Interpersonal Communication

KEITH FORREST

Mass Media |Public Relations |Writing Scholarship

Interpersonal Communication

Chapter 6: Universals of Verbal and Non-Verbal Behavior

· Nonassertiveness

o “You Win, I lose”

· Aggressiveness

o “I Win, You Lose”

· Assertiveness

o “I Win, You Win”

Communicating Assertively

l Describe the Problem

l State How it Affects You

l Propose Solutions

l Confirm Understanding

l Reflect on Own Assertiveness

Use non-assertive, aggressive and assertive communication to get these messages across in these situations.

1. You are a supervisor at a computer company. You need to speak to one of your subordinates about their work ethic. She/he has been arriving late to work, and missing deadlines for important projects.

2. You must explain to your spouse why you have been working 60 hours per week for the last few months.

3. You must meet with your daughter’s teacher to talk to him about her behavior problems. She has been disruptive in class, constantly interrupting her peers and the teacher, and not following directions.

4. You are interested romantically in a co-worker, but you haven’t approached him yet. You’ve “heard” from others that he is interested in you.

5. A neighbor has been parking his car too close to your driveway, making it very difficult to pull out of your driveway. You have mentioned it several times, but the neighbor’s behavior has not changed.

6. You have made an appointment with your boss to talk about a raise. How will you convince her that you are worthy of a pay increase?