I came across a link to an article about poor communication skills this past weekend which both confused and amused me. As a student of communication and an author of various studies on the subject, the title intrigued me: "Communication Skills Worsening." However, the article (and I am really not sure this qualifies as an article. It looks more like a blog post.) was not very well written or documented.
The article reported that the number of children starting school in New Jersey with poor communication skills was rising and that one reason for this was that families "spend less time doing things together out of doors." It went on to say that the Department of Education, Sport and Culture was sponsoring outdoor activities training for what appears to be the local nursery school staff in order to remedy this problem.
I have read many studies and articles over the years stating communication skills are on the decline, but I have never heard this lack of skill related to not being out doors with family. The relationship between the two escapes me and apparently I am not the only one as the only comment on the article raised the same concern.
The article seemed quite casual for what appeared to be a large news website, though I had not heard of the site. I decided to find out more about the organization thinking the article might actually be just a blog post with someone's random thoughts. I found an "About Us" page. Displayed prominently were three pictures of women who appear to be three of their reporters, but the captions don't list a bio about them. Instead a fashion report is given on what they are wearing in the picture. I don't remember where, but after clicking around for some time, I found information that suggested this was a news organization based out of the U.K. since the early 90's employing various reporters. I was a bit confused as many of their stories have to do with New Jersey.
Going back to the article, I tried to discern more about what it was trying to share. Unfortunately, the more I read it, the more confused I became. I may be missing the boat entirely, but I had several other problems with this article/entry.
1. It didn't include a date or the name of an author.
2. It didn't include an introduction or a conclusion.
3. It did not explain what the Department of Education, Sport and Culture was.
4. It had absolutely no facts or evidence, quotes or references to back up the assertions being made.
Not only did this article or entry confuse me, but the entire site did as well. After spending some time searching the site, I am still at a loss to understand its purpose. So, unless I am missing something, this is a poor article on poor communication skills. lol
I bring this up for a few reasons. First, information is abundant on the information superhighway, but so is misinformation. Secondly, if we are to be effective here on the web whether it takes the form of blogging or social media or a website, we must communicate clearly. Lastly, we not only must communicate each message clearly, but we must also communicate the purpose for our blog or website as well.
If you are endeavoring to share your thoughts on a blog or website, it is helpful to post your blog's purpose or mission statement. When you are sharing an article or blogpost, it is also beneficial to communicate clearly your purpose for sharing this particular article or post. Similarly, if you have a Twitter or Facebook page, you should post a bio so folks know what you are about when trying to decide whether or not to connect with you there. You have no idea how many people I find with absolutely NO information about themselves to help potential friends or followers.
In the end, I guess this article did persuade me that its title was true! Communication skills ARE on the decline. Fortunately with a little attention to detail, education and practice, anyone can communicate more effectively!
If you would like to communicate more effectively in order to share the ideas God has put on YOUR heart, visit Art of Eloquence.com and see how we can help!
Poor Article on Poor Communication Skills
I came across a link to an article about poor communication skills this past weekend which both confused and amused me. As a student of communication and an author of various studies on the subject, the title intrigued me: "Communication Skills Worsening." However, the article (and I am really not sure this qualifies as an article. It looks more like a blog post.) was not very well written or documented.
The article reported that the number of children starting school in New Jersey with poor communication skills was rising and that one reason for this was that families "spend less time doing things together out of doors." It went on to say that the Department of Education, Sport and Culture was sponsoring outdoor activities training for what appears to be the local nursery school staff in order to remedy this problem.
I have read many studies and articles over the years stating communication skills are on the decline, but I have never heard this lack of skill related to not being out doors with family. The relationship between the two escapes me and apparently I am not the only one as the only comment on the article raised the same concern.
The article seemed quite casual for what appeared to be a large news website, though I had not heard of the site. I decided to find out more about the organization thinking the article might actually be just a blog post with someone's random thoughts. I found an "About Us" page. Displayed prominently were three pictures of women who appear to be three of their reporters, but the captions don't list a bio about them. Instead a fashion report is given on what they are wearing in the picture. I don't remember where, but after clicking around for some time, I found information that suggested this was a news organization based out of the U.K. since the early 90's employing various reporters. I was a bit confused as many of their stories have to do with New Jersey.
Going back to the article, I tried to discern more about what it was trying to share. Unfortunately, the more I read it, the more confused I became. I may be missing the boat entirely, but I had several other problems with this article/entry.
1. It didn't include a date or the name of an author.
2. It didn't include an introduction or a conclusion.
3. It did not explain what the Department of Education, Sport and Culture was.
4. It had absolutely no facts or evidence, quotes or references to back up the assertions being made.
Not only did this article or entry confuse me, but the entire site did as well. After spending some time searching the site, I am still at a loss to understand its purpose. So, unless I am missing something, this is a poor article on poor communication skills. lol
I bring this up for a few reasons. First, information is abundant on the information superhighway, but so is misinformation. Secondly, if we are to be effective here on the web whether it takes the form of blogging or social media or a website, we must communicate clearly. Lastly, we not only must communicate each message clearly, but we must also communicate the purpose for our blog or website as well.
If you are endeavoring to share your thoughts on a blog or website, it is helpful to post your blog's purpose or mission statement. When you are sharing an article or blogpost, it is also beneficial to communicate clearly your purpose for sharing this particular article or post. Similarly, if you have a Twitter or Facebook page, you should post a bio so folks know what you are about when trying to decide whether or not to connect with you there. You have no idea how many people I find with absolutely NO information about themselves to help potential friends or followers.
In the end, I guess this article did persuade me that its title was true! Communication skills ARE on the decline. Fortunately with a little attention to detail, education and practice, anyone can communicate more effectively!
If you would like to communicate more effectively in order to share the ideas God has put on YOUR heart, visit Art of Eloquence.com and see how we can help!
7 comments
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You are so right. I find the same thing that sometimes the details don’t add up or there aren’t enough details to add up!
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Wow – pretty scary, right? I’ve seen a real decline in just simple skills that I’ve always taken for granted – people – adult people that don’t have a grasp of the english language – how to type or speak with proper grammar – it’s amazing to me. Where were they in english class? Did I learn so much more in college – and not everyone goes to college? I haven’t been able to figure it out. Can you?
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I agree Becky Joie. I have found so many websites, blogs, articles and even social media pages with little to no information. This makes readers confused and unsure.
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Cindy, I have read many studies and articles showing that communication skills are on the decline. Some of the theories point to email shortcuts, texting and other technology. They say technology makes it so easy to communicate and these forms of communication are so informal and forgiving that people no longer feel the need to improve their skills. Unfortunately, I have seen many surveys which show that employers are desperate for employees with these skills and statistics that show relationships are suffering because of it. Some studies show that violence results from a lack of effective communication skills that allow people to articulate their wants and needs. Additionally, other studies show that an overwhelming percentage of people state lack of effective communication is the most cited reason for divorce and the reason it is so high.