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How do we communicate as humans today? Today we have smart phones, computers, Pads, and other such devices can we even answer the question, how do people communicate? If you surveyed the American people they would likely answer the question with the previous answers. As humans we all know the first type of communication which Is verbal or vocal but the second type of communication Is non-verbal or non-vocal. We could plead that non-verbal Is all of the emails and messages we send on those smart devices but that is where society gets confused about what is the difference.
First we have to understand the basic, what is communication? Communication is a transfer of meaning from one person or group to another. It focuses on the nature of meaning and ways to maintain the integrity of meaning through the process of dissemination and reception of the message. ” (Unknown, n. D. ) Communication is not Just how well you give a message but also how well you can receive a message. A great example is the activity telephone. It is where you have a group of people in a row and you try to pass a message down the line to see If to can make it through the line.
If down correctly the message should be sent and received correctly to where It Is the same message from start to finish. If you have ever done this activity In a group setting It more than never makes It to the end with the same message. Where along the line does our communication breakdown in the process. I think first humans need to understand the difference between verbal and non-verbal communication, the two types of communication we see daily. Verbal communication is vocal category, the spoken language. This is where you are directly talking with someone vocally.
Most communication done by humans is verbal communication, it is done by phone, testing, Keep, etc. Examples of verbal communication include but not limited to meetings, lectures, team building, ND playing on sports teams. What is non-verbal communication and why is it more important than verbal communication? Do you know that research shows that It takes about four minutes to make a first Impression? According to studies by UCLA professor Albert Memorable “Body language accounts for 58% of a first Impression; 38% comes from tone of voice; 7% comes from our actual words” (Memorable A. Non-verbal communication is aspects of communication that do not involve verbal, like gestures or facial expressions. If you are standing with a person having a conversation and your verbal and non-verbal communication cues are not congruent, hey are going to look at your non-verbal over what you are vocally saying. Think has this happened to you before. An example is when you are in a group discussing a group assignment and you are saying you are fine with the part you got but your body language is saying the opposite.
We also have to remember that non-verbal communication is how we receive information. Non-verbal communication can help with your communication but first let’s look at some key Issues when it comes to non- verbal communication. Some of these Issues are body language, space, hands/arms, feet, expressiveness, and handshakes. The mall Issue we as humans have Is with our body language, we give clusters of signals and postures. For example crossed arms can indicate anger or being cold. A major obstacle with body language is that one that is the peace symbol.
The other issues are Just simple things like body language that show anxiety, stress, confidence, attitude, and dominant. Now with the knowledge of non-verbal communication how can that knowledge help you with communication with others? When you are communicating with others you need to focus on the above issues and work on those in the positive way. To work on you on-verbal communication you can do the following use a mirror, videotape yourself, release stress by scrunching your toes (something new I learned), and mirror the person with whom you are speaking (the more you are like them, the more you will connect).
Practice makes you better at anything but no one is perfect so you need to work on communication for the rest of your life. Everyone has room to improve, even the best speakers in the world. When taking a look at my own personal listening inventory it was interesting to see what I do well and some of the things that I need work on as an active listener. Completing the assignment open my eyes to behaviors that I would never see as behaviors of active listeners. First let’s start with the items that I need to work own.
I rated myself low in the areas of; I do not always concentrate on a speaker’s main ideas rather than specific details. I can improve in this area by taking notes during the speaking arrangements. This will help me keep the main ideas together with the more details that go with the main ideas. Those fine details is what is going to help you do projects or learn new ideas. Everything we do as humans we have that area that we are in between, some days you do it and mom days you might not.
The areas in listening that I said that fall into that category include; I am sometimes uncomfortable asking questions when I do not understand, I avoid tuning out speakers when I disagree with their message, I avoid tuning out message that are too complex, and I try to understand other person’s point of view when it is different from mine. When it comes these areas I need to Just do them more constantly when I am listening during speaking engagements. These are the areas are why I perceive myself as a good listener in the classroom, but I could still improve on my listening skills.