In this course of Professional Communication, I will be studying how communication between people can (or can not) be effective. The course starts with studying the basic underlying principles of communication, then goes on to the specialised fields of written, job search and oral communication skills. I find this arrangement very reasonable; I first understand the fundamental principles that make any communication effective, then gradually over the course see how they can be applied to specific fields of communication. In that sense, I can get a feel of applying the fundamentals, and this will help me when I apply them to other fields of communication this course does not cover. For me, this is the most important part of the course I wish to digest and absorb.
The importance of effective communication, to me, is that it allows me to build strong relationships with other people. In effective communication, the message (or idea) one wishes to send is received without distortion, and the recipient knows that. I feel this is important, more than whether the message is damaging to the relationship. This way, there is a sense of transparency, which generates mutual trust. This element of mutual trust is the foundation of any relationship. With this foundation strongly and firmly in place, any cracks in a relationship can be repaired.
My relationships with my siblings are not very good, and I hope to improve and strengthen them by improving my communication skills (even though I have already improved much compared to the past). A barrier I have with communicating with my siblings, is I do not find myself able to bring myself to the same level as my siblings (or the other way round; I do not know), and so find it awkward talking to them casually, especially when there is no common topic of conversation we are both keen on. That there is no common topic of conversation is also why I am not exactly good at initiating casual conversations; I'm a better listener than a speaker most of the time. I only start one when there is a common topic in sight.
Hey Desmond!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinion on the importance of communication- it's always such a long-chain effect isn't it where communication is the root of the problem... having read other classmates' blogs, it seems that we all have a real-life motive for taking this module heh.
I do wish you the best in improving your relationship with your siblings! I can empathize with you on this- but sometimes, it takes more than just effective communication to get past that awkward barrier- it takes a leap of faith in hoping that things will turn out right. :)
Desmond, thanks for your frank sharing! This is a well-focused, coherent and thoughtful post.
ReplyDeleteI like the personal experience you'd shared, shedding light on why you would like to become a more effective communicator. You may need to clarify though, what you meant by bringing yourself 'to the same level' as your siblings. Do you mean finding common topics of interest? Are they siblings who are younger than you? Or older?
You also shared that sending and receiving messages without distortion are more important than the consideration of whether the message is damaging to the relationship; which seems to contradict the point you made earlier, that effective communication helps you to build strong relationships with people. Do you feel that there may be a dichotomy here?
(*Remind me to share a story with the class when I see you tomorrow).
You also mentioned that with a "foundation strongly and firmly in place, any cracks in a relationship can be repaired." You know, I'm not so sure that this always holds true. What do you think?
Looking forward to reading your next post!
Thanks for your support!
ReplyDelete