Communication is Often Slippery

In many ways, we live in a slippery world. Rarely are things as definitive as we might like. For instance, on a dinner date is it appropriate for the man to pay the bill or should the couple pay for their own order?  As we know, there is disagreement on this sort of thing. Regarding a more significant issue, should a person convicted of first-degree murder be executed or is a life-time sentence in prison the proper amount of justice? This is an issue where people of good faith honestly disagree. As a result, "justice" is not necessarily either-or. It is a topic that has different layers of meaning.

Another slippery aspect of life is communication. It is not always as clear-cut as one might think. How does one define the concept of effective communication, for instance? One may purchase a full-page ad in The New York Times and then claim they communicated their message effectively because the ad was seen by hundreds of thousands of people. On the surface such a claim is hard to dispute. But suppose that same ad does not generate any additional sales for the advertiser? Or suppose the ad triggers a great deal of criticism because readers its content to be offensive? If either one or both of those scenarios occur, then that initial act of communication still be considered to be effective?

None of these examples is far-fetched. In fact, if anything, they are quite plausible and even likely to happen. This reality makes communication a slippery critter. How we communication, words we use to express our thoughts and feelings, and how we interpret what is shared with us are all subject to interpretation and varying degrees of assessment in terms of quality and effectiveness. This is why there will never be universal agreement when it comes to communication. Thus, communication as an act and field of study will rarely be smooth-sailing.