Communication

    What comes to mind when you think of the word communication? Some things that come to my mind are talking, discussing, or sharing ideas. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines communication as, “a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior.” It goes on to say, “information communicated information transmitted or conveyed,” and “a verbal or written message.” I found these definitions to be very interesting and helpful in understanding the main purpose of communicating. We also learn that there is a great deal more to communicating than just what we say for how we act. Even in the definition verbal forms of communicating weren’t mentioned till the very last definition. It is clear that talking or discussing things is not the only part of effective communication. 

    There are three main parts of communication, words, tone, and body language or nonverbal cues. We use all three when communicating but we often weigh the responses of each differently when trying to understand what one is trying to say. We normally only rely on the actual word people say is about 14% of what someone is trying to say. The tone is normally about 35% how we determine what the person is trying to say and body language is the most with 51%. We can see from these percentages that we rely much more on eternal or nonverbal cues to draw a conclusion as to what the other person is trying to communicate. Words definitely are important when trying to communicate with one another but it is much more important to match our tone and body language with what we are saying or the receiver will probably misunderstand or not believe what is said. We can say anything we want but without a believable tone and body language to match it, most people will completely miss our meaning. With such a high emphasis on nonverbal indicators and tone, we can normally tell how someone is feeling just by their facial expression or how they say things. You can tell someone is excited, sad, disappointed, embarrassed and so many others just by observing them. This can be a very powerful and helpful tool when communicating with others but can also complicate the art of communication!

    One huge challenge with communication is that sometimes the messages we send get confused or misunderstood. Because of this, it is vital to never assume what someone is trying to say. It is much better to practice using some discernment tactics to verify if what someone is saying and what you understood are on the same page. This could happen through paraphrasing what you heard back to the person and waiting to hear if that was what they meant. This helps to clear up any misunderstandings right from the start rather than assuming or guessing what the other person is saying. It is also helpful to admit when we are wrong and commit to doing better. This can help you be more humble and help the other person see you as a person with feelings. This can bring a potentially dangerous or explosive topic into a calm and controlled environment where things can be resolved. It is very important to develop these and other communication tactics that can help individuals to communicate in a clear and constructive fashion. Communication is a huge part of everything we do so it is crucial to learn how to do it the most effective and clear way so we can work better with those around us and develop stronger relationships in our marriages and families.