Effective communication is
important to me because it forms the foundation of relationships I forge with
people, both close to me as well as with strangers. It has the ability to
strengthen a relationship made just seconds ago and weaken/break a relationship
fostered years ago, almost instantly. Beyond
ensuring that the intended meaning of my message gets accurately understood by
others through effective communication, the content and manner I communicate may
be used by my audience to judge if this relationship is worth pursuing. Thus,
it determines the type and quality of relationships I make with others.
Effective communication is
also important to me because it is so easy to make mistakes knowingly and
unknowingly while communicating. For example, there are times when I fail to
remember that the nature of communication is collaborative rather than competitive and try to ‘win’ every
conversation I have with others, as though I am arguing for my stand in essays.
I forget that communication involves the exchange of ideas and hence ought to
be two-way. Consequently, I might appear as an overbearing and unreceptive person
and this is certainly not how I would like to be perceived as. Another mistake I
frequently consciously/unconsciously commit is that of being a poor listener
and being too quick to pass judgement about what others say before fully digesting
their entire message. Not only might I misinterpret their message, I also lose an
opportunity to learn from their experiences as I believe that there is always something
to learn from others.
This post has reminded me
and made me more aware of the importance and my purpose for communicating
effectively with others. So, from now on, I will try my best to put my
understanding into action.
