Are we losing the art of communicating
Walking, listening, hearing, reading, understanding: they are all part of the process of communication and if one goes awry then the whole process breaks down.
Although we’ve been bombarded with new methods of communication in the last few years (e mails, websites, twitter, facebook etc) the essence of communication is still a 2 way communication – an exchange.
Now looking at the process, it seems so simple but it contains many places where the flow of information can and does break down.
However, lets look at the crafting of the initial or outgoing message.
- it has to be in the right language -
- ever tried to talk with someone who doesn’t speak your language or for that matter different cultures. In Jamaica they speak a dialect very close to English but to the untrained ear it is gibberish – it is called Patwa (apologies to Jamaicans).
- many elderly people think that twitter is what some birds do when sitting on a wire.
- The message has to be clearly expressed
- mumbled speech is almost impossible to understand
- words without a logical sequence don’t often mean much
- The message needs to be understandable by the person its intended for.
- all to frequently I’ve said something that I think conveys what I mean but the person hearing it might infer or understand something way different from my intended meaning.
- sadly this is often a feature of communication within relationships that are struggling
Our entire fabric of social interaction involves communication. Governments, families, friends, lovers, all depend upon some form of communication and the noise of aimless communication in the world right now is a symptom of the breakdown of the fabric of society itself. We need to become better communicators, better listeners and better at hearing.
I’d appreciate your views on the whole communication subject.
Tags: Apologies, Birds, Communicators, Dialect, Different Cultures, Essence Of Communication, Fabric, Gibberish, Governments, Jamaica, Listeners, Logical Sequence, Methods Of Communication, Outgoing Message, Process Of Communication, Relationships, Social Interaction, Twitter, Untrained Ear
The answer has to be yes influenced by the removal of boarders due to the increase in the size of the EU and the fact that 0ver the last 30-50 years the UK has very much become a multi ethnic society. The English language is the global language which for anyone born and educated in the UK is a blessing, but its teaching is only as good as the teacher!. Children born into an English speaking family will be heavily influenced by family, friends and school, the society in which they associate and the work place. All of these will probably have element of multi ethnicity and each will have their own interpretation of the language, dialect and sound. The media can no longer be relied upon to convey what was once regarded as the true English spoken word . The BBC was renowned once for its correctness. Now unfortunately anything goes from slang to a coarseness and misuse of the English language that leaves much to be desired. Schools try and teach the English language with appropriate pronunciation, but even they fail. Much to do with a lack of standards which unfortunately is prevalent in all areas of society today. The introduction of the mobile phone and text messages, the I pod and email etc. has harmed the language and art of communication still further and we are to far down the road to reverse the situation. We no longer know how to verbally talk with someone else, how to listen to them, how to read the shape of their mouth to try and understand or because we are always in a hurry have the patience or desire to listen or understand them. How often do you hear an adult telling a young child to shut up! when perhaps they only want to ask a question which is all about learning. How often do we walk away or turn our backs when someone calls out or wants to share something with us. How often do we mumble back or be abusive. We no longer have the time to share with family and friends and in some instances we don’t know how to. No one is teaching us anymore! So turn off that telly, remove those earphones put away your mobile and just speak to someone even if its just to say hello, have a nice day.
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