Interpersonal
communication is complicated
No form of communication is simple. Because of the number of
variables involved, even simple requests are extremely complex.
Theorists note that whenever we communicate there are really at least
six “people” involved:
- who you think you are
- who you think the other
person
is
- who you think the other
person
thinks you are
- who the other person
thinks
s/he is
- who the other person
thinks you
are
- who the other person
thinks you
think s/he is
We
don’t actually swap ideas,
we swap symbols that stand for ideas. This also complicates
communication.
Words (symbols) do not have inherent meaning; we simply use them in
certain ways, and no two people use the same word exactly alike.