Geography

There are numerous things that affect the effectiveness of communication and the ways in which it is attempted. For instance, if two people do not speak the same language, then their ability to connect in any kind of meaningful way is going to be made more difficult. Also, instead of trying to talk, these people might use body language or chose to use some form of non-verbal communication as a way of imparting their message. Last year, while living and working in South Korea for four months, my wife and I found ourselves in this kind of situation on more than one occasion. As we are returning there soon, I am certain will have the same challenge from time to time.


As we prepare to return there, I am reminded of how our living conditions affected how well we communicated. Here in the United States, my wife and I live in a single family, two-story home. In Songdo, South Korea, we lived in what was basically a two and half-room apartment with a single bathroom. (Let me inject very quickly here that the apartment was very nice and comfortable.) Because of the size of our house here in the US, during a routine day, it is not uncommon for my wife and I to do our own things with little direct interaction. But in the Songdo apartment, that was not the case. With it being so much smaller than our house, we had nothing but direct interaction.


Such a difference forced us to be more sensitive to each other and committed to being more actively cooperative in helping each other address our day-to-day goals. Further, on those occasions when we disagreed about something, the smallness of the apartment forced us to address the issue and resolve it in a respectful and direct manner. In our home in the US, the extra space makes it easier for us to behave in a more individualistic manner in terms of getting through the day or addressing any issues of conflict or concern. While in South Korea, though we missed our home, we both discovered living and communicating in close quarters was actually a positive experience.