By teaching his students about unique aspects of intrapersonal communication, John Strong, associate professor of human development and family studies, believes he can change their lives.

HDFS 370, Communication in Human and Family Development, uses some communication techniques out of textbooks, but those lessons together have not been taught anywhere else in the world, Strong said.

There’s one main component that no one else has developed, he said, setting it apart from other communication classes.

“The thing that makes this course totally different from any other communications course on campus or off is the intrapersonal communication process,” he said. “That [means] coming to understand yourself, which would include your dimensions of being, the personal dualistic belief systems and all of life’s experiences.”

The dimensions of being include the emotional, social, spiritual and aesthetic components of an individual’s world, Strong said. Students learn about their personal belief systems or the way they perceive themselves and the world around them.

“To begin to understand each other and ourselves, we can begin to make new image choices that will enrich our lives and nurture relationships,” he said.

He developed his course in the spring of 1975 after years of interaction and relationship observation with his students, he said.

The most important technique he teaches is called “separating worlds,” Strong said, which is used for people to understand where their friends or partners are coming from, decreasing frustration while encouraging open communication.

Theresa Johnson, senior in child and family services, who has taken HDFS 370, said the course enables students to recognize their thought processes, which is worth a lot more than three credits.

“I see this as a very positive class, and it’s not just a college class — it’s a life course,” she said.

Kelly Ferguson, senior in child and family services and former HDFS 370 student, said she felt more in touch with herself after taking the class. “I think it made me get a better picture of who I was and who I wanted to be,” she said.

Strong teaches his students how important it is to deal with problems in life as they occur. If feelings are left unprocessed, they are sure to pop up later in life, he said.

“It’s the counter offending, the mental, emotional, physical actions that bind you to the [offender] negatively,” he said. “There’s things that happen in a relationship that trigger past memories, unresolved issues.”

Strong said he first became interested in communication when he was assigned to give a speech in a high school class on individual perceptions and connections made in any given situation.

HDFS 371 is a one-credit course offered with 370 to enhance the lecture material. In the course, groups of about five students meet once a week to discuss the skills taught in class.

Strong said he and an assistant have been working on the HDFS 370 Web site, which describes the concepts taught in greater detail. They hope to have animated diagrams in the near future, which will help educate viewers visually.

For more information on the course or the communication skills taught, go to www.fcs.iastate.edu/classweb/Fall99/HDFS370.