First, let us understand what communication is. Communication is defined in the commentary as “at its most basic level, communication is about the exchange of information between individuals” (Defining Communication, n.d.). There isn’t a second that goes by that we don’t communicate with one another. We communicate through email, face to face, text, Skype and even on the go with Facetime. We communicate on a variety of different levels, some verbal and some nonverbal. There is a constant wave of communication that is happening around the world.
The question we must ask ourselves how important is communication in the world we live in? Regardless of where you work, where you spend time with friends and family, we must be aware of how we communicate. How we communicate is vital to our overall success as individuals living in this modern day society. Because we are a melting pot of people and we encounter an array of diverse people throughout our lifetime we must educate ourselves of how to communicate on a variety of levels. It’s not easy to communicate on every level but there is a way we can all steer away from, and that’s egocentrism. Egocentrism is defined in the commentary as “is an inability to take on other people’s perspectives” (Error in Communication, n.d.).
Senders can help receivers understand things clearly by communicating in a fashion that puts the sender in the receiver’s perspective. How much clearer or how quick can we resolve issues and communicate a message when we have a deep foundational understanding of what the other person is saying. What are the sender and receiver really trying to say? Many of us communicate in an egocentric perspective either intentionally or unintentionally, so if we can train ourselves to have a level of awareness we are able to become better communicators. This is why we face so many misunderstandings and miscommunication across the board, whether we are at work, with our families, with our friends etc. Listening and having a sense of awareness are great skills to have because it is the foundation of making communication easier and helps us get the message across regardless of whatever we are facing. Moran, Abramson, Moran describes listening as “Listening is at the heart of all successful communication. We listen to both the words and the nonverbal signaling. We learn to listen and talk before we read and write.” (Moran, Abramson, Moran, Pg. 39). This gives us a deep understanding of how critical it is for senders and receivers to listen and have a sense of awareness when communicating with one another. Great leaders learn the skill of listening and understanding others and making sure that they are communicating with effectiveness and efficiency.
As a Realtor, your whole career is based on how successful you can communicate, listen and understand other agents and most importantly your clients. Regardless of how I am feeling, and I know how emotions can affect our communication with others, I try my best to listen and be aware of what the receiver is saying. I try my very best to communicate and send a positive message to the receiver that helps the situation at hand and gets my point across in an unbiased fashion, especially when I am encountering different ethnicities and cultures.
We all come from different walks of life and being able to communicate in an unbiased and egocentric fashion is the way to go. Understanding each other creates a sense of unison with each another and allows us to create, innovate and work with one another brilliantly. We were meant to thrive and succeed with each other and do great things. Sadly, the way of communication has been much more challenging than we would have hoped for because not everyone is a great communicator. The good news is, we are in control of ourselves and can better ourselves as working professionals and individuals of society to contribute effectively in all our endeavors.
References
Moran, Robert, Abramson, Neil, & Moran, Sarah. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. Oxford: Routledge.
Defining Communication. (n. d.). Leadership in a Global Context–OLEAD 410. Online course lesson, Penn State World Campus, The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved February 1, 2018, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1916378/modules/items/23640529
Errors in Communication. (n.d.). Leadership in a Global Context — OLEAD 410. Online course lesson, Penn State World Campus, The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved February 1, 2018, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1916378/modules/items/23640530
Hello, great post! I enjoyed the points you made about the sender helping the reciever understand by being as clear as possible and by putting themselves in the receivers space. I agree that successful communication is about knowing your audience and being able to convey the level of detail that they need to hear.
I work in a technical company where I am communicating to employees at all levels, from customer service to engineering. Understanding my audience and how I should be communicating to them is as important as knowing my subject!
Thanks for the insightful post!