The #1 Resource for the Communication Field
Every person needs to communicate with other people, but the barriers and subtleties of our interpersonal communications often go undetected. In this section of our blog, we look at the latest interpersonal communication studies and critical theories to develop a better understanding of how people communicate face-to-face and through new technologies like social networking websites and text messaging systems. We will also take a look at small group interactions to learn how our interpersonal skills change and adapt to different situations. By understanding our interpersonal skills, our group communicative skills and how these skills can develop in response to new technologies, we can look for ways to positively treat interpersonal disorders and how to change our interactions with other individuals.
If I asked you to tell me three immediate ways in which you could improve your trustworthiness — and these couldn’t be things that take a period of time like following through on what you say — you would probably list nonverbal concepts like speaking confidently and mirroring body language to develop rapport. And you [...] Read more »
Is Albert Einstein turning in his grave because of the way we interact today? According to this image, the answer is yes. This viral meme has been getting passed around the Internet faster than you can say E=mc². The graphic contains a series of images which depict the way we now communicate with each other [...] Read more »
Jeff Hancock thinks you’re a liar. But not in some awful you’re-a-terrible-person sort of way. The cognitive science and communication professor from Cornell simply thinks we use lies to manage our relationships respectfully during a time when we’re constantly connected. In this digital age, people have access to us 24/7 via our phones, social media, [...] Read more »
A new infographic shows that texting has had a major effect on the English language in a short amount of time. Although the technology behind text messaging is less than 20 years old, some studies show that people who text often do not learn or process new words as efficiently as people who engage with [...] Read more »
Jargon significantly slows down communication, and most people tend to tune out when they hear complex theories or research statistics. This is problematic when scientists and engineers need to explain their work to non-experts. Scientists use jargon for a reason–other words simply don’t fit–but if they cannot communicate clearly with non-scientists [...] Read more »
We know that nonverbal communication affects the way that other people perceive us, but social psychologist Amy Cuddy says that body language can also affect how we see ourselves. Nonverbal communication affects almost every aspect of our lives and often determines the people that we elect to public office, the grades that we receive in [...] Read more »
We look for a lot of things in our potential mates. Good genes, a good sense of humor, a decent job, and according to a new study from the University of Missouri, a positive string of Facebook comments. “Opinions of other people matter more than the target person’s own self-presentation,” says Seoyeon Hong, a doctoral [...] Read more »
Tech blog Gizmodo has reportedly received a copy of the Apple Store’s closely guarded training manual, which introduces new employees (“Geniuses” in Apple parlance) to Apple’s empathetic customer service routines and policies. Apple has not confirmed that Gizmodo has a legitimate copy of the manual, however. The guide contains a list of “positive” and [...] Read more »
In a recent study, Stirling researcher Dr. Ana Roberts found that the chimpanzees used from 20-30 hand gestures as a means of communication. Roberts’ findings could reshape how we think about language evolution. “Chimpanzees use the gestures intentionally to elicit a desired response from other chimpanzees,” said Roberts. Read more »
The importance of communication cannot be overstated in business or in the workplace. It is such an essential aspect of business that no business team can succeed without it. But, are there any key differences in communicating to small teams and large teams that constitute any major advantages in their performance? Let’s take a closer [...] Read more »