Week 3 Tutorial Questions

1. From the lecture, what do we mean by “intrapersonal

communication” - What is the definition of ‘interpersonal
communication” according to the Cenere et.al. (2015) text?

Intrapersonal communication is our internal thoughts and

conversations. Interpersonal communication is defined as an
‘interaction between two or three people’ (Lawson, C.. et al. 2019,
Communication Skills for Business Professionals (2nd Edition), Cambridge University Press,
Port Melbourne pg 60)

2. What influence does our own intrapersonal communication

have on our ability to communicate?

If we do not take caution to ensure we are self regulating and

self motivating our intrapersonal communication, it could lead
to poor communication with others. By ensuring we are being
emotionally intelligent and communicating with a good
balance of thinking both rationally and logically we should be
able to have clear and effective communication.

3. What do professional communicators mean by the term “social

competence”?

Social competence is the ability to read social situations and –

by using emotional intelligence – interact in a variety of
different ways to achieve effective communication.
4. What other types of non-verbal communication does Cenere et.
al. (2015) or other authors suggest may be used in conjunction
with speaking to help with meaning?

It is recommended that people use non-verbal communication

like mirroring (copying another persons behaviour to make them
feel comfortable), open posture (to appear amiability and
flexibility) and maintaining eye contact (as it displays
confidence).

5. As professional communicators, what tactics (or strategies)

can we use to improve our own interpretations and thoughts
(consider rational and emotional thoughts as well)?
We should self-regulate (meaning we control our emotional
reaction), self-motivate (meaning we are energised and committed
to rationally interpreting a message) and understand our self-
esteem (by understanding how we view ourselves we can gain a
better balance of rationality and logicalness).

Week 3 Discussion Board Questions

(due 3 days after your tutorial)

1. Consider this image (above) and be prepared to discuss with

the rest of the tutorial what does it say to you emotionally?
How would you feel if you walked into the room and were
confronted by a crying baby on its own? What would your first
instinct be? What would you do?

Emotionally this image makes me feel anxious and

apprehensive. If I walked into a room and was confronted by a
crying baby, my first instinct would be to try and find its parent
in order to look after it.

2. Highlight the two key learnings from the lecture – and explain
why.

Non-verbal communication (such as vocalics, oculesics and

body language) is the most important part of communication –
along with listening – because they contribute to the meaning
of the message more than verbal communication.

To persuade, as well as having motivation and ability, knowing

your audiences wants and needs is vitally important and will
guide you how to communicate with them.
3. Look up the twitter exchanges between two Olympic basketball
athletes Liz Cambage and Andrew Bogut:

Eg: http://www.news.com.au/sport/sports-life/olympic-feud-reignites-
in-heated-twitter-spat/news-
story/4db613b27f17d1fdd249efa281db5144  (Links to an external
site.)

Why do you think the two stars are at odds? Do you believe that
their own intrapersonal communication may be playing a role in
their interpretation of each other’s tweets. How could the
interpersonal communication be better handled?

I think the two stars are disagreeing from a combination of their

own differing views and also their high self-esteem. Their high self-
esteem could lead to inflated egos and therefore interpersonally
they are made to feel like they are 100% correct and the other is
completely incorrect. Perhaps using empathy would create more
effective interpersonal communication, for instance Cambage
shouldn’t insult Bogurt for his injuries as this is likely something
that caused Bogurt great distress and impacted his career.
Additionally Bogurt shouldn’t undermine Cambage’s career calling
her a ‘DJ’ as Cambage may often feel underappreciated as a woman
in sports, where focus is generally on men.

4. Discuss if you believe both athletes are behaving in a

professional manner?
I don’t believe either of the athletes are behaving in a professional manner as they are letting their
emotions get the better of them, leading them to seem childish, egotistical and having a lack of
constraint. The athletes would be better of to not respond, instead just internally acknowledging
that they are both successful and don’t need to try and assert dominance over each other.