Interpersonal Communication

DEFINITION OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION According to Deddy Mulyana (Ilmu Komunikasi Suatu Pengantar, 2012: 81), “interpersonal communication is face to face communication between people, allowing each participant captures the reactions of others directly, either verbally or non-verbally”. R. Wayne Pace “interpersonal communication is communication involving two or more people in a face to face setting”. Wiryanto (Pengantar Ilmu Komunikasi, 2004: 32) “interpersonal communication is face to face communication between two or more persons, whether organized or crowds of people”. Interpersonal communication is “face to face” communication between 2 persons or more. It is spontaneous & has no structure. Interpersonal communication has a big role in changing attitudes because it is a sharing process. Characteristics of interpersonal communication: 1. Two-way communication. 2. There is feedback. 3. May causes the change of attitude.

WHY DOES INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION BECOME THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL TYPES OF COMMUNICATION From all of the types of communication, interpersonal communication becomes the most important type. There are several reasons why does interpersonal communication become the most important type. First, interpersonal communication is the basic of all types of communication (except intrapersonal communication, because it is just about communicating with ourselves). There will be no small group communication, organizational communication, public communication, mass communication, & intercultural communication if there is no interpersonal communication because it is the basic foundation. It means that you will not success with the other types of communication if you don’t learn and master the interpersonal communication as the basic. The other argument is that interpersonal communication is the first type of communication we learned in our lives & the most often used. Even since the first time we are born, we already learn and use interpersonal communication. Babies, although they cannot talk or say a thing to their parents, they still use interpersonal communication by crying. As stated by Deddy Mulyana on page 2, interpersonal communication can be expressed verbally or non-verbally. Crying is one of the non-verbal forms. Then, when the babies grow up and can speak, they will use it often in their lives. They talking, socializing, sharing with others using interpersonal communication. It becomes the most often used type of communication. Interpersonal communication is the fastest and the easiest type of communication that can be used to gain and retrieve information from an individual. It also could drill deeper information. Not all people can tell or express their thought directly in the group or public. Some will feel better when they come to private conversation. That’s why interpersonal communication can also drill deeper information. It also becomes the fastest and the easiest way because it can be conducted everywhere, anytime, and at variety amount of participants. Interpersonal communication is conducted directly (face to face) and in a close range. So that interpersonal communication is very potential to influence and persuade other individuals because we can use all of our senses (hearing, touch, smell, sight, taste) to enhance our message persuasiveness. Many people thought that hearing and sight are the primary senses, whereas touch and smell are also important in delivering intimate messages. The most important point is that communication’s primary objective is about building relationship and the only communication type that can build a strong, deep, and good relationship is interpersonal communication. It is because there are feedbacks on this type of communication and it is conducted not in specific or organized purpose like the other types did. People always communicate each other to build a relationship because it is a “need”. Of course they use interpersonal communication. That is why it is important in our life and become the most often used type. As the most perfect communication type, interpersonal communication plays an important role, whenever and as long as people still have emotions.

CASE OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION The meeting of Jaksa Agung, Basrief Arief, with the legal administrator of PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia (CPI), Todung Mulya Lubis, strongly criticized. Todung met Jaksa Agung to discuss the application for suspension of detention 4 employees of PT CPI who have named as a suspect in a corruption case CPI bioremediation project. Member of legislative from faction PKS, Indra, said that the meeting was not appropriate. Jaksa Agung should avoid meeting with the litigants because it will causes wild assumptions of the public.