based on impressions of others. The ongoing process of communicating and judging others can have a lasting impact on interpersonal communication and behavior.
Conclusion
Interpersonal communication allows exchange of information between two or more parties. Effective interpersonal communication is guided by principles that impact interaction. The principles of interpersonal communication affect personal and professional relationship. Perception and self-concept are vital in interpersonal communication process since they influence an individual’s behavior, feelings and attitudes during communication and response. It’s important to on the entire process of exchanging information to improve on interaction.
