Communication

Carl Brazier

Mr. John Anderson

Interpersonal Communications – CA 104

17 July 2005

Interpersonal Communications

In the movie Independence Day, directed by Roland Emmerich and released in 1996, the characters of Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum have an exchange of words while preparing to head off in a spacecraft to fight the aliens which ends with Will Smith saying “we have got to work on our communication skills!” Improving our communication skills is a continuous cycle for which we must strive and takes a lifetime of commitment. Interpersonal communication is a facet to our everyday lives. Analyzing several entries from my journal for my Interpersonal Communications on-line class, I will discuss how stereotyping (perceptions), self-disclosure, bad communication and feedback, verbal and non-verbal messages, and listening affect our day-to-day professional and personal relationships.

Perception is a fundamental process that is integral to all interpersonal communication. How we perceive others is constantly influencing our communication processes. Likewise, others are constantly allowing their perceptions of us to influence their reactions. The challenge of being taken seriously as a woman is overwhelming as is. Add to it that I am blonde and it is darn near impossible to overcome. Thanks to society, the perception of being blonde is not synonymous with intelligent or serious. We’ve all heard the phrase “blondes have more fun.” Singer, Rod Stewart, even had an album released in 1978 called “Blondes Have More Fun, ” form which his single “Blondes Have More Fun” was released in 1979 and hit number one on the Billboard chart. But, do blondes really have more fun? EXTRA TV decided to find this out with an undercover experiment at two Miami clubs. The guinea pig, Jessica, was a natural blonde. Jessica decided to don brunette and red wigs to test this theory. Her hits as a brunette and red head were meager, at best. As a blonde, she had a whopping 10...