Communication is very important as it allows us to connect with others and share our ideas. However, the act of imparting our ideas only seals half of the deal; both speaker and listener must practice effective communication for the message to be successfully transferred.
I believe that effective communication is an extremely valuable skill for many reasons. It’s used every day as long as there’s interaction with other people and is applicable in any kind of setting. An effective communicator is also able to form good first impressions as he/she can identify how best to communicate with any person. It is then a simple matter of delivering messages in an appropriate manner and practicing active listening skills, which make the opposing party feel comfortable and appreciated.
As easy as it sounds, I also know that effective communication is difficult to master. This is primarily because one has to take on the role of both the speaker and listener in the period of a conversation. Many a time, the dynamic nature of conversing makes it hard for me to keep up since I have to formulate ideas in my head while listening attentively at the same time. It’s as if there are a thousand voices struggling for attention up there and you have to differentiate between yours and that of the other speaker; has anyone experienced this before? (:
Obviously I’m not an effective communicator (yet), but I hope to be, simply because it’s the first step towards forging great relationships with others.
Hey Amanda,
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Today, everyone communicates with one another in one way or another such as emails, SMSes, hand signals. Who actually knows whether they are communicating effectively? Take ES2007 and you will know. LOL
It is no ordinary feat to communicate with one another EFFECTIVELY. There are all kinds of people in this world and each has different way of thinking. Asking the right question to get the information you want will be diffcult.
I like your analogy on keeping up with the conversation. Well, not to the extent of thousand voices but it is quite hard to keep up with the pace of the conversation for me sometimes. I have to process what went into my head and reformulate my idea at the same time. So sometimes when I appear staring into blank in a conversation, it is because I am listening attentively.
Cheers to us on our road to becoming effective communicators
Hi Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Especially that part about the dynamic nature of a conversation. Sometimes, learning and knowing the skills to communicate effectively and translating them into action in a real conversation can be quite difficult.
Our last lesson on non-verbal communication was a very good example. The last activity at the end of the lesson caught many of us offhand when we learnt that we had to observe the non-verbal communications of our group mates. For some, this kind of observation skill is innate while for some others, this may require more time and practice.
Like what you said, many of us have a long way towards effective communication and let's work towards it together! :)
Cheers!
Hey Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you that an effective communicator have good first impressions. I think it takes a lot of skill and experience to be one though. In my opinion, someone who has underwent many interactions with people from different walks of life may know how to communicate effectively
I too have a similar challenge of listening to the other party(the message and the non-verbal cues) when I am speaking. However, I believe with much practice and self-awareness, the skill of communicating effectively will come to us naturally.
=)
Hey Amanda,
ReplyDeleteA very insightful blog post about how effective communication should be practiced not just in terms of the speaker but also as a listener. After all for any communication to be effective, it not just on the part of the speaker as the listen plays an important role as well.
I have to agree with you that effective communication is not somthing that can be acquired easily, it not as simple as any equation or formula. Communication is very dynamic and sometimes a slight difference in nuances can change the meaning of any interaction.
Amanda, thank you for your sharing. I really enjoyed reading your post! It is concisely written, yet did not compromise on content.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you developed the post; it is well-organised, conversational, and very easy to follow. Makes for a good read!
This is a very well-focused post, Amanda. Keep up the good work! I look forward to your next blog post.