Technical and Managerial Communication Final Research Presentation and Paper
Executive Summary
I wrote this final paper in fall 2021 for my Engineering Management 52 course, Technical and Managerial Communication, taught by professor Amy Hirschfeld at Tufts University in Medford, MA.
The purpose of this paper is to educate readers on the importance of our interactions on impression formation, how impressions are formed in different means of communication, and finally, how to improve these impressions to reach a common understanding, deeper connection with others, and future success.
Using psychological theory, I discuss (1) impression formation through the emotional response center in the brain, (2) the different forms of communication and their effects on impressions, and (3) the use of boundary and impression management to regulate the impressions one makes on others.
Although online communication has expanded and eased human connection internationally, it lacks social cues like facial expression and body language that are essential for the emotional response centers to be activated. In person, the emotional response center allows understanding and deeper connections to be formed between two people, leading to positive impressions.
Often communication isn’t limited to either online or in person. For some this presents an issue as people have different identities in professional, social, and personal contexts. Online connections made through social media could allow personal information to reach unintended audiences which can either help or hurt one’s impression, especially in professional environments. Using online boundary management techniques like privatizing one’s profile or censoring one’s posts to protect your different identities in different contexts can give users some control over the impression they want to make on certain audiences.
Honest impression management tactics can also be used to positively influence one’s formed impression. Impression management includes proactive self-promotion, flattery and compliments of the other, and/or providing evidence to justify any possible negative attributes or situations that come up. Impression management is especially important in professional interviews.
In both professional and social interactions, maintain a positive self-image. Being confident allows one to spend more time and attention on others in conversation which will likely lead to positive impressions.
With all of this in mind, for the best possible impressions, I recommend using face to face interactions whenever possible. As became apparent in the COVID-19 pandemic, being in person isn’t always possible so if needed try to mirror a face to face interaction while online by using video calls, increasing eye contact and incorporating natural body language into the conversation.
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