COMM 120 Grossmont College Interpersonal Communication Paper

This project is the culmination of everything you have learned throughout the term. You must make a gift for someone with whom you share a significant, positive relationship. Using what you have learned in class, specifically analyze, what areas need change and how learning about interpersonal communication is helping you make the necessary changes to meet your goals. (Please keep in mind that you are creating this media for one of your significant others. Use the ‘Opaque Rule’.)

1. Make a gift for your significant other. The gift you make must require a minimum of 3 hours to create. You may choose the type of gift but it must be something you have created; you may not buy it. Some suggestions include:
2. A fancy dinner – from scratch – you plan the menu, shop for the ingredients, cook the meal, set a fancy table (napkins, table cloth, fancy dishware, etc.)
3. A short screenplay which was written and performed/directed and recorded by you.
4. An original story written and illustrated by you. You may pay for binding but everything else must be done by you.

Include a specific description of what you made, how you presented it and the effort you put in.

1. Your gift must show your feelings for the other person and act as a catalyst to initiate a conversation about how your communication within the dyad has changed over the course of this class as well as the direction you want the relationship to go. Your project should be done in such a way that it is something your significant other will want to keep for years to come. You may NOT buy the gift. You must create it yourself based on your knowledge of your significant other.
2. Create a package that has been attractively & appropriately decorated (For example: set a fancy table (napkins, table cloth, fancy dishware, etc.). Include a description and LOTS of pictures of how you presented your gift to your significant other –considerable thought and effort are required. Do not include anything about the class on the gift. Inclusion of any class information on the gift in any way will result in a 20% deduction of the total points available. You are making a gift for your significant other. Remember to consider what he or she likes.
3. Create and type a questionnaire (1–page –minimum 10 –15 open–ended questions, not multiple choice, yes/no or true/false) asking for feedback based on the gift you have made and the relationship in general (leave room for “Additional Comments”). This questionnaire must be completed by the other person (answers are to be handwritten unless you have previously provided me with reasons as to why they could not be handwritten. When you speak with me about this issue you will be provided alternative instructions which must be followed explicitly). If your ‘other’ does not read or write English, his or her answers may be in his or her native language but your questions must be translated into English.
4. Present the gift to your significant other. Have him or her listen, view, or read, eat, etc. what you have created and complete the questionnaire you created. –Discuss both the gift and your relationship. The purpose of the gift is to act as a catalyst to metacommunication.
5. Collect questionnaire with answers from your significant other and plenty of pictures of you making the gift and how it looked when it was presented. Reassure your significant other that I will not be peeping into your relationship I just need to evaluate the types of questions you asked and have verification that they were addressed by your significant other. Take LOTS of pictures and include them.
6. Reflect on the experience & answer each of the questions on the rubric. Be specific. Remember you are analyzing what you have learned and can do to improve your communication –not your significant other’s failings and what he/she needs to do to improve.

Do not use essay format. If it is submitted in essay format I will not read it and you will earn a zero for this part of the assignment. Type each of the questions in bold, turn off bold and answer them individually. Pair questions and answers. This means do NOT type all the questions then all the answers. Type a question then the answer. Both questions and answers must be typed. If they are not typed, I will not read them and you will earn a zero for this part of the assignment.*Keep in mind that a vast majority of your grade for this project will come from your answers to these questions so put some effort into it and be specific.

1. Submit:

• LOTS of pictures of creating the gift
• Pictures of how you presented the gift to your significant other

(pictures may be printed on regular printer paper)

• An explanation of each picture so I know what is happening (must be typed)
• The completed original typed questionnaire, [with answers handwritten by your significant other]
• Your Reflections [answers to the questions on the rubric–both must be typed].