Interpersonal Communication Lab logo with the tagline “In consequential conversations. In complex contexts.”

What happens when a conversation carries more than the words we say?

Communication becomes more complicated when the stakes are real — when we are trying to support someone, navigate loss and uncertainty, disagree, make a difficult decision, or understand an experience different from our own.
Interpersonal Communication Lab (ICL) investigates consequential communication experiences in complex contexts. It draws on interpersonal and organizational communication, I/O psychology, social psychology, management, and related research traditions to examine the dynamics at play, translating them to practice.

THE QUESTIONS

Illustrated framework of six questions for understanding consequential conversations. 
What happens in a conversation is rarely limited to what is said.
ICL asks what lies beneath the interaction, drawing on research to examine it deeply and differently.

DOMAINS OF INQUIRY

ICL investigates communication where relationships, uncertainty, vulnerability, and context matter. Several complex domains provide terrain for this inquiry.

  • Topics of inquiry may include: grief as a complex context · talking about loss · support and response · disclosure and privacy · continuing relationships with the person who died · family and social networks after loss · expectations around grief · grief in workplaces, schools, and other institutions

  • Topics of inquiry may include: communicating uncertainty · sharing difficult information · patient and family needs · asking, listening, and responding · changing roles and relationships · decision-making · support and caregiving · communication across care relationships and systems

  • Topics of inquiry may include: seeking support · listening and responding · matching support to needs · validation and reassurance · advice · boundaries and disclosure · support under uncertainty · support without fixing

  • Topics of inquiry may include: difficult conversations · feedback · disagreement and conflict · communicating decisions and change · support at work · identity and belonging · power and hierarchy · trust and relationships · speaking up or staying silent · communication across teams

EXPLORE QUESTIONS OF INQUIRY

INQUIRY TO EXPERIENCE

Bring the questions into the room.
Interpersonal Communication Lab framework showing key audiences, settings, and formats for applying research on consequential communication. 
ICL draws from research on consequential communication to create opportunities for deeper learning and informed practice.
DISCUSS AN ICL ENGAGEMENT