Table of Contents hide

1 Interpersonal Communication Counselling

1.1 What Is Interpersonal Communication In Counselling?

1.2 What Are The 4 Types Of Interpersonal Communication?

1.3 What Are The 5 Principles Of Interpersonal Communication?

1.4 What Are The 3 Main Parts Of Interpersonal Communication?

1.5 Interpersonal Communication Counselling Conclusion

Interpersonal Communication Counselling

Interpersonal communication counselling. Interpersonal communication is simply the process of exchanging information between two or more people. It involves communicating through verbal and nonverbal means such as gestures, facial expressions, verbals, body language, etc. Having great communication skills is very vital to building successful relationships.

Some people naturally excel in interpersonal communication while others may need to improve it through interpersonal communication counselling. Seeking counselling to improve interpersonal communication skills can have several benefits on how people are able to form and maintain new and existing relationships. It is a key component for successful relationships.

Interpersonal communication involves how people express their thoughts, feelings, ideas, emotions, etc in an efficient and effective manner such that their point is not misunderstood. Interpersonal communication counselling can help people build their communication skills so that they know more effective ways to communicate with others in different settings.

Interpersonal communication counselling has loads of benefits for a person’s personal and professional relationships. It can help people learn how to effectively communicate with people around them using their vocals, tone of voice, facial expressions, body language and gestures such that the person receiving the information fully understands their perspectives.

Communication happens every day of our lives whether we know it or not and the way and manner in which we exchange information can have an impact on the relationships we build.

One very important thing to note is that if you have problems communicating with others it can affect your relationship with them and you may need to consider interpersonal communication counselling to improve it.

People often strive to maintain cordial relationships with people in their lives and work or school settings because it makes room for happiness for this to happen, communication must be at its best as good communication breeds understanding as people usually have different personalities and considering interpersonal communication counselling can help you thrive in this area.

Effective communication can prevent misunderstandings and conflicts in relationships but not everyone is skilled at it which is why interpersonal communication counselling is useful because it helps people improve how they communicate with others which is a key ingredient in fostering stronger relationships.

People who have good interpersonal skills tend to have happier and more fulfilling relationships.

Interpersonal communication counselling can have several benefits to people that consider it. One important area counselling will help you improve on is emotional regulation which is very vital when dealing with others. Being able to control and regulate your emotions will positively impact how you respond to situations and how you handle conflicts and stressful situations.

During interpersonal communication counselling, people learn the importance of active listening.

This involves exchanging information, thoughts, feelings, and needs and taking time to understand the other person’s perspective and points being made by not just hearing but giving them your full undivided attention which means putting away distractions and making meaningful contributions during the conversation.

Good communication involves being able to empathise with the other person, which means fully understanding their feelings interpersonal communication counselling can help you improve your empathy such that you can become more empathetic to the feelings of others by taking time to understand the feelings and emotions behind the words that are being said and those unsaid.

Interpersonal communication counselling can be beneficial to different professionals who pass on or exchange information with other people on a daily basis such as teachers, health care practitioners, managers, etc as it helps them to clearly communicate goals, show empathy and create a safe atmosphere for people to be able to express their feelings, thoughts and emotions.

Interpersonal communication counselling benefits people in leadership positions because they constantly need to be able to effectively communicate the goals of the organisation, create room for feedback, empathise with their subordinates and motivate them to achieve the goals of the organisation.

Leaders with great interpersonal communication skills can be seen as models by their team members.

Interpersonal communication counselling can help leaders learn the importance of flexibility in leading people. Leaders who have a rigid approach to the opinions of their team members often give room for conflicts and may unintentionally demoralise them because rigidity can be an obstacle to communication.

In counselling, people learn how to respect the views of others and disagree if they must, in a polite tone.

Having great interpersonal communication skills can make you more dependable. This is why during interpersonal communication counselling your counsellor will emphasise the importance of empathy.

A leader who is empathetic will be considered dependable by his team because they will feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and can be vulnerable because they know they can trust their leader to guide them through.

Interpersonal communication counselling is beneficial to all parties in any relationship because it can help to strengthen the bond of those they are in a relationship with.

When parties in a relationship are good communicators, it makes everyone feel safer to communicate their deepest feelings and emotions and brings out the best in them which can make the relationship a happier and more fulfilling one.

What Is Interpersonal Communication In Counselling?

What is interpersonal communication in counselling? Interpersonal communication is a key determinant of the success, struggle or failure of relationships. The inability to communicate effectively with other people can lead to frequent conflicts and arguments which is an obstacle to the growth of a relationship and can leave parties in relationships feeling unheard or unaccepted.

When we talk of what is interpersonal communication in counselling, the aim is to emphasise the importance of a counsellor’s ability to effectively communicate the goals of counselling to his/her client.

For counselling to yield the results for which it was started, the client must be able to fully understand the goals of counselling and feel safe enough to open up and be vulnerable with the counsellor.

What is interpersonal communication in counselling? A counsellor or therapist must have good interpersonal communication skills in order to be able to communicate with the client.

This communication is not just oral, it is important that a counsellor does not give contradicting nonverbal cues when passing on information to the client, his/her words must be backed by matching actions.

A good counsellor or therapist understands the importance of communicating with both verbal and nonverbal means so that a client can feel relaxed and trust them enough to be vulnerable with their feelings.

An example is telling a client that they are in a safe space where they can be vulnerable without fear of being judged and then making contradicting facial expressions when they begin to open up.

What is interpersonal communication in counselling? Active listening is very important during counselling.

A counsellor or therapist must be able to give their full undivided attention to their client when speaking in order to be able to fully understand the peculiarity of the issues and emotions behind their thoughts, feelings and behaviours and ask meaningful questions which can help to unearth the root causes of problems.

A counsellor needs to be able to provide adequate information to clients which often forms the basis of decisions made by the client regarding the issues bothering them or their relationship.

To do this, the counsellor must actively listen and be involved in the conversation, pitting away every form of distraction so that they can ask questions which can help the client dive deeper into themselves.

During counselling, a counsellor or therapist must have positive body language which helps the client feel at ease and able to let down their defences and work with the therapist to achieve the goal for which they decided to seek help.

The countenance of a counsellor often rubs off on the client, making them feel relaxed, and in better spirits and oftentimes see the issues in a positive light.

A counsellor must show empathy, interest and respect for their clients, not just by the words of their mouth, but through their body language, facial expression and gestures as well. He/she must understand that body language are interpreted in different ways by different people and culture and must therefore ensure that they are passing the right message with their body language.

When counselling a client, it is important that the therapist or counsellor allows the client to express himself/herself without interrupting them and lets the client know that they have your full attention and your focus is on what they are saying.

For the session to be effective, you need to not only hear the client’s words but also need to read their nonverbal cues which can give more information on their feelings.

Counsellors having great interpersonal communication helps them to keep their emotions in check when listening to a client.

Letting emotions get in the way can prevent a counsellor from listening attentively to what the client is saying, therefore it is important that you keep your emotions in check no matter what the client is saying so that they do not inhibit your ability to actively listen to the words of the client.

It is also important that during counselling, the client is allowed to control the conversation and validate the client’s opinion of themselves.

A counsellor with great interpersonal communication will be able to use words, phrases and gestures to let the client know that they have their attention and as a cue for them to continue talking.

They may also rephrase the client’s words as a way to show they have their attention and as a way to encourage the client to continue speaking.

A counsellor may also rephrase sentences as a way to get clarification from the client and ask open-ended and close-ended questions in order to be able to gain a deeper understanding of the client’s thoughts and perspective and show active involvement.

Good interpersonal communication in counselling involves being able to give constructive feedback which can be positive where it is supportive of the client resulting in good feelings and negative which can be overly critical and hurt the feelings of the client. Giving constructive feedback can help resolve conflicts and provide solutions to problems which yields better results.

Good interpersonal communication in counselling Helps counsellors truly provide their clients with the support they desire by showing high levels of empathy and support for the client which makes them more relaxed and able to work with them to get the help they desire.

To be able to help others, a counsellor must have a true desire to help people get through their challenges in order to live happier lives.

What Are The 4 Types Of Interpersonal Communication?

What are the 4 types of interpersonal communication? Research shows that 80% of human communication is through nonverbal cues while the remaining 20% of communication is verbal. People communicate on a daily basis using different ways to express their feelings, thoughts, emotions and other information they want those around them to have or understand.

What Are The 4 types of interpersonal communication? Our daily communication with other people is carried out in 4 major ways which are oral including speaking, nonverbal including gestures, verbal including written communication and listening.

Having great interpersonal communication skills means that one is able to effectively use these four types of interpersonal communication to pass on information correctly.

What Are The 4 types of interpersonal communication? We will discuss these four types of interpersonal communication in detail in this part of the article so that we can have a deeper understanding of all four of them. The four types of interpersonal communication skills to ensure success in relationships include;

Oral Communication
This majorly has to do with speaking or the use of words. Whenever a person vocalises a sound, they are creating verbal communication. This type of communication deals with spoken words to pass on information to other people and it often goes beyond what is being said but also involves the tone in which the information was passed which is key for other people use to interpret it.
How a person’s tone falls and rises greatly affects the meaning people derive from the words being spoken. It involves the words a person uses, how they use them; whether persuasively or aggressively, the language used, the words they emphasised and the use of short affirmations.
The tone of a person while speaking is believed to often convey the intent of the words being spoken.
It is easy to get misunderstood during verbal communication when your tone of voice does not match the intent behind them. For instance, saying “Have a nice day” can be interpreted differently depending on the tone of voice and the manner in which it was said.
Happily telling a friend to have a nice day can mean wishing them well, on the other hand when it is said in an angry tone, it can be interpreted as asking the person to leave.
Listening
When we talk of what are the 4 types of interpersonal communication, listening is another type which has been argued by many to be the most important interpersonal communication skill.
It is important to note that hearing is different from listening because listening involves hearing involuntarily provided there is no defect with the ears while listening has to do with intentionality.
Compared to hearing which is automatic, listening requires you to be intentional and make the effort to purposely concentrate in order to hear and understand the information being passed on. It involves special techniques which include reflecting and clarifying information.
It involves focusing one’s attention on the speaker and letting them know that they have their full undivided attention.
Listening does not only involve hearing when a person speaks, it involves making effort to actively understand the words being spoken.
People who have great interpersonal communication are considered great listeners because they make the effort to truly hear, understand and devote their undivided attention to the person speaking so that they can understand their perspectives.
Verbal Communication
This is another major type of interpersonal communication when looking at the 4 types of interpersonal communication. This involves all forms of written communication including texts, emails, reports, presentations, etc. As the world keeps moving towards tech, there is an increase in the use of verbal communication to pass information from person to person.
Communicating effectively through this means does not only involve using words, it involves other methods used to enhance the words so that the reader can have a clear understanding of not just the words, but also the emotions behind them through the use of emojis and GIFs.
With many people working remotely today, it is important for people to possess strong verbal communication skills so that their point is not mistaken. Knowing how to get your point across using different verbal communication technology is very critical to the message not being lost in translation.
This makes it important to use emojis, punctuation, grammar and clarity so that your message is not read wrong. In the world today, good verbal communication skills have become a great asset whether writing an email, using social media or any other verbal communication platform.
Nonverbal Communication
This is the only type of communication which does not involve the use of words to pass information. It involves using body language, facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice, it also goes further to how a person dresses on a zoom call and the background of the call. It is highly important that a person’s nonverbal cues are not misinterpreted by the other person.
It is important to ensure that your nonverbal cues portray the same meaning you intend to pass across so that your intent is not lost in translation. Scientists believe that we communicate more of what our actual intent or feelings and emotions are through nonverbal means 80% of the time. It is therefore important to use the right nonverbal cues when trying to communicate information.

What Are The 5 Principles Of Interpersonal Communication?

What are the 5 principles of interpersonal communication? Research has shown that poor communication can negatively impact all types of relationships which may include marital, family, work and other forms of relationships.

When there is a problem with communication, it may cause frequent arguments, conflicts and misunderstandings which can hamper the growth and happiness of relationships.

What are the 5 principles of interpersonal communication? When arguments become more frequent people may sometimes decide that it may be best to cease all forms of communication, but in the real sense, can they truly stop communicating?

The reality is that even when people decide not to communicate, they cannot stop because communication is considered to be inevitable.

What are the 5 principles of interpersonal communication? In the professional environment, poor interpersonal communication among staff can lead to the deterioration of the organisation because there will be too many conflicts which may give rise to staff not wanting to participate or give their best in their teams.

Hence the reason why organisations value and seek people with great communication skills.

So what are the 5 principles of interpersonal communication? These are the principles which govern how effectively people communicate with others. They are considered easy to understand but they take a much longer time for people to master them.

These principles will provide a better understanding of the fundamental aspects of interpersonal communication and help develop fundamental communication skills.

Communication is inevitable.

Nobody can decide not to communicate because it is not optional. Even when people try, they cannot stop communicating and the harder they try, the more they communicate.

When the decision to communicate is made, people are actually communicating something which may include shyness, unavailability, etc. When you stop communicating with words, nonverbal cues come to play.

Communication is an exchange of information between a sender and a receiver and effective communication is determined by how the receiver interprets the message.

To be a great communicator, one needs to be conscious of the message they are passing across by asking themselves important questions and once they start to do this, they begin to develop effective communication skills.

Communication is irreversible.

The process of interpersonal communication is irreversible, once it’s out, it’s out, and there is no room for taking it back, you can only apologise or wish you had not said it. Communication scholars often say “taste your words before you spit them out”, this is important because once you say something, it cannot be unsaid. It is very important that people think before they speak.

Many times there are issues with how we communicate with others probably because of a previous encounter, a stereotype or preconceived ideas, but it is important that to become a skilled communicator, we must begin communication with an open mind so we can listen to what is being said and keep communication positive and focused on relationship building.

Communication has an endless complexity.

During interpersonal communication, people ascribe their own meaning to words that have connotative meaning (the literal definition of the word) and denotative meaning (implied or underlying meaning of the word). This often makes communication complex because of the identity and cultural variables as different words mean different things to different people.

In interpersonal communication, there are variables such as identity, language, environment, and the people involved in the communication which can have an impact on how information is sent, received and interpreted.

Being skilled in interpersonal communication means that a person is able to effectively adapt and communicate within a context and minimise ambiguity while ensuring clarity on the information.

Communication is contextual.

All communication happens in a contextual framework; which means that communication happens for a reason. The context of communication must be fully understood by all involved in order for it to be effective. Let us look at the contexts that affect communication;

Psychological Context – this has to do with the person’s state of mind and those of the audience at the time of communication which includes, their mood, feelings and emotion which can impact the effectiveness of the communication taking place.
Relational Context – this has to do with the relationship with the person or people being communicated with. Naturally, people adapt their communication patterns to the type of relationship they have with the receiver.
Location Context – this has to do with the situation or location in which the communication is taking place. Communication may be more effective in a quiet place devoid of distractions than in a noisy place with lots of distractions.
Cultural Context – this has to do with how behaviours and norms of different cultures can impact interpersonal communication. Being able to understand how different cultures communicate can positively impact communication.
Misconceptions – sometimes our own feelings can impact the way we communicate with others. Creating a stereotype of people can make us develop misconceptions or wrong assumptions which can negatively impact how we communicate with them.

What Are The 3 Main Parts Of Interpersonal Communication?

What are the 3 main parts of interpersonal communication? For communication to be effective, the receiver must be able to correctly interpret the information passed across by the sender. It is highly important that the information a person intends to pass across is clearly understood and interpreted by the listener or receiver of the information.

We will be considering what are the 3 main parts of interpersonal communication which help to ensure that both the sender and receiver get the message accurately without any misunderstandings. There are three main parts of communication which play an important role in interpersonal communication and affect how information is sent and received.

What are the 3 main parts of interpersonal communication? Let us look at the three main parts of interpersonal communication below;

Nonverbal
This part of interpersonal communication plays a vital role in how people understand and receive the message that is being passed across. It involves nonverbal cues such as body language, facial expressions, gestures, etc. of all the nonverbal cues, the one that influences communication the most is body language.
Body languages include eye contact, posture, gestures involving hands and legs, etc. it generally involves using physical movements and behaviours rather than vocals to communicate with others. Mastering the art of having body language that is in sync with the message you are trying to convey can make you excel in interpersonal communication.
Paraverbal
This involves how people say the words they say. It involves the use of voice, pitch tone, and speed of speech to convey information. It deals with how people say things and not necessarily what they say. Research shows that when people speak, their audience mostly pays more attention to the way they sound rather than what they are actually saying.
Paraverbal communication has to do with the messages people pass with the tone of their voice, their pitch and the speed of their voices. It can add context to the message being conveyed and in some cases, it has the power to change the message as a whole. Research shows that paraverbal communication accounts for 38% of what others hear and perceive.
Verbal
This involves using words to convey messages or information to others. It includes the words, sentences, and phrases which people use when communicating with an audience. This type of communication is often easily misunderstood because it is mostly interpreted in a cultural context or based on the personal experiences of the receiver.
When communicating via this means, it is important to understand your audience and use words in the context they would understand them so as to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts in the message passed and what was received and interpreted. Ensuring your message has the correct information in relation to your audience can help prevent confusion over what was meant.