Skills: Interpersonal Communication vs Public Speaking

Many people want to be effective communicators. Many people also tend to believe that everything they say and do qualifies as communication. And they’re not totally wrong. I often get asked the difference between interpersonal communication versus public speaking. These are two very different styles of communication, often with very different goals.

Today’s article will focus on understanding human communication in general, the different types of communication, and specifically the differences exploring interpersonal communication versus public speaking.

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Types of Communication

Researchers who studied these things have identified there are five unique forms of communication.

Intrapersonal communication

This style of communication happens when we talk to ourselves. I do this all the time! I know other people who say they don’t talk to themselves very often at all. While the reasons for these differences fall more under psychology than communication, I can tell you that the words we say to ourselves are just as important as the words we say to other people.

Intrapersonal communication is the most disjointed style of communication. If somebody were to transcribe all the thoughts that are in our heads, not only would the thoughts sometimes be inappropriate, but the train of thought would be difficult to follow on paper. This is because our thoughts move so rapidly that sometimes only we know the connections between those ideas.

Intrapersonal communication also includes meditation, prayer, and planning.

Resource: Prayer: The Ultimate Conversation by Charles F. Stanley

Interpersonal communication

This next type of communication focuses on communication between two people. Any two people count! Anytime you are talking face-to-face with another person you are engaging in interpersonal communication.

Interpersonal communication is characterized by a generally rapid flow of conversation. Depending on how well the communicators know each other, the topics may bounce around from one to the other very rapidly. Often, an outside may not be able to follow along due to inside jokes and private language use and the speed at which topics are explored and discarded.

Scripts

For two people that know each other less well, the conversations tend to start as well scripted events. We are taught as young children what to say and when to say it. Our new relationships, and more formal relationships tend to follow these scripts.

Research shows that human communication, especially with new relationships, is very predictable. It can be quite simple to have effective communication when we were relying on scripts, but when our relationships become more personal, and we move beyond those scripts, effective communication becomes more difficult.

Nonverbal Communication

It is during interpersonal communication that we see nonverbal communication begin to play an important role in our relationships. Nonverbal communication includes anything that are not words we say. That includes tone of voice, pitch, use of time, touch, personal distance, clothing, we wear, facial expressions, eye contact, body language, and more!

 Nonverbal communication is a vast subject and can often contribute to many misunderstandings and miscommunication. If you are interested in learning more about nonverbal cues in your personal relationships, check out this article.

Effective Interpersonal Communication

Interpersonal communication and nonverbal communication take on added importance during job interviews. It is during these types of interpersonal communication episodes that we want to pay special attention to the words we say and how we are presenting ourselves. This, too, falls under the heading of communication studies.

Conflict management is another area of interpersonal communication. It’s during times of incompatible goals that we need to understand not only how we feel about the topic but engage in superior active listening skills to come to a shared understanding and a desirable outcome.

Interpersonal interactions are complex. That’s why I have a whole website dedicated to interpersonal skills! Effective interpersonal communication will not be learned overnight. Rather, it is a skill to be honed over one’s lifetime. Strong interpersonal communication skills are directly related to more satisfying relationships so it’s important to learn and practice every day.

Resource: Nonverbal Communication: An Applied Approach by Jonathan Michael Bowman

Small group communication

This type of communication involves more than two people. The approximate number of participants to qualify for small group communication is technically 3 to 8 people. However, it can be larger than that. Many scholars agree that the largest size to qualify for a small group is any number of people that can communicate with each other without the group breaking into smaller subgroups. If a group breaks into smaller subgroups, that means the group is too large.

Keep in mind, I am not talking about work teams that are strategically broken from a larger group. I am speaking more to small groups like Bible studies or book clubs that may have fracture into smaller subgroups.

For many people, professional success depends on effective small group communication. It’s important to note that interpersonal communication skills come into play in small groups, as well. Many collaborative projects that are small group-focused rely on the verbal and nonverbal skills required for interpersonal communication. Small groups may also communicate via video conference these days, and that requires a unique set of skills as well.

Resource: Creating Effective Groups: The Art of Small Group Communication by Randy Fujishin

Public speaking

Also known as speech communication, public speaking is still rated one of the most feared activities. However, there is nothing to fear! Public speaking is simply one person speaking to a group of people, live.

When you give a report at work, your public speaking. If you make an announcement at Bible study, your public speaking. Many of us, engaged in public speaking without even realizing it. It’s only when we begin to overthink the process the public speaking becomes daunting.

While speaking to a larger audience can be disconcerting for some, it doesn’t have to be. I will work on specific public speaking skills in future posts and will also work on some YouTube videos for that topic.

Interpersonal Communication vs. Public Speaking

Public speaking is unique is different from interpersonal communication in that interpersonal communication has an ongoing back-and-forth style of interaction that involves both verbal and nonverbal communication for both people.

However, in public speaking, one person is doing the verbal and nonverbal speaking while the receivers are engaging in nonverbal communication only. This does put the onus of responsibility for message-making on the speaker. But that’s generally the reason they’re there!

It is important for an effective public speaker to be able to read the nonverbal communication of their audience so they can adapt their message while they’re speaking so that the audience is most engaged and able to receive the message the best. This is a unique skill set developed over time.

Public Speaking Success

Tone of voice and nonverbal delivery are also very important for public speaking. In a large room, one’s voice needs to be louder, gesture, hand, gestures, need to be broader, and an effective speaker will move about the front of the room, increasing the zone of interaction with the audience.

Resource: How to Develop Self-Confidence and Influence People by Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie 

Organizational communication

This style of communication is characterized by hierarchy. Any time we are communicating at work, we are engaging in organizational communication. When we communicate with customer service of another organization, when we are the customer, we are engaging in organizational communication.

Organizational communication tends to be more formal. This is because we often have professional relationships only with these people and we are working toward a shared goal, not personal goals. Generally, there are communication guidelines put forth by the organization. If you’d like to check out your organization’s communication guide guidelines, check with HR.

Resource: Fostering Effective Communication in the Workplace: A Competency-Based Approach that Boosts Your Ability to Get and Give Information by Dr. Wesley E. Donahue 

Mass mediated communication

Once upon a time, this communication type was relegated to newspapers, radio, and television news programs. Now, however, mass mediated communication is a part of our everyday lives. Social media platforms have brought mass communication into our homes and our back pockets with our phones every day.

The guidelines for mass mediated communication have changed a lot in the last 20 years. Where, back in the day, one had to write a letter to the editor or the television station to provide feedback to a speaker, now we have only to make the social media post and tag the company to give feedback.

Focus on the Audience

The challenge with mass media communication revolves around a diverse audience. When we are in a public speaking situation (live in person) we are generally speaking to a unified group of people. They may be different from us, but we understand that they are all there for a common purpose. However, when we make a mass communication utterance, we have no guarantee who is receiving that message. They may all be our “followers,” but they may not believe the same way that we do. They may have different racial or ethnic background than us and they may have different religious beliefs or educational background than we do. This level of diversity makes mass mediated communication even more complex.

And while we have seen that mass mediated communication, in the form of social media posting and blogs, has led to very informal styles of communication, I would argue based on research this informality is also what leads to volatile online communication. We would all be well served to remember the foundations of formal communication and rely on those when we are speaking to a diverse audience.

Resource: Essential Mass Communication: Convergence, Culture, and Media Literacy by John DiMarco 

Conclusion

While the differences between these types of communication are clear, the boundary lines are often blurred. Interpersonal communication is needed not only when speaking with someone one on one, it’s also needed in small groups and organizations, and even public communication. After our speech, when we are engaging in Q&A, we are engaging in interpersonal communication in front of an audience. So, we are mixing personal communication and public speaking.

Formal communication is, and should be, a factor in several of these types of communication: organizational, public, speaking, and mass mediated communication.

Human communication is a complex subject. While it seems fairly simple, given that we’ve been talking since very early in our lives, the ability to talk does not make one an effective communicator. Effective communication requires a close attention to one’s words, actions, and all other elements of nonverbal communication. With practice every day and a good attitude, anyone can be a successful communicator.

I hope this article has helped you to explore the explore interpersonal communication versus public speaking and to know the appropriate times for each.

Do you still have questions? Let me know in the comments below, and I will respond with expert answers.

Happy communicating,

🌸 Andrea

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