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good eye contact. They show that they are actively engaged with the person they're listening to. They also listen for central ideas whereas a poor listener will only listen for the facts. When they listen for the facts then they come across as selfish.

Sending and Receiving Messages

Now comes the final principle of effective interpersonal communication that will help you in the workforce. You need to understand the channels of communicating. There are two people involved in the conversation and two things that are happening.

There is a sender of the message and there is a receiver. As soon as the receiver receives the message he decodes it, encodes another message and sends it back to the other person involved in the conversation. This is a simple concept known as a Direct Channel.

The second channel is non-verbal. This channel often gets people in trouble, especially in the workplace because this is the channel of misunderstanding. This is called the Indirect Channel and is recognized in a subliminal or subconscious way by the receiver. Sometimes people refer to this channel as their "gut feeling", "Hunch" or even "Premonition." This channel also covers body language and any other non-verbal forms of communication. You have to be careful that you do not convey this channel to often or you can be found out and misinterpreted.

Examples in the Workforce

Now you may be reading this and wondering why the definitions of these terms are so important to communicating in the workforce. It is because every type of communication includes the descriptions and definitions I have spoken of. You can take the basics of what you have learned about communicating and make it work for you in your place of employment. Likewise, they can be used in other venues.

So what are some examples of bad communication in the workplace? Gossip is one of the biggest problems plaguing the American workforce. The problem with this communication is that it is a form of "the telephone game" with employees. One person sends the message, receives it, interoperates it with the Indirect Channel . In a recent article by Fox News Online, four women were fired for gossiping about their boss. They had allegedly heard that their boss had a "close relationship" with another female employee. Because their boss was a town administrator it was important that his image was not tarnished in any way. The result was the termination of all four women involved. If the woman had practiced proper interpersonal communication skills they would not have interpreted the phrase "close relationship" indirectly. They might have also spoken to their boss individually about the matter if it bothered them. On the flip side a boss can also prevent large backlashes to a company by being open and honest with his/her employees and not waiting until the last minute to break bad news. According to Qaalfa Dibeehi, VicePresident of Beyond Philosophy consulting firm, "Being upfront helps to reduce the shock and knee-jerk reactions. If you have been proactive then you have prepared yourself,"

Ultimately, good interpersonal communication can help you in the workforce. With proper body language, listening skills, and a willingness to have a conversationeven you can climb the ladder of success.

Learn more about this author, Christal Collette.
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