A Conversation Begins
When the level of discourse happening in our society remains where it is or grows worse, in turn, our ability to effectively communicate with one another becomes more difficult if not altogether impossible. Unfortunately, we’ve been inundated with examples of shouting down, talking over, and failing to listen let alone attempting to understand if someone presents an opinion different than our own. It seems we no longer embrace the strength that comes from diversity, from hearing different points of view in order to better understand people and topics to levels greater than just our own perspective.
What happened to our thirst for information and desire for understanding in order to gain knowledge? Technology has made information, whether accurate or not, readily available 24/7, and somehow it now feels like we actually believe we are ‘all-knowing’ simply because we can do a google search for information on our computer or phone at any time instead of learning and gaining knowledge from one another.
People seem to be focused on gathering information, spewing out the facts as they see them, and then ‘digging in’ to defend their own position. Communication can’t exist within that paradigm; it only happens when 1) the person speaking gives the information with the intention of helping others understand and 2) if the receiver of the information is engaged in active listening, which is with a desire to understand what’s being said. Now, that doesn’t mean you have to agree; it does mean though that you’ve listened, heard as well as understood (to a degree) the information being shared.
Effective communication is one of the keys required to get to where you want to be in your life. It is an essential skill for both professional and personal relationships; it has the power to both destroy or build relationships; and it makes an impact by either negatively or positively influencing every interaction.
Communication is a skill we learn early in life, however, it’s also one that can be practiced, developed, and honed. Improving your communication skills is one of the wisest investments you can make, and doing so will distinguish you, your message, and possibly get you noticed as a fresh perspective among so many unwilling, for whatever reason, to engage in meaningful dialogue these days.
This is the first installment in an ongoing conversation about effective communication written by Kim Kurth, a 25+ year veteran in television news and communication coaching.