Communication is not just about what you are hearing from the other person, but it is also about what you are seeing (i.e. his gestures, body language, facial expression, etc.) which we term as the nonverbal aspects of communication. That is at least true for face-to-face interactions. We not only judge your message by what you have said, but also by your bodily behavior.
The main idea behind communication is that it is a process that connects people sending and receiving messages through space and time. Communication is the key to human interaction and relationships with one another. Therefore effective communication is important as it will ensure both the sender and the receiver come to the same conclusion of the message being sent. I recall a joke I read some time ago:
Three men were walking up a hill when suddenly a strong wind blew.
“It’s windy” says the first.
“No it isn’t, it’s Thursday” says the second.
“Me too. Forget about the destination, let’s go for a drink!” says the third.
The joke illustrates a good example of what is not effective communication. Effective communication extends the definition of communication to require that what is transmitted is received and understood in the same way as it was originally intended. All three men took away a different message from what seemed like a simple statement at the beginning of the conversation. Effective communication not only entails what is being said, but it also encompasses the listening aspect.
The world is a globalised world and we work with people from different cultures. The targeted population of Singapore in 2013 is 6.9million people, and half of them are likely to be foreigners, according to PM Lee. In essence, we would have to learn how to communicate with people from different countries and cultures, all of whom might perceive things different, be it part of a statement or the hand gestures we used. Thus, there is an increasing need especially for Singaporeans to learn how to communicate effectively. For me, this is also a reason why I want to learn to communicate effectively as I do not want misunderstand my (future) employer's instructors or to be misunderstood by my (future) colleagues. If we do not communicate effectively, we might end up with a product (either an finite object or a proposal) that may seem to fit all our requirements but is not what we want.
Effective communication in essence is a very complex art to master, but it is crucial in our daily lives. It is important for me not only because I want to do well in this course but also because it will affect my relationships with my family and friends, and will have an impact on my future career. Right now, I am focusing on how to put my point across in the most efficient way as I have had feedback from my friends that I am a very indirect person, i.e. I says things indirectly most of the time, leaving the other party to guess what my point is.
10 comments:
"Effective communication extends the definition of communication to require that what is transmitted is received and understood in the same way as it was originally intended".
This is my favorite part of your blogpost. I would say that you wrote it very effective, cause it is so much content in only one sentences.
I think this is what many people have problem with, to be an effective communicator not only a good one. Either you are the kind of speaker that makes it easy and interesting to receive your message, or you are a speaker that is easy to understand but hard to focus and feel interested about. I would say an effective and communicator is good in both of these scenarios.
Your blogpost satisfy both these scenarios, it caught my attention and also was easy to understand (l like your level of language - not to "hard" or to "easy" words)
/Sofie
Thanks, Hannah, for your post. I really appreciate your general discussion of the concept of effective communication. You're correct, too, in illustrating through the joke just how illusive effective communication can be, especially when one considers that different people can view something as simple as a short declarative statement so differently.
The only thing missing from this post is the part that the assignment emphasizes, the "why" effective comm skill are so vital to "you."
I'm interested in your needs when it comes to developing skills.
Hi Sofie
Thanks or commenting. I agree that we all have problems being an effective communicator because we all perceived things differently, especially when it comes to communicating with people of different cultures.
We'll all work towards being an effective communicator!
Hannah
Hi Prof Blackstone
I have updated my post to address the issue. :)
Hannah
Hi Hannah,
Your post gives a very clear introduction to what communication is and the distinction between communication and effective communication. All too often, we confuse communication and effectiveness and use them interchangeability when the latter is an extension of the former.
I understand the basics of what it means to have effective communication skills from your post. It sounds simple but really hard to implement.
Thanks for pointing out the benefits and applications of having effective communication skills as an art. I really agree with you that communicating is so much more than the mere transmission of messages.
Kel Ley
Hi hannah,
I totally agreed with you about the part that people from different countries and cultures may perceive things differently. Sometimes what we say might sound offensive to others even though it wasn’t of our true intention. I guess that is why some of us face the problem of not able to go straight to the point on certain issues as we fear that the words we used might be insensitive. Hopefully this module will help us to improve on our weakness! : )
Michelle
Thanks for the update, Hannah! Now you've covered all the areas. And you've made a relevant point. With such diversity in the population here, one will need special people skills, for example, just to make sure that one can interact in one's workplace effectively.
Hi Hannah,
I enjoyed your post though I must say it feels a little lengthy. I particularly relate to your feeling that you may beat around the bush "Right now, I am focusing on how to put my point across in the most efficient way as I have had feedback from my friends that I am a very indirect person, i.e. I says things indirectly most of the time, leaving the other party to guess what my point is"
Beating around the bush may allow some respite from the stressful situation that one may encounter if one has to convey bad news. I myself tend to do this when I have something particularly nasty/ unpleasant to say that is necessary to be conveyed. I'm sure that we will all get over such fears once we are done with the course.
Cheers,
Chris
Hello hannah,
I totally agree that effective communcation is crucial in our daily life, and different individuals communicate differently.
For me, I tend to be indirect when comes to confrontation, as I do not want hard-feelings to develop due to the direct confrontation.
If this is one of your reasons for being indirect, I believe that making direct comment with a milder tone may help the other party to get your point immediately.
Like you, I've always hope to communicate effectively. Hence lets work hard together to improve on our communication skills:) See you around.
Phyllis
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