Throughout the semester we have been given readings and assignments that have made me observant of the processes of interpersonal communication. The article “Dialogue’s Basic Tension” by Karen Zediker and John Stewart not only reiterate what I have learned, but has also made me conscious of other processes of communication. I have found in many ways I have taken communication for granted and by knowing the processes I can learn to become a better communicator.
The first concept discussed in the article addresses “letting the other happen to me (587).” This goes back to what we read a few articles ago. It is being open and respectful to others and the views, by doing this, in some circumstances; we can make ourselves vulnerable to emotions, in a positive way, especially working in a group. In this course we have never met and may never see each other so we might be willing to express ourselves more freely. jimigarcia27 in their entry stated, “I also think the article about expressing your emotions and thoughts to strangers will be helpful to our groups learning of interpersonal communications. We are in a situation where we’re all being asked to express personal information to people we’ve never even seen before. If we can study this type of communication with each other it may help us to interact with one another as well.”
The second concept discussed in the article was “Holding Your Own Ground.” Once you understand the meaning it is not a new concept in communication, but once again you become more intuitive during a conversation that it is happening. Today I attended two weddings. It was interesting, at times comical, to observe the group dynamics during the conversations. An individual would start a conversation with the group and the responses were interesting. In most instances the responses were thoughtful and respectful to the new ideas being proposed or other responses were very matter of fact. In either situation the individuals were holding there ground.
