Part 1:
Discussion Prompt:
Nonverbal communication, self-awareness, expressing emotions, building relationships, and resolving conflict are all affected by your interpersonal communication (how you talk to yourself) and interpersonal communication (how you talk to others). Think about your most recent conversation at work. How did these elements affect the success or failure your communication exchange?
Peer Reply Guidance:
Be sure to respond to at least two peers with substantive paragraphs by the due date.
This discussion aligns with the following:
Rubrics
- BSB Discussion Board Rubric
reply to:
El Hadj Diop posted Feb 10, 2026 8:19 AM
In a recent conversation at work, I had to address a recurring issue regarding a missed project deadline with a direct teammate. Before the meeting began, I consciously engaged in intrapersonal communication, which is the internal dialogue we have with ourselves. This was a vital step in developing the self-awareness necessary to manage my own frustrations. I recognized that if I entered the room feeling purely accusatory, the communication exchange would likely fail due to a defensive reaction from my colleague. By “talking to myself” first, I shifted my internal narrative from one of blame to one of curiosity and support. This mental preparation allowed me to prioritize building the relationship over winning an argument, ensuring that the foundation of our interpersonal exchange was rooted in mutual respect rather than hostility.
The Execution: Nonverbal Cues and Expressing Emotions
Once the actual conversation commenced, nonverbal communication became the most influential factor in the exchange’s success. I was mindful of my “silent language,” ensuring that my posture remained open and my eye contact was steady but not aggressive. Research suggests that nonverbal cues often carry more weight than the actual words spoken, and in this high-stakes scenario, my calm demeanor helped de-escalate my teammate’s visible anxiety. When expressing emotions, I used “I” statements to convey my concerns about our collective progress. For instance, instead of saying “You are making us late,” I stated, “I feel concerned about our timeline because I value the quality of our output.” This approach to interpersonal communication allowed us to focus on resolving conflict constructively. Because my nonverbal signals matched my verbal transparency, the teammate felt safe enough to explain the bottlenecks they were facing. Ultimately, the alignment of my intrapersonal thoughts and interpersonal actions transformed a potential failure into a successful strategy for future collaboration.
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Eric Konnight posted Feb 10, 2026 4:54 PM
In my most recent conversation at work, nonverbal communication, self-awareness, emotional expression, relationship-building, and conflict management all played important roles in determining the success of the interaction. My nonverbal communication, including eye contact, posture, facial expressions, and tone of voice, helped reinforce that I was engaged, respectful, and open to discussion. Maintaining calm body language and a steady tone helped prevent the conversation from becoming tense, even when the topic required problem-solving or clarification.
Self-awareness was especially important during this exchange. Internally, I paid close attention to how I was talking to myself and managing my emotions throughout the conversation. By recognizing feelings of stress or frustration early, I was able to regulate my responses instead of reacting impulsively. This internal dialogue helped me remain professional, patient, and focused on finding solutions rather than expressing frustration.
Expressing emotions appropriately also contributed to the success of the communication. Instead of suppressing my feelings or becoming defensive, I communicated my concerns respectfully and clearly. This allowed the other person to better understand my perspective without feeling attacked or misunderstood. Building and maintaining the relationship was another key factor. Because there was already a foundation of mutual respect and trust, the conversation felt more collaborative than confrontational.
Finally, effective conflict resolution skills helped guide the interaction toward a positive outcome. Rather than assigning blame, I focused on shared goals, compromise, and constructive solutions. By actively listening and acknowledging the other persons point of view, we were able to reach an understanding. Overall, this experience reinforced how intentional interpersonal communication directly influences workplace effectiveness, professionalism, teamwork, and long-term collaboration.
Part 2:
Create a Johari Window for each of the following individuals: your supervisor, a co-worker, an adult family member, and a young family member (17 years old or younger). Useas a resource.
Note: You may substitute individuals of these do not apply to you. For example, if you have no co-workers you may include a client or business partner or a business contact. If a substitution is made please include their title or relationship.
Submission Instructions:
Steps:
- Read Chapter 3: Begin by thoroughly reading Chapter 3 of Fujishins book, focusing on the concepts of verbal communication and the Johari Window model.
- Understand the Johari Window: Familiarize yourself with the four quadrants of the Johari Window:
- Open Area: Known to self and others.
- Blind Area: Known to others but not to self.
- Hidden Area: Known to self but not to others.
- Unknown Area: Unknown to both self and others.
- Select Individuals: Choose one person from each category: supervisor, co-worker, adult family member, and young family member.
- Gather Information: Reflect on your interactions with each individual. Consider their communication style, behaviors, and any feedback youve received or observed.
- Construct the Johari Windows and label each area:
- Open Area: List traits and behaviors known to both you and the individual.
- Blind Area: Identify traits and behaviors that others might see in the individual but they might not recognize in themselves.
- Hidden Area: Note traits and behaviors that the individual knows about themselves but keeps hidden from others.
- Unknown Area: Speculate on traits and behaviors that neither you nor the individual might be aware of.
- Clearly label each area by category for each Johari Window: supervisor, co-worker, adult family member and young family member.
- You should have a total 4 separate Johari Window’s. Each should have 4 Windows labelled: Open Area, Blind Area, Hidden Area and Unknown Area.
Additional Instructions:
- Construct your Johari Window using Microsoft Word or Microsoft PowerPoint. Or, you can hand draw, take a photo and submit it as a PDF or JPEG.
- Each box of the Johari Window should be clearly labelled.
- With Name of Area
- With Title of selected person in parentheses ( )
For example under Open Area in parentheses put the person selected (supervisor, etc.) do not include personal names.
Analysis Instructions:
- Write Your Analysis:
- Prepare a 200-word response for each of the following questions:
- What are your initial perceptions of the windows? What do they tell you about yourself and how you communicate?
- What would you change in each of these windows? If you would not change anything, please explain why.
- Are they equally or more open with you? How would you like these relationships to evolve over time?
- What have you gained from this exercise and what will you do differently moving forward?
- Analysis should be submitted in APA, 7th edition format. (Title Page, Proper paragraph formatting, and Reference Page) using Microsoft Word.
- Cite Your Source: Ensure you properly cite Fujishins book in your assignment.
- Must include at least one reference/source.
- Save your analysis as your First Name Last Name – Window. For example: the file name would be: Erica Willis – Window
- Remember to submit your Johari Window & your Analysis. You may either submit them as two separate files/documents or have your Johari Window on the very last page of your written analysis. Use creative elements; your Johari Window can include creativity by using appropriate creative elements – additional clipart or changing the font color or size to make it more appealing.
- Be sure to review the following prior to submitting your assignment:
- Assignment Rubric
- If you do not see the rubric, in the blue horizontal navigation bar select Course Tools, then Assignments. Select the appropriate assignment, and the rubric will be located near the bottom of the page.
This assignment aligns with the following:
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