Why do you communicate? The answer may seem obvious: you communicate to share your thoughts and feelings to others. Although that is true, communication also helps you meet three types of goals (Clark & Delia, 1979).
The first type is self-
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The second type is instrumental goals—practical objectives you want to achieve or tasks you want to accomplish. To create SXSW, Louis Black needed community leaders and corporate sponsors to perceive him (through how he communicated) as credible and trustworthy (self-
The third type is relationship goals—building, maintaining, or terminating bonds with others. This is perhaps the coolest part of the SXSW story. Although it’s now a $300 million global media and music festival, SXSW originally began because Louis Black wanted to talk and build friendships with fellow music lovers. Like Louis, whenever we use our communication to create emotional connections with others, we are pursuing relationship goals.