Irresponsible Communication

The other day I came across a paper I had written for one of my graduate classes ten years ago. (For the record, re-reading old stuff is always dangerous because I inevitably identify ways I could and should have phrased things more effectively. This old paper on organizational communication was no exception.) That aside, the gist of the paper was how much influence a supervisor's style of communicating has on communication within an entity or organization. If a boss, for example, is one who tends to keep to him or herself, then that often shapes how their employees interact. On the other hand, if the boss is more open and accessible, then that tends to have an impact on how the workers interact and go about meeting their responsibilities.

Looking back, one take-away from this paper is how our personal styles or preferences of communicating affect others. None of us communicate in isolation or without influencing those around us. Go into any office situation or even a social gathering and you can easily see how folks react and/or relate to those who are more gregarious versus those who are quiet and a bit stand-offish. Generally, we are who we are in terms of  how we relate with others. As part of that, however, how we behave is often shaped by how others behave around us.

While such a reality does not automatically make communication a team sport, it does reinforce the notion it is very much a social reflection of our own personalities. How we communicate affects others. My sense is at times we tend to forget that. An easy example is a youngster who has a tantrum in a public setting. The child begins screaming and acting-out with no regard, thought or concern as to how those in their vicinity are affected. Such behavior is selfish and falls under the umbrella of what I would label irresponsible communicating. No matter our age or circumstance, all of us should strive to avoid such behavior.