photo.jpg

## Managing Relationships - Face to face - Mediated channels (e.g., messages) - Distribution of control - Necessary aspect of every relationship - How we communicate - Type of relationship ## Communication is Symbolic - All communication relies on the use of symbols. - Relationships - the interac...

## Managing Relationships - Face to face - Mediated channels (e.g., messages) - Distribution of control - Necessary aspect of every relationship - How we communicate - Type of relationship ## Communication is Symbolic - All communication relies on the use of symbols. - Relationships - the interaction between two or more people. - Symbols - arbitrarily constructed (usually language or behaviors) that refer to objects, people, or things. - Just affiliation ### Important to note: - How we get to know each other. - How we handle conflicts. - The stronger the connection between symbol and object, the clearer the intended meaning. ## Relationships involve Interdependence - What we do affects others. - What others do affect us. - Work is needed in relationships. - Communication functions to establish, maintain, or unhappily maintain our relationships. ## Influencing Others - Most communication is influential. - Some influence is intentional (e.g., hand gestures) - Some influences are unintentional (control - the ability of one person, group, or organization to influence others). - Control - the way in which their interactions are conducted. - Control is finite. - Control a person has versus the other. ### Important to note: - Decoding - the process of interpreting and assigning meaning to a message received. - Encoding - the process of mentally constructing a message and putting it into a symbol that can be sent to someone. - Encoding & decoding processes require a shared code. - A code is a set of symbols that are joined to create a meaning. - For communication to take place, participants must share the code to encode and decode messages.