Communication = Content + Relationship

In chapter 13, The Interactional View of Paul Watzlawick, the part of the chapter that focused on content and relationship. This portion of the chapter popped out at me because I have been working on a paper focused on metacommunication. Griffin (2008) defines this term as, “communication about communication” (p. 172).

The chart on page 172 demonstrates the relationship between content and relationship. Griffin (2008) states, “Report, or content, is what is said. Command, or relationship, is how it’s said” (p. 172). An example would be when my husband states, “What were you thinking when you park across the street?” this would be the content. The relational view would be the remark implied a form of incompetence on my selection of parking spots. It was interpreted as a negative remark which in turn created a relationship message that was not effective.

Another example of content and relationship is verbal channel and nonverbal channel. Focusing on the same statement made my husband (verbal channel) had his hands in the air with his lips tight together and a frown from his brow. The nonverbal channel of communication assisted in the interpretation of the remark being negative.

References

Griffin, E. (2008). A First Look At Communication Theory. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies.