How intriguing is communication? Both verbal and non-verbal. The answer for me is extremely.
Think about how much we communicate every single day and with how many people. It is astounding. How often do we conciously think about how we communicate? How much time do we put into learning and improving our communication? The words we use and the way we use them are so important and yet there is often little thought put into them. The non-verbal signals we send in our body language, tone, eye contact and gestures for example can often say more than the words themselves. I almost think it is an art that we all use and that we all must continually work to improve.
The english language is massive. The number of words we have to choose from is outstanding, and yet there are often no words to adequately express a thought or feeling. Each one of us interprets those words in different ways. It just amazes me. There is so much room for misunderstanding. We have to be aware of this to better understand each other. I think this has lead me to occassionally be a bit over-communicative. The goal is to get as close as possible to having the other person understand my thought as I understand it. There are so many barriers in the way of that happening. We are all individuals, with different perspectives, different life experiences and backgrounds, different associations with certain words or tones, different cultures of gestures and expressions, leaving so much room for error in transmitting a thought or feeling through communications.
I won't even touch on the changes that technology bring into this! I just want to get you thinking. I am completely intrigued by communication. It is a constant for all of us. I believe this should mean it should be a constant focus for improvement as well. Think how much better work would be if everyone could learn to communicate with each other better. Think of how much better all your relationships would be if communication was improved. Even in retail or restaurants. It is a huge topic with many different facets. Just something to ponder....
Please let me know if you have any thoughts on the subject!
"Communication works for those who work at it." -John Powell
"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -George Bernard Shaw
