So, communication…

…What a bloodthirsty and relentless topic; we can’t stop communicating any easier than we can stop breathing. We communicate when we talk, we communicate when we don’t talk. Communication happens when we entirely ignore a message.

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So if we can’t stop communication, taking the time to inspect the way we communicate would be beneficial, right?

Well, what does it mean to communicate?

So communication is, at its core, incredibly simple: it is talking and listening. If you say hello to somebody, you have communicated with them.

But past its core, communication is also incredibly complex: it has context, bias, worldview, generalizations, non-verbal queues, interpretation, culture, noise, channels, and the list just keeps going.

But here’s the great part! We already knew all of this.

Or in the least we are subconsciously familiar with it all. When somebody averts their vision because of your statement and we pick up that they are uncomfortable, We’ve used the complex skill of empathy to interpret non-verbal communication.

When you notice that smile your partner had has stopped, you’ve used complex communication skills to pick up on their body language.

Because communication is so universally important, I feel that it would be incredibly beneficial to all people to inspect their specific communications skills. After all, the way we communicate may be sending messages we don’t realize we’re sending.

Let’s look at the following areas of communication in some upcoming articles:

  1. The message we send may not be the message they receive. By improving our understanding of this we can help avoid misunderstandings using some simple and proven tactics.
  2. We are FULL of biases and we can not change that. But by understanding what our biases are, however, we can work around them consciously. In the following points we can gain an understanding of just how many biases we all have.
  3. Your ability to empathize is directly related to your ability to communicate interpersonally. By improving your empathy skills through active and conscious use, you will make more meaningful connections in life.

What ways do you communicate through the day, is it over text, Facebook, phone, in person, etc.? Let us know on The People We Are Facebook, Twitter or email.

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