KEY PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION

1. Interpersonal communication is inescapable.

2. Interpersonal communication is irreversible.
3. Interpersonal communication is complicated.
4. Interpersonal communication is contextual.
a. Psychological Context
- Refers to who and what the participants.
- Their needs, desires, values, beliefs, personality, etc. affect or shape communication.

b. Relational Context
- Concerns your reaction with the other person or how you deal with the other person
based on your relationships.
- We talk differently with different people like with our teachers, parents, classmates, or
strangers.

- Typical Communication Flows

1. Upward Communication
2. Downward Communication
3. Horizontal Communication
4. Diagonal Communication
5. External or outward Communication

c. Situational Context
- Deals with the psycho-social “where” we are communicating.
- An interaction in the classroom which is formal is different from one that takes place in
a restaurant or in a park.

d. Environmental Context
- Deals with the physical “where” we are communicating.
- The objects in the place where we are like for instance the furniture or chairs and tables
and how they are arranged affect communication.

e. Cultural Context
- Includes all the learned behaviors and rules that affect the interaction
- For instance, bodily movement, facial expression, gesture, distance, and eye contact
vary in different cultures.