Interpersonal Communication Is Irreversible

Every time you communicate interpersonally, you and the other person affect your future communication and the quality of your relationship. Take the way you answer your cell phone when your brother calls. Your warm and enthusiastic “Hi!” or terse “Yeah?” depends on how you feel about him. Your answer also influences how he responds. And his response further affects your next comment.

Self-Reflection

Think of an encounter in which you said something and then immediately regretted it. What effects did your error have on you? On the other person or people involved? On your relationship? How could you have expressed the same information differently to avoid negative outcomes?

Question

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This interconnectedness of action makes all interpersonal communication irreversible. By posting a message on someone’s Facebook wall, sending a text, leaving a voicemail message, or expressing a thought out loud during a face-to-face encounter, you set in motion the series of outcomes that follow. Simply, once you’ve said something, you can’t take it back. This is why it’s important to think carefully before you communicate.