One of the main reasons that we study interpersonal communication is to learn how to become
OTHERORIENTED. “To be an other-oriented communicator is to consider the thoughts, needs,
experiences,
personality, emotions, motives, desires, culture, and goals of your communication partners, while still
maintaining your own integrity” (Beebe, Beebe, and Redmond, 25). We think of what the other person
might be thinking or feeling instead of just from our own perspective and then we respond in ways that
offer support to our communication partners.
DIRECTIONS:
Explore what it means to be OTHER-ORIENTED. Please answer the following
questions in your paper.
1) What does it mean to be other-oriented? (Please use a combination of your textbook’s explanation and
your own words to explain this. If you are going to directly quote from your book, remember to properly
cite using MLA format.)
2) Why is being other-oriented important to interpersonal relationships?
3) From the readings in your textbook, please discuss three to five steps or
things that you can do to become other-oriented.
4) Please describe a recent communication exchange in which you needed to
be other-oriented. How did you “step back” to understand what the other person was thinking and feeling?
Do you think you were successful? If so, how do you know? If you were not successful, what could you
have done to be more other-oriented? Please give enough detail that I can understand and follow the
situation.