Sunday, July 29, 2018

"The Word"

In the beginning, it was once written, is "the word." I believe that observation to be spot-on. After all, it is the word that describes our actions, intentions and reasons for doing whatever it is we are going to do. I am going out to dinner. I am going to work. I am going for a drive. Those statements and many like them words - though simple and direct - represent a pledge that sets forth our course of action that ultimately provides an outline by which we will be assessed as a person. Actions complement the word and, in part, define our level of competence. But it is "the word" around which all is measured. It is "the word" that establishes the clarity of our actions; "the word" that sheds light onto our souls.

In the profession of communication, those who make best use of "the word" are often viewed as being among the most effective in their field. Their ability to put words together in a certain way that provide all on the receiving end with clear understanding of meaning is what places them among the best at what they do. This, I should note, is not always easy. After all, the universe of words in which one has to work is limited much as the universe of musical notes in which composers write their songs is also limited.   

In making use of "the word," all of us begin from the same starting point. Each time we speak or write, we begin with access to the same amount of words as any one else, regardless of their level of experience, maturity, education or knowledge. It is not unlike a race where all the runners share the same starting line. At the same time, it is "the word" that defines and is used to describe how well we ran that race. Our actions are assessed and placed into context via "the word." This, then, puts "the word" at both the beginning and ending of our life-long journey. Words, then, are in many ways our most intimate companion.         

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Forging Our Own Path

There is a line put forward by the Spanish poet Antonio Machado that, I believe, has an interesting connection with the act of communication. The line is: "Traveler, there is no path, the path must be forged as you walk." The sentiment of this line has been echoed by others, of course. "March to the beat of your own drummer;" "Do your own thing;" and "Everybody to his own bag;" to name but a few. The point is for any of us to be our own person - however we define that - then the path we chart for ourselves must, ultimately, be the result of our own choices, judgment, etc. Input from others is nice, but at the end of the day, it is us who decide which door to open as we move forward. 

Such a point in our lives also applies to how we interact with others and how we communicate our own perspectives, feelings, etc. This is our decision to make. Yes, during our lives we may have a range of advisors, including parents, well-meaning friends, teachers, priests and even public relations consultants. But as we advance toward and inevitably enter into maturity, the communication path we select comes down to our assessment of the advice of others, information we have attained, and the past experiences of ourselves and others. We take that input and, as Machado wrote so well, use it to forge our own path.

Each day we interact with the rest of the world, we are faced with unlimited challenges in terms of how most effectively to interact with, say, a police officer, demanding boss, spouse, child, angry neighbor, happy co-worker, or stranger in line in the check-out line of the local grocery store. These and so many other encounters in which we participate represent mini-paths that we must forge all by ourselves. A neighbor just snapped at me for not cutting my lawn as often as they may like. How should I respond? With equal anger? Patience? With no response? All this adds up to forging our own paths as communicators. It remains on ongoing challenge.

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

"We have a flat tire!"

Sometimes people communicate a certain way without having a full awareness of all pertinent information. Actually, lately this seems to happen more often than "sometimes." This leads me to a recent visit to the nation's capital. Family outings are almost always fun. I say "almost" because sometimes they do not always go perfectly. Just this past week, an episode that occurred in Washington, D. C. when we took our granddaughter to the Natural History Museum of the Smithsonian Institute reinforced this reality. On the way home we had a flat tire due to my driving mishap in which I drove up onto a curb. As a result, we were forced to pull over into a bike lane where we had to wait for a car repair service to come by and change the badly damaged tire.

In the course of waiting, a great number of bike riders whizzed past us. Many of them gave us not-so-nice looks while a few screamed out obscenities at the fact we were parked in a lane specifically designated for them. What they failed to see is that we were in their space not by choice, but rather due to the damage to the car. Several times, my wife called out "We have a flat tire!" While I was not thrilled by the reactions of the bikers, I could understand their frustration. They could see we were parked where we were not supposed to be. That is all they knew. Consequently, they communicated what they did based on limited information.  

For communication to work as well as it can, a disclosure of all pertinent information is a major ingredient. Such a variable allows participants to properly express themselves in a way that most accurately reflects their views. Anything less than that comprises the validity of their message. While none of us always have access to literally all pertinent information, the more those involved in a communication exchange are able to be completely knowledgeable about a particular subject, issue or event, the closer their interaction have the opportunity to be to a completely forthcoming. The responsibility for achieving this falls on the shoulders on all who participate in a communication exchange.

Friday, July 20, 2018

Beware of Rattlesnakes

It is a sign posted along hiking trails throughout the Badlands of South Dakota: "Beware of Rattlesnakes." The reality of those potentially-deadly creatures being nearby or, worse, possibly striking at any moment is more than enough to capture anyone's attention or give any hiker pause. It sure did me. While I still proceeded to take my hike through this famous and historic territory, not for once did I forget the warning. In fact, every step I took on the approximately 13-mile journey was made  with this message very much implanted in my brain. Coming into direct contact with a formidable creature such as a rattlesnake is not something to be taken lightly.

I mention this note not to draw attention to this recent enjoyable, yet challenging hike that I took with my cousin. Instead it is to focus on the message, a warning designed to drive-home the notion that any and all steps one takes should be taken with caution. A misstep could have serious consequences. "Beware of Rattlesnakes" got me to thinking such a reality exists in the act of communication. Regardless of the so-called communication trails on which any of us travels each day of our lives, there is potential that we may run afoul of serious injury or wrong-doing at any time. Metaphorically-speaking, rattlesnakes in the world of communication very much exist.

Such folks lie, deceive, exist to hurt and do harm to others. They have their own agendas and seek to achieve them by purposely being false with those with whom they encounter. While the majority of us may interact with others in good faith, there are those who do not. Their intentional efforts to twist the truth adds a dark dimension to an act that, ideally, is designed to bring folks together or create a degree of mutual understanding between various publics. While all of us are right to communicate with an attitude of openness and trust, we should never lose sight of the reality that there are some who do not. Not all acts of communication are carried out with the best of intentions.

Sunday, July 15, 2018

Ever-Present Vulnerability

In a recent entry I observed that communication, despite the sophistication that often is associated with it in terms of strategies and various layers of depth, is an act that any one can perform. We all communicate though, obviously, some better than others and not all of us with nearly as much consistent success as we might wish. As it is in hitting a baseball, sometimes one makes contact and sometime one swings and misses. Still, much like kicking over a barn, as President Johnson once said, "any jackass can do it." Given this, there is a certain level of comfort that comes with communication in that it is always happening.

Another fundamental truth is that any time one attempts to communicate or connect with another, there is a certain amount of vulnerability at-play. What do I mean by that? As an example, let me point to a young man who takes a fancy to a young woman. He wants to get to know her and perhaps even ask her out on a date. Regardless of how smooth his gift of gab might be, there is always a chance he may be rejected. His attempt to reach-out may fall short. By introducing himself and asking the young lady out, the young man is taking a risk. He is making himself vulnerable in an attempt to achieve a specific goal.

Any act of communication carries with it an element of risk. We speak with the intent of being understood and generating some sort of reaction that could range from interest and agreement to engagement and further enlightenment. None of these things may happen, however, if we do not communicate very well. The person on the receiving end of our message may respond with a look of confusion or, even worse, turn-away. Yet this risk that one takes when attempting to communicate with another occurs all the time. Making one's self vulnerable is but one more element within the act of communicating.

Friday, July 13, 2018

Personal Touch

The other day my wife and I had some business to take care of at our local bank. (Unfortunately, it did not involve our receiving any kind of giant windfall from a rich relative neither one of us knew we had.)  During the course of our conversation with the bank manager, my wife observed that the bank seems to be utilizing few tellers than ever. The manager confirmed this. He explained that more and more customers are doing their banking on-line. Consequently, the bank has less need for maintaining the same number of tellers that they used to employ. This, he noted, is very much a sign of the times.

Still, though such action on the part of the bank makes sense, it makes it more difficult for those of us who still prefer taking care of "business" in-person to establish a friendly working relationship with employees there. In other words, that opportunity for a "personal touch" is compromised. While we still get our needs met, there is now less opportunity to enjoy seeing a familiar face again and chatting with that employee while conducting business. The interaction is more formal and less warm. While such a new reality is not the worst thing in the world, in a small way it lessens the kind of engagement that provides day-to-day living with more opportunities to smile.

Obviously, all of us communicate or interact with others on a regular basis. Often, however, it is those encounters that are punctuated with smiles and friendly banter that are the most meaningful and contribute to whatever joy we take from life. We are social creatures and thus need times when we are recognized and acknowledged. This is what I mean by the "personal touch." It is what gives whatever communicating we attempt the most meaning to each of us as individuals in a world inhabited by billions of people. We all need to not be dissuaded by decisions by businesses and to keep doing whatever we can to keep that personal touch alive and well.         

 

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Any One Can Do It

Over the past half-century, scores of communication classes have emerged at colleges and universities throughout the world. At the same time, scholars have initiated countless professional and academic professions and publications as vehicles through which to delve into this field of study as deeply and thoroughly as possible. In addition, the profession of communication itself has skyrocketed like few others to the extent where one would be hard-pressed to identify an organization or business without some sort of communication arm having a key role in its structure. Without question, communication as a field of study and practice has arrived.

Given all this still growing interest in terms of how communication works and effective ways for it be carried out, here is a dirty-little secret about this act and/or/practice: It is almost impossible to totally fail in any effort to communicate. Take the most inarticulate person or, perhaps more realistically, those moments when we ourselves are attempting to make a point yet struggle with coming up with the exact words we wish to use. Even then, we impart some sort of meaning in what we do send out. We do gain the attention of the audience with which we are attempting to communicate. Despite that, a message has been received.

All of us have so many powerful communication tools at our disposal. They range from facial expressions and body language to voice inflections and even hand gestures. And then there is our ability to write or draw. All this makes it virtually impossible not to succeed to some extent when trying to communicate a particular message or share some sort of information. Communication, then, is an act that everyone not only can do but does do. This is why the primary focus of this field of study and practice continues to revolve around such aspects as how to do it better and various elements that drive it. It is already understood that any fool can do it.

Friday, July 6, 2018

Not Going Far Enough

I confess to not being much of a fan of self-help books. The obvious focus of these publications is to help people become better versions of themselves. This includes addressing some sort of fear they might have, help improve their financial situation, identify ways to get ahead in life, or (not-so) simply reach a greater level of happiness. As it stands, this is fine. I, for one, am not opposed to helpful hints as to how I can become a better me. But the problem is that so man of these books seem to place far too greater emphasis on one achieving self-improvement without giving adequate attention as to how such a goal needs to be reached with effectively connecting with others.

For any of us to be the absolute best we can be, then this must include being the best we can be with and toward others. Such a dual trek must be done in tandem rather than treated separately. This is why being what is viewed as a "good person" is not easy. For instance, can a baseball player truly be viewed as being "good" if the only thing he can do is hit as opposed to hit and catch? I do not think so. In other words, for any of us to be the kind of people to which so many self-help books subscribe, then we must be good for ourselves as well as others. This includes actions or steps required in how we may go about trying to save money, lose weight or advance professionally.

All this applies to communication. One cannot be judged a "good communicator" if the only thing they can do is speak well. One needs to be an effective listener as well. In simple terms, the communication process is often described as involving two kinds of people: senders and receivers. If you can do only one well, then, to me, you do not make the "good communicator" list. Sorry. My own bias is that too often society seems to label folks as being able to communicate well because they are effective speech makers. Such a designation, when it occurs, does not do justice to the overall act of communicating well.  

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Levelng Off

At present, the world boasts about 7.6 billion people. By 2050, the figure is projected to climb to around 10 billion. At that point, according to many demographers, the global population will begin to "level off." Following that, the world's development will continue but generally unevenly. In other words, some parts of the world will advance better than others. All this was outlined by author Charles Mann in the March, 2018, edition of The Atlantic. The bottom-line question of this interesting piece revolved around the matter of speculating how 30 years from now all people everywhere can be provided for without making the "planet uninhabitable?"

Good question. Also good is the fact there are folks who are trying to figure out answers to it. In 2050, I hope to celebrate birthday number 100. Assuming my health is not too bad, will I be able to enjoy a nice slice of birthday cake then? What about those behind me? As part of this, there is also the matter of communication. Will the world population be experiencing some sort of "leveling off" in this area as well? If so, what will that look like? If, on the other hand, we will be experiencing ongoing advancement, in what form will that be? In 2050, how will communication be more effective than it is in 2018?

Nowadays, a popular way to define communication effectiveness seems to revolve around our technological capabilities. For instance, does the fact we can blast out our feelings about an issue via a tweet make us better communicators then before we were able to do that? Does the fact I can post a picture of myself with friends on Facebook improve my ability to connect with others? As great as these technological advancements might be, my sense is they do not. Facebook, to name one, does not make me a better listener or improve whatever ability I might have to empathize with others. Looking ahead 30 years from now, my concern is when it comes to communication, we will be far beyond "leveling off," only not in a good way.