Understanding Communication
Ladybug Wellness
Published by Jackie Rioux to social media September 2 2014
Years ago I took a Business Communications course. There was one thing that stood out for me and has been useful to me all these years in understanding communication.
There are 6 stages to communication:
1. First person must think of a message to communicate
2. First person must think of a way to communicate the message thru words, body language, tone, symbols, writing, taking into consideration the intended recipient and how the message might be received.
3. First person must communicate the message to the second person
4. Second person receives the message
5. second person must interpret the message based on their unique comprehension and understanding
6. Second person responds to the message
When you break down the communication process like this, and consider that every single person is completely unique in their experiences that would affect their communication skills and comprehension, we can easily see how communication can break down and cause misunderstandings. It is thru the collective efforts of two people that communication can be discussed until each person understands the relayed messages in the manner in which they were intended to be received.
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10 Communication Tips
1. Obtain the attention of the person to whom you wish to speak. Ask if this is an appropriate time to have a conversation. If appropriate, give an approximate length of time you expect to converse.
2. When you are in conversation with another, give them your full attention. Avoid performing other activities, including doodling, while others speak.
3. Stay focused on one topic to avoid confusion. When appropriate, repeat what the speaker is saying in order to gain clarity. This may seem tedious, but can avoid misunderstandings and emotional upset.
4. Avoid unnecessary chatter. This tires out the listener who is likely to tune you out. Keep conversations to the point and relative to the issue at hand.
5. Avoid idle gossip. This not only hurts the targeted person, but also has the potential to decrease others’ trust in you. By remaining optimistic and refusing to participate in gossip, you will gain the respect and trust of others.
6. When topics are important, meet with that person face-to-face. Conversations that allow each person to see their body movements and hear their voice, are less likely to be misinterpreted.
7. Develop your intuitive skills. If you have a sense that the other person is not expressing their truth, let them know they can trust you and encourage them to speak from their heart. If you typically get emotionally upset from what other people are saying, it is less likely they will feel comfortable sharing their heart-felt emotions with you.
8. Release your fears, judgments and stinking thinking. These blocks hinder you from having a heart connection with others. When you are empowered, you will more likely have conversations that are productive.
9. Allow others to express their beliefs freely. When both of you are mature and not reactive to what the other says, communications are likely to be productive, even when you disagree on the topic.
10. Let others know when your communication is complete, then allow the listener a chance to respond. This gives the listener confidence that he will be able to be an active part of the dialogue and will less likely feel the need to interrupt when you are speaking.
Excerpt from Universal Truth © 2020 Theresa Crabtree. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted to share this post when you include this copyright statement. theresacrabtree.com/books