Not all parties to an interpersonal communication have an equal amount of time to speak and listen, as they might in a debate. The situation defines the amount of time each participant spends in each role. For instance, a worker receiving instructions from his supervisor listens while the supervisor speaks. When the supervisor finishes and says, “Any ques- tions?” the worker then becomes the speaker and the supervisor becomes the listener. The back-and-forth interpersonal communication in that situation is limited but vital. The amount of time each party spends speaking and lis- tening is not equal, but it is appropriate to the situation. The supervisor’s effort to understand the worker’s questions and answer them correctly makes the difference between an effective interpersonal encounter and an ineffective one.
On the other end of the spectrum of speaking and listening times, we have highly interactive situations, such as brainstorming sessions involving teams of 5–10 people. In this case, almost everyone is both a speaker and a listener, sometimes simultaneously. “That’s my idea of how to improve our customer service. Now, Barbara, tell us yours.” Different situations determine the appropriate amounts of speaking and listening time for each participant.
Effective communications needn’t be time-consuming or involve long meetings. For example, a manager walking down a hallway spots a subordi- nate and says, “Remember, I need the Hyatt file with the updated budget on my desk by two this afternoon.” Her coworker responds, “Right. The Hyatt file with the updated budget. By two o’clock this afternoon. You’ll have it by then.” The exchange took little time but was effective. Both parties walked away with a shared understanding. In many cases short interpersonal com- munication encounters like this one are just as important to job performance