The Art of Communication
What is communication?
Communication is the basis of human interaction and is the act of sending or receiving information from one another. The information that is being communicated can be anything from thoughts and ideas, perspectives, expressions of emotions, or even a mixture of the bunch. Communication is an expansive topic and is simple for some but harder for others. In this article, the importance of communication, its different forms, and how people can improve their own communication will all be discovered.
Why is communication important?
From the moment we are born, we communicate. A baby’s cry signals hunger or discomfort, and many don’t ever stop communicating throughout their lives, as communication is vital. Communication is not only a critical skill that people develop but also a tool that can be used, as communication helps you traverse through life and build strong relationships with loved ones and others, and lastly, communication allows you to express yourself through communicating your own emotions and ideas.
Different aspects of communication
When thinking about communicating, people generally only think of verbal communication involving using sentences and words, although communication goes much deeper than simply using language. It involves the tone of a person’s speech, the volume and intensity of someone speaking, how fast or slow one is communicating, and even a person’s body movements or gestures, which are all examples of different aspects of communication. The ability to identify these different aspects and understand how they contribute to distinct situations of communication can help you understand others more in depth and understand when you as a person should change your own way of communication to more effectively communicate with others.
Different styles of communication
When it comes to communicating with others, there are many styles of communication people can approach, the main ones being passive communication, aggressive communication, and assertive communication. Starting with passive communication, it is a style of avoidance of conflict and, at times, avoidance of expression of one’s emotions, although it can be used to calm or lower high-stress situations. Another form of communication is aggressive communication, which involves being emotionally expressive and more intense and can often be seen as hostile or demanding, which can lead to conflict or others becoming more aggressive with their own communication. Lastly, assertive is a style of communication that involves a person being very clear and direct with what a person is trying to communicate while still being balanced in emotion and often encourages collaboration. Although these are the main styles of communication, it is important to understand that there are other styles of communication and that at times these styles will mix during communication, making it harder to identify the style of communication that a person is using. Despite that fact, it is still important to be attentive to others’ styles of communication to understand the correct way to respond and communicate effectively back to others.
Reciprocal communication
Communication comes in many forms and styles and is a very important aspect of life. Although communication is a two-way system, with one person being the communicator and one being the listener, if both roles are not played, communication can be ineffective or at times even meaningless. To truly effectively communicate, a person must be able to not only speak and express but also listen and be attentive. Being able to listen to and understand what another person is communicating allows you to not only understand what is being communicated better but also allows the communicator to feel heard. Being a good listener can also help you understand better how to communicate back in an effective manner by seeing how the communicators were speaking using their own aspects of communication.
How to improve communication
When it comes to improving communication, observation and awareness are both key aspects of communication. Observing and being aware of how you as a person communicate and how those around you communicate can help you see your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to communicating and gives you an understanding of how you should respond when communicating. Alongside observing and awareness being proactive when communicating is very important as well. When making a mistake while communicating, whether it’s a slip-up of words or using the wrong tone when speaking, actively correcting those mistakes can be the beginning of becoming a stronger communicator. Lastly stepping out of your comfort zone or asking for feedback when communicating are both important as they both can give you new and different perspectives on your own communication and how to communicate better in the future
“Effective communication isn’t about speaking more; it’s about understanding better.”