Are there specific ingredients for effective interpersonal communication?
Sam Blank: Yes! They include openness, empathy, supportiveness, positivity and equality. The quality of openness refers to the willingness to open up to other team members. The willingness to respond to incoming stimuli and acknowledge one’s own feelings and thoughts. Empathy, of course, refers to the ability of a team member to experientially know what another member is experiencing at any given moment. Supportiveness is a necessary quality for effective teams. Open and empathetic interpersonal relationships will not thrive in a threatening atmosphere. A positive regard for yourself, a positive feeling towards others, and a positive feeling for genuine communication are three aspects of positivity. Successful school teams endeavor to provide an atmosphere of equality, for all members play their roles as speakers and listeners. This type of transactional communication allows for positive and rewarding communicative experiences. Interpersonal communication is basically a process that we
