Why developing effective communication skills is important
Ever since the existence of mankind, communication has been the most fundamental process that man has adopted to convey messages between one another. Communication can take forms of speech, written or body gestures. This process has often been underestimated by many people and designated as simple. The basis of communication involves two individuals and the idea which one of them wishes to bring across. Indeed, these components mentioned sound straightforward, but it is the linkages between them that are the most complex and needs focused attention.
Humans are not bestowed with psychic powers which allow one to read the thoughts of others. Therefore, it is imperative for each individual to develop not only basic communication skills but rather an effective one. This is so, because a breakdown to communication leads to many relational and societal problems.
So what constitute effective communication? What I thought to be important criteria for effective communication are precision and clarity. Precision is the right choice of words or actions to accompany what is being intended to be brought across in one’s message. This is what makes effective communication difficult. Different individuals have different interpretation of the same message given their socio-cultural differences. Clarity, on the other hand, is the usage of words or actions which are familiar with the receiver of the message and also the crafting of the message itself, be it the structure or the process of communication. Therefore, individuals should avoid using technical jargons or long sentence structures.
Apart from precision and clarity, an essential aspect of communication would be the choice of communication channel in which one uses to bring the message across. One needs to consider factors such as cost, speed of transmission, urgency for a feedback etc.
Humans are not bestowed with psychic powers which allow one to read the thoughts of others. Therefore, it is imperative for each individual to develop not only basic communication skills but rather an effective one. This is so, because a breakdown to communication leads to many relational and societal problems.
So what constitute effective communication? What I thought to be important criteria for effective communication are precision and clarity. Precision is the right choice of words or actions to accompany what is being intended to be brought across in one’s message. This is what makes effective communication difficult. Different individuals have different interpretation of the same message given their socio-cultural differences. Clarity, on the other hand, is the usage of words or actions which are familiar with the receiver of the message and also the crafting of the message itself, be it the structure or the process of communication. Therefore, individuals should avoid using technical jargons or long sentence structures.
Apart from precision and clarity, an essential aspect of communication would be the choice of communication channel in which one uses to bring the message across. One needs to consider factors such as cost, speed of transmission, urgency for a feedback etc.
The art of crafting an effective communication is ultimately useful for me when I graduate. It will be an essential tool for me to blend into the new and unfamiliar environment, where I can build rapport with the different parties of the society. Needless to say, being a good communicator will definitely help me in an ever changing and competitive era. Through taking this course, I hope to gain insight on how I can improve on my own communication skills. I have also observed that listening (which is the last stage of the communication process) is essential. Often when there is a breakdown of communication, most of it can be attributed to the lack of listening. Here I would like to encourage the readers of my blog to give a little thought about listening intently to your friends and love ones while they are trying to communicate to you. Finally, I have selected this particular picture, although sarcastic yet humorous, to portray that in the real world, people often take listening for granted
posted by Joanna @ 1:33 AM
5 Comments:
Hi Jo! I took up your challenge and thought about how I can listen better to my family members and friends and came to the conclusion that the most effective way is to actually care about what they have to say. With regards to other people whom we may not classify as friends, it is also possible to listen to them if we practice our patience (refer to my blog). Listening is really a more difficult skill to master than talking/writing. I guess that is why we are born with two ears instead of one, like our mouths.
Regards,
Timothy Huang
u****911
Hi Joanna,
It is indeed very true that an exact message could be interpreted differently by different individuals and this is often the source of misunderstandings. You have also mentioned that we should avoid using technical jargons. However, I feel that we should not entirely avoid them but rather learn how to use them in appropriate situations. In addition, body movements and facial expression when portrayed in the correct manner, can help re-emphasize and strengthen ideas that we want to convey.
Hi Joanna,
I strongly agree with you that precision and clarity is essential for communication. Often, people misunderstood me because of the way I phrase my words which fails to convey my true intention. From experience, I learnt that such situations can be avoided by considering how the other party will interpret prior to speaking. Also, the choice of communication channels matter too. For example, it would be more cost-efficient and clearer to communicate with friends abroad through Skype or MSN than phone call, although the latter is more convenient on the go. Hence, communication can be an art.
Hi Joanna,
If only we were like the hero in the sitcom Heroes, whereby we can read people's mind. There would be no need for communication, no need for lying, and definitely no need for our mouths anymore. However, this psychic power is not what I want at all. Communication is such an interesting process, and by talking to each other, it allows one to grasp the person's character even better. We can tell if one is happy or sad through his facial expression, which may be hard to infer by just mind thoughts. This is just one of my weird imagination. Do you agree with me?
I feel technical jargons is necessary, because at times there is no better way to put the idea or motion across. For example, there is no better substitute if we want to describe forced entry into a house than "burglary". Burglary can be seen as a form of technical jargon, but we cannot omit it at all.
I like your photo, because it is so true that we tend to take listening for granted. Just because we mention something does not mean that the other party has listened to it, much less understood it.
Hi Joanna,
I like your picture! It portrays so much of communication. A simple picture can have lots of meanings and different people will interpret it differently too!
I totally agree with you about the art of crafting an effective communication will be useful at all times. Communication is a piece of art - something that we can learn and interpret a lot of things from it *just like your picture* It will definitely be someone's "specialty" if he/she is able to portray and speak well, especially in this very competitive society.
After all, we also cannot neglect other important skills, like listening to others and writing skills. I feel that these three skills are important to us and we have to learn from it.
Let's work hard for it! (",)
Cheers!
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