In this day and age, where communication through various
channels such as the mainstream media and social media are commonplace, it is
even more crucial for us to equip ourselves with these skills so that we will
be able to communicate with our peers confidently.
On the other hand, ineffective communication may lead to
misunderstandings that may severely hamper the operations of the company we
work in. For example, a miscommunication between the chef and the manager of a
restaurant in ordering food materials or drinks can very well result in the
unavailability of certain food items in the menu or the wastage of precious
food materials.
To add on, it is important for us to make sure that we
remain considerate of the feelings of others as we speak to minimise any
chances of misunderstandings occurring. On the other hand, as a listener, we
should also seek to clarify our doubts with the speaker as soon as possible so
that misinterpretations of the message do not occur that may in turn affect our
relationship.
All in all, effective communication is about being objective
and clear in delivering what we want our target audience to understand while
being sensitive of what they feel.
Agree with your comment: effective communication means articulating ideas clearly, and yet being receptive of their reactions at the same time. Most oblivious people focus on projecting their message across appropriately but fail to notice the real-time reaction that the audience have.
ReplyDeleteFailing to remain sensitive might also be due to people reading non-verbal cues wrongly because of a lack of experience, or they already have their own ingrained mindset that influences their interpretation of the cues.
Dealing with important people is a headache personally, since a lot of people are prone to reading too much into body language that normally indicate negative feedback. For example, checking the time on the watch/ phone could mean a disinterest in the conversation topic.