My Ten Commandments of Interpersonal Communication

Think of the ten most important concepts that resonated with you in regard to interpersonal communication. What do YOU find to be the most important for relational success? What RULES do YOU want to live by in your most precious relationships?
Here are the specifics:
• Based on the concepts we have learned this semester, create your own commandments/ rules of the concepts that have resonated with you the most, and that you believe people should know the most about interpersonal communication.
• Rather than creating a power point visual, you will write a final 3-6 page paper (double spaced, 12 point font, times new roman) addressing each of your own commandments. Here are some examples:
i. Thou shall engage in dual perspective (chapter 1)
ii. Thou shall guard against the self-serving bias (chapter 3)
iii. Thou shall not engage in preoccupation during interactions with others (chapter 6)
iv. Thou shall not disconfirm others through superiority, but rather, display equality in my communication (chapter 8).
• No more than TWO concepts per chapter. Don’t “double or triple dip.” You need a variety among the chapters. AT LEAST ONE of your commandments must come from chapters 10-12.
• Put some time and effort into thinking about the wording of your commandments. Do not just copy the examples above or hastily come up with something from a bold heading in the textbook out of convenience – find concepts from WITHIN the chapters. Do not take this lightly – think carefully and creatively about the concepts that MOST resonated with you.
• In your paper, begin each paragraph with the title of your commandment in italics, and then write an explanation of WHY you created this commandment—WHY did this concept stand out to you? Cite concepts from the chapters appropriately so I can see you were engaged in the material (APA or MLA – whatever you are comfortable with). You will then give a specific example (personal or hypothetical) of putting that commandment in action. 1-2 full paragraphs for each commandment should suffice for the explanation.
a. For instance, one of your paragraphs might start like this: “Thou shall listen fully with thy ears, mind, eyes, and heart.” Then, you might follow up with an explanation, including cited information from the text, such as: “I chose this commandment because I never realized what it takes to truly be a good listener. Before this class, I didn’t realize listening was such as complex process. “Wood (2019) explains in chapter 6 that listening is an active process that goes beyond just hearing…” OR, “Active listening is a much more complex process that goes beyond just hearing… (Wood, MindTap 6-6c). I am currently working on a “side hustle,” and am often connected to my phone for research and communicating with potential prospects. I never used to be this way, but I’ve become addicted, and it negatively impacts my interactions with my spouse. My listening skills have plummeted. While I am a good multi-tasker, it doesn’t allow me to fully attend to my communication partner. We live in a busy world, but it shows much more effort, concern, and communicates positive relationship meaning when I give someone the pleasure of my time by putting my phone away, resisting distractions, and giving my partner my full attention. It is only then when I can truly listen and attempt to understand what my partner is communicating. I am not only engaging my ears, but my mind, eyes, and heart are also involved… etc. etc.
b. You will model the above example 10 different times (a paragraph or two for each “rule” or “commandment” that you create.
c. If the idea of “ten commandments” has too much of a religious aspect to it, feel free to title your paper, “My RULES for competent interpersonal communication” or anything of the sort. You don’t have to use “thou shall” language, either. Just make to write your rules as “commands” or “statements”.
• Develop a presentation between 2-5 minutes long that reviews your paper.