Oxford dictionary defines communication as the ability to impart or exchange information by speaking, writing or using any other medium. The flow of ideas is key to a conversation.
But The greatest illusion associated with communication is that it has taken place. So When exactly does communication take place ?
When thoughts are meaningfully conveyed, ' its effective communication'. The funny irony associated with communication is that though we use it in some form almost all the time, we tend to lack the basic characteristics of making it efficient and meaningful. The most interesting aspect is the various forms it can take. It is surprising to know that communication mediums range from the words we speak, to the clothes we wear, to our body language, the eye gaze and even the font we use to write the blogs communicates about us. Consciously or unconsciously these say a lot about our personality.
ES2007s will deal with an integral part of communication, focussing on professional communication, its practices and features. The course will start with the fundamentals of effective communication introducing its various forms.
For a person in a similar domain like me, communication can largely be categorized into two spheres, the social circle and the professional wheel! In the social arena, it focusses on my ability to forge new relationships and friendships with people from different parts of the world, having different languages and most importantly different ways of communication. I have communicated with people who don't even share a common language, like the cleaners in my hostel or simply the local vendors. I have managed to get my message across and fortunately the conversation has always ended in a smile. These instances make me realize how communication has crossed borders and semantics. I think the way we communicate also depends a lot on the listener. For example, for some friends, asking a mere 'How are you' always inspires a 'I'm fine thank you'; while for some others, it results in a full account of everything that went wrong in that day!
Professional Communication also plays an important role in one's life and I find it more challenging than the usual communication. It has to be formal, concise, accurate and the correct references need to be made. Perhaps I need to hone my skills and develop my personality in this area. While I cannot stop myself from speaking, having been part of debates and declamation competitions, sometimes I feel there is a need to regulate and filter certain things I say. I hope through this module I will learn the art of professional communication, which might not necessarily be verbal.
As I mentioned above, communication forms an integral part of human life, and also happens as we interact with nature and animals.
Communication is inevitable but it can also get complex when it takes unexpected forms; mis-communication results in conflicts. Well, researching about it, I have found that a simple thing like communication is quite intense.
Edited : September 1, 2012
Thank you, Aditi, for making this comprehensive first post an insightful discussion of the breadth of communication while also explaining your particular needs. You certainly have covered lots of ground, which gives me the impression that you do (as you say) really enjoy communicating.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few sentences here that could be improved:
1) Like for some friends a mere 'How are you' is always a 'I'm fine thank you' , for some others its the full account of everything that went wrong in that day! >>> FOR EXAMPLE, for some friends, asking a mere 'How are you' always inspires a 'I'm fine thank you'; while for some others, it results in a full account of everything that went wrong in that day! (...or something like that. Using "Like" to start the sentence gives the impression of this being very conversational.)
2) But, The greatest illusion associated with communication is that it has taken place. So, When exactly does communication take place ? >>>
But the greatest illusion associated with communication is that it has taken place. So when exactly does communication take place ? (Don't overuse punctuation.)
3) This is somewhere I feel I need to hone my skills and develop my personality. >>> Perhaps I need to hone my skills and develop my personality.
4) Communication is inevitable but it can also get complex when it takes unexpected forms, sometimes mis-communication has resulted in more harm than good. >>> Communication is inevitable but it can also get complex when it takes unexpected forms; sometimes mis-communication has resulted in more harm than good. (just sometimes?)
5) Lets see if ES2007s ... >>> Let's see if ES2007s.....
6) ...communication forms an integral part of humanity, and not only humanity we also interact with nature and animals. (run on sentence) >>> ....communication forms an integral part of human life, and also happens as we interact with nature and animals. (Aren't animals part of nature? Actually, aren't we as well?)
You could probably make this a more effective post by simply editing it a bit more closely, and by remembering that semi-formal writing should not be so conversational in tone. I don't want to be hypercritical, Aditi, but I do want to help you with your aim of crafting more professional-sounding messages, even if that is merely a blog post.
In any case, thank you for the great effort!
Thank you Sir for the detailed analysis of my blog post. It is really helpful for me and I can see where I have gone wrong. Going through it again I realized that a significant part of my writing is conversational in tone. For my future posts I will keep in mind the errors you have pointed out and make a conscious effort to draft more professionally-sounding messages. I will definitely try to improve myself.
DeleteAditi
Very interesting especially when you present the aspect of nonverbal communication as people sometimes forget that it is a part of communication. :)
ReplyDeleteI am interested in how the font we use can tell our thoughts. The font in this post is different from that in the previous post. What is the meaning of that? And why do you choose to use these particular fonts for blogging?
A very good example would be the difference between bolding and not bolding your font.
DeleteThis says something on the emphasis of the words used.
Another thing I can think of is that different fonts serve different purposes. For example, if a person is writing something for small children, perhaps, Comic Sans or Kristen ITC would do the job. On the other hand, if the blog is one that places heavy emphasis on design, then depending on the style of the design, different fonts would suit it. I realize that Helvetica is very common among blogs. As such, a blog with a different font might possibly communicate something about the writer.
Just my two cents worth. :)
Fonts indeed say something about a writer, even in a blog post.
DeleteColors are also relevant. What impression does a blog have with pink or purple color font, for example? (Let's talk about this in class.)
very interesting! I have never thought of that. I have done some design work before, for example, designing poster for CCAs. But when I choose the font, I pick font randomly and see which font would look good to my design. After reading all of your thoughts, I have to consider about the meaning behind font and its color in the future. :))
DeleteFrom my thinking, blog with pink or purple color font gives a friendly impression. Is this what others think as well? :D Let's share.
Yes, We are right in presuming that font styles and colors used in a blog say a lot. If we see closely, a lot of us have rather different looking blogs especially in terms of the layout we chose and the color schemes. I prefer dark colors over lighter ones, this tells something about my personality. Ramon, I see you like light colors and shades which may point out the positivity you have in your life.
DeleteThanks Hakeem for making this an insightful discussion. I completely agree with you. It indeed has to also do with our audience. Fonts differ in children articles to business letters and professional papers. I guess the font style conveys a lot about the aim of the article and the emotions of the writer.
Ramon, thanks for pointing out that pink and bright colors give a friendly impression. I agree with you to some extent. Using dark colors will not be pleasing to everyone.
Thanks guys, looking forward to writing more interesting things :)