Interpersonal Communication in CMC

Interpersonal Nature of CMC

• Turn taking: Users can take turns in communication.
• Topic development: Users can explore issues and options.
• Back channels: Private discussions can occur outside of public communication.
• Repairs: Issues can be fixed through communication.

Communication Attributes

• Brief: Conciseness and directness to deliver essential information.
• Multimodal: Using multiple channels (text, images, audio, video) for communication.
• Ideological: Shaped by systems of beliefs, values, and ideas, influencing perspectives and interpretations.
• New media is intrinsically ideological, particularly regarding access and control. Used for control and resisting control.

Communication Planning

• Defining information, intended recipients, communication format, and timing.
• Ensures everyone gets the right information at the right time.
• Purposes:
  • To inform
  • To persuade
  • To prevent misunderstanding
  • To present a point of view/reduce barriers
• Key rule: "Intent precedes content."

Steps in Communication Planning

• Research and analyze the current situation: Understand the context and problems.
• Establish goals and objectives (short and long term): Define desired outcomes.
• Identify the target audience: Understand their knowledge, influences, and communication barriers.
• Conceptualize key messages: Develop clear and impactful messages aligned with goals.
• Strategies on communication styles and platform(s): Choose appropriate methods and channels (e.g., social media, email, face-to-face).
• Evaluate and anticipate: Assess progress and prepare for potential challenges.

Academic Writing

• Distinguished by the audience: Written for an informed audience, usually for assessment or publication.
• Engages in academic discourse on a specific topic.
• Displays characteristics of scholarly work.

Academic Writing Skills

• Develops research and writing skills:
  • Reading comprehension
  • Critical and Creative thinking
  • Research and analytical skills
• Having a specific audience helps engage directly with the reader and adapt to genre conventions.

Principles of Academic Writing

• Complexity: Written language is more complex than spoken language.
  • Lexical density: More lexical words than grammatical words, longer words and phrases, more noun-based phrases, nominalizations, lexical variation.
  • Grammatical complexity: More subordinate clauses, complement clauses, longer prepositional phrases, attributive adjectives, passives.
• Formality: Avoid colloquialisms, abbreviations, two-word verbs, subheadings, numbers, bullet points, and asking questions (except in reports).
• Precision: Be precise with information, dates, and figures.
• Objectivity: Emphasis on information and arguments. Based on lectures, reading, discussion, and research.
• Explicitness: Clear signposting of ideas, connections made explicit through signaling words.
• Accuracy: Accurate vocabulary and citation format.

Email Protocols

• When to send an email:
  • Short amount of information quickly
  • Brief replies
  • Communication with someone not seen daily
  • Setting up appointments or meetings
• Subject: Give a brief and specific description of the reason for writing.
• Greeting: Use "Dear" for professors.
• Content:
  • Get to the point, state the reason for writing concisely, and avoid unnecessary information.
  • Be clear about expectations (e.g., answers to questions, appointments).
  • Put information in a logical order.

Showing Respect to Professors in Emails

• Acknowledge their busy schedule and respect for their time.
• Don't ask for too much.
• Give the professor the option to decline favors.
• Provide possible solutions to problems.

Making an Appointment

• Schedule days in advance whenever possible.
• Inform the professor of your availability (days and times).
• Avoid using "today" or "tomorrow."

Indicating Deadlines Politely

• For letters of recommendation, papers submitted to conferences or journals.

Apologizing

• Necessary when:
  • Unable to meet a deadline
  • Need to reschedule an appointment
  • Missing a meeting
• Include only necessary information for the receiver to know.
• Do not include details about personal issues, like illness.
• Explain how you will solve the problem.

Advocacy Tools

• Letter writing campaign
• Action alerts
• Dialogues with Congress
• Social media campaigns
• Issue briefings
• Reports and publications
• Press releases
• Blogs
• Videos
• Rallies, walks, and events

Creating an Effective Advocacy Message

• Elements:

  • Opening statement: Grab the audience's attention immediately. Can use a dramatic effect.
  • Problem: Describe the issue, who it affects, and its impact.
  • Facts and data about the problem: Provide relevant facts and data. Be specific.
  • Story or example of the problem: Use a relevant human story to make the issue feel real.
  • Audience's concerns, values, or self-interest: Show how the issue aligns with their values or needs.
  • Request: State clearly what action you want the audience to take. Start with an action verb.

Explore the nuances of interpersonal communication in computer-mediated contexts. This quiz delves into essential attributes like turn-taking, topic development, and the multimodal dimensions of communication. Understand how ideological factors influence these interactions and the planning necessary for effective communication.