Relational Communication Theory

Most relationships begin with some form of communication, whether it is verbal or non-verbal, so being able to communicate effectively is important for developing positive relationships whether with children of differing age groups or adults. The way we come across i.e. the tone and volume of our voice, our body language, whether we keep eye contact etc. and the messages this sends out is important because if we relate to others in a positive way then it will be easier to develop a more positive relationship. Another important factor of effective communication is being able to listen fully to what is being said and to respond in an appropriate way whether it is to another adult, a teenager or a child. To make sure you both fully understand

Socio-linguist Deborah Tannen demonstrates how men and women communicate differently in her essay “Sex, Lies and Conversation: Why Is It So Hard for Men and Women to Talk to Each Other?” In her observations of communication styles, she discusses the way in which men and women communicate leads them to conflict because they have different understanding of their partners’ role. She also explains male and female communication differences not only cause ineffective conversation, but also push couples into a dilemma in their relationship; however, as men and women better understand the differences, their relationship improves.

This theory was made by Michael Argyle (1925- 2002), who was a social psychologist. In the late 1960s he studied social skills, body language, non-verbal communication and interpersonal behaviour. In this study, he found that non-verbal signals can be much more important and useful than verbal communication when trying to trigger peoples’ attitudes and feelings. His research showed and found that the stronger the relationship between the people communicating so with close friends for example the much better eye contact. However, when the relationship is not very strong so when speaking to a stranger people don’t have very good eye contact and they tend to look away when talking. Argyle thought that a positive attitude and the feelings a close friendship has can be encouraged by the good and effective eye contact. He also found that non-verbal signals are just important and effective as verbal signals or communication.

Socio-linguist Deborah Tannen illustrates that communication differences within men and women in “Sex, Lies and Conversation: Why Is It So Hard for Men and Women to Talk to Each Other.” Tannen provides an anecdote to describe the same conversational problems that happen on married couples. Tannen states different communication styles of men and women cause misunderstanding or even ruin their marriage. Tannen also provides the solution of understanding “cross-cultural” differences can improve male and female relationship.

relationships in work setting in health and social care are very important we need to build a relationship with are colleagues and mangers staff to enable us to work effectively.it is essential to establish good relationship and communication with service user and there family’s but you must always have boundaries and keep it professional effective communication and working relationships .

Communication is a critical foundation of every relationship; without it the relationship is deemed unsuccessful. Unsuccessful communication can result in constant tension, power inequalities and disagreements. Relational Dialectics is a communication theory, formed by Leslie Baxter and Barbara Montgomery, in which personal relationships are judged upon the management of tension produced by contradictory forces. (Thrift, 2017). Each of the contradictory forces contain two components, an internal source, between the individuals in the relationship and and external source, which is interference from the outside world. The film Safe Haven (Bowen, Hallström, 2013), illustrates the successful use of the contradictory forces, as well as how to manage the tensions of selection, separation, neutralization and reframing set out by the theory of Relational Dialectics. Communication in romantic relationships may pose challenges among significant others when learning how to allude the tensions unexpected realities put upon them. Relational Dialectics, demonstrated by the characters of Katie and

During this semester, I gained a lot of skills and knowledge about interpersonal relations. As a human being, as a member of the "global village", everyone need to communicate with others. It is important to learn how to communicate well and how to build a healthy and positive interpersonal relationship with others. Like the textbook’ name “Looking Out Looking In”, we looked in the communication itself, looked out the language barrier, nonverbal messages and effective listening, and looked at relational dynamics.

Chapter two in the textbook Reflect & Relate an Introduction to Interpersonal Communication by Steven McCornack talks all about what “self” is and how to achieve complete fulfillment for one’s self which is also known as self-actualization. The components of self, as described in the book are, “ . . . self-awareness, self-concept, and self-esteem” (McCornack 39). Self-awareness is the idea in which one can take a moment to move feelings, beliefs, and other external influences aside and just evaluate oneself in a holistic perspective that is not skewed by opinions of others, etc. Having the ability to actually think about who one is brings a lot of power and mental stability in such a way that allows for improvement. For example,

Effective relationships should be a common goal for all to strive for. The learner believes that there are four major signs that make us human; the need to love, the need to be loved, the need to be accepted and the need to be respected as an individual. None of these things can be accomplished alone, therefore, a relationship needs to be formed. The more effective the relationship the more these needs are able to be met. In the study of marriage and family we look into the areas that can either make or break relationships. We look at the different ways to communicate effectively, the power and conflicts that occur within relationships, and the personal responsibility role we each take on in a relationship.

In Deborah Tannen’s “But What Do You Mean,” she delves into the complications men and women may have when it comes to expressing their ideas and opinions to one another. In this essay, Tannen explores common situations in communication including apologies, criticism, thank-yous, fighting, praise, complaints, and jokes. In each section, she expresses the idea that the lack of communication between men and women is because of differentiations in the thought process. She continues to say that when it comes to voicing opinions males and females are wired differently. While Tannen’s theory may apply to a large spectrum, it is too generalized to base it on individual people. When we begin to generalize each other we never truly take the time to

Power is one of the words that holds great effect. It is defined by Webster (2015) as “the ability to control people or things; a person or organization that has a lot of control and influence over other people or organizations”. In general, a person or organization that holds power has authority over others. Thus, power is conceptualized in the organizational communication by critical theorists. For critical theorists, power is the most important concept when it comes to organizational communication. They view power as a “defining, ubiquitous feature of organizational life” (Miller, 2015: 118). Which means that power defines an organization, individual or a group. There are three approaches that help in understanding the concept of power namely, the traditional approach, the symbological approach and the radical critical approach (Miller, 2015: 118). These approaches are explained fully below. Firstly the traditional approach. According to Miller, (2015: 118) the traditional approach “considers power to be a relative entity that people or group possess”, which means that each and every individual, group or organization have power within them.

Berger, C. R. (1987). Communicating under uncertainty. In M. E. Roloff & G. R. Miller (Eds.), Interpersonal processes: New directions in communication research. Newbury Park.

One of the most fundamental elements of a healthy and strong relationship is communication. The lack of communication in the relationship can result in severe consequences. If there is no communication between a couple, then they will feel lonely and isolated which might make them emotionally vulnerable and make them withdraw from social activities. The lack of communication creates a chain of problems. One problem can lead to another problem, which results in a new problem.

The methods of communication have changed over time. Society has gone from writing letters to email. From there communication went to IM or text messaging. Technology continued to evolve and communication continued to advance. FaceTime or Skype allows us to communicate no matter the distance. Yet, one thing still remained – our interpersonal communication. We still exchange information. We still speak about our feelings, through verbal and non-verbal messages. Over time, myriads of professors have developed different theories that humans communicate. This paper will take a look at Knapp’s Relationship Theory what the purpose of the study is and the results. Furthermore, we’ll take a look at the strengths, weaknesses, and room for improvement

All human beings communicate either with intention or without intention every single day. According to Barth (2014), Palo Alto Team stated “ one cannot not communicate” in one of their axioms of communication. Communication can be defined as “a social process in which individuals employ symbols to establish and interpret meaning in their environment” (Went & Turner, 2014, p. 5). It can be divided into three models in order to enhance our understanding towards the function of communication, which are mainly linear model, interactional model and transcactional model (Wood, 2009). According to Went & Turner, 2014, there are also different traditions and contexts in communication where it helps us to break down difficulty when we attempt to understand communication theory and their process.