COM 200 (Interpersonal Communication)

Week 1

DQ 1

Many people believe that communication skills are easy and should come naturally. As we have learned this week, learning effective interpersonal communication skills requires a lot of time and practice. Of all the skills listed in Chapter Two of Making Connections: Understanding Interpersonal Communication, which skill(s) are you most excited about improving in your interpersonal relationships? Why do you feel that you need to make improvements in this area? Based on the course material that you read this week, what are some ways that you plan on using these skills in your everyday life?

DQ 2

In Chapter Three of Making Connections: Understanding Interpersonal Communication, the author lays out many psychological concepts concerning the “self.” How do all these concepts relate to interpersonal communication? Also, give an example of how your “self-concept,” “self-image,” or “self-esteem” has affected your interpersonal communication.

 Week 1 Assignment:

 Week 1 Assignment Article Critique (Making Poor Communication) (550+ Words)

Week 2

DQ 1

In Chapter Four of Making Connections: Understanding Interpersonal Communication, the author discusses the power of language and how verbal communication can affect interpersonal relationships. The author also mentions ways in which you can improve your verbal communication.
Explain how you will use these skills to make your interpersonal verbal communication more effective. Use a specific example of someone in your life (past or present) that is difficult to communicate with. Describe how using these skills could improve your communication with this person.

DQ 2

Nonverbal communication is one of the most powerful ways that we communicate in our interpersonal relationships. Sometimes, however, we may find ourselves unintentionally communicating something that we do not mean to. This tends to happen quite often in intercultural communication situations (when we are communicating across different cultures).
Provide an example of a time when you nonverbally communicated something other than what you meant. Or, use an example of when someone else nonverbally communicated something to you that was different than what they meant. What happened in this situation? Be specific in your example and also discuss what you will do in the future to avoid this.

Week 2 Assignment:

Week 2 Assignment Article Critique (Talking Styles). (600+ Words)

Week 2 Qiuz 10 Q’s and A’s.

Week 3

DQ 1

Some students think that they do not have much of a cultural background because they were not born outside of the United States or because they do not speak another language. The truth is that everyone has a culture! This can be in regards to your race, ethnicity, gender, age, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, ability, etc.
Take some time to write about your own culture and share with us what makes you who you are. Try to not focus on just one aspect of yourself, but try to utilize as many cultural elements as possible. Also, address why culture is important in communication. How does your culture affect your communication with others?

DQ 2

Some of the work from communication expert, James McCorskey, has been very influential in research within the interpersonal communication field. He is especially well-known for his communication research scales.

Go to the Willingness to Listen website and complete the “Willingness to Listen Measure.” Follow the directions on the website to score your results. Based on your results, do you have a high, moderate, or low willingness to listen to others? How do you think your willingness to listen score could impact your interpersonal relationships? Do you think that this measure was accurate for you? What about the measure do you think was or was not accurate?

Week 3 Assignment:

Week 3 Assignment Final Paper Outline (Rough Draft for Letter of Advice) (950+ Words)

Week 3 Assignment Article Critique (Self-Disclosure, Gender, and Communication). (450+Words)

Week 4

Week 4 Assignments:

Week 4 Assignment (Interpersonal Conflict in Film). (600+ Words)

Week 4 Assignment (Interpersonal Conflict)

Week 4 Quiz Consists of 10 Questions

Week 5

DQ 1

One of the most frustrating situations in the professional world is to work with someone who is not professional in their job. This often makes it a very disheartening work environment because of the low level of professionalism.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where the work environment was not professional? How did you handle the situation? Share an example. If your work experience is limited, consider a time when you were working with others in a different context, such as school or a club. Also, address how you can combat this in the future with effective communication skills.

DQ 2

Social media (e.g., email, blogs, Face book, Skype, and Twitter) has played a major role in changing the way that we all engage in interpersonal communication. As we have learned this week, this form of communication through electronic media is referred to as mediated communication.
As with everything, there are many pros and cons to using mediated communication in our interpersonal relationships. How has mediated communication improved your interpersonal relationships? How has it hurt them? Provide examples to illustrate your point.

Week 5 Assignment:

Week 5 Assignment (Final Paper Letter of Advice) (1650+ Words)