Communication is a word you've probably heard since you were young, but I'll bet you can't define it. Some people think communication is talking, conversation, making a speech or persuading someone of something. Others think it's manners, etiquette or social graces. Merriam Webster defines communication as "an act or instance of transmitting," "information transmitted or conveyed," "a verbal or written message," "exchange of information," "personal rapport," or their most comprehensive definition, "a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior." Wikipedia has one of the most complete definitions of communication I have ever seen: "Communication is the activity of conveying information. Communication has been derived from the Latin word "communis", meaning...
Don't Shoot the MessengerBy JoJo TabaresI see it time and time again-people frustrated with friends or family who “just don’t understand" them. They ask why, but when they are told it’s because they weren't clear or sounded harsh, they don’t want to hear that. They want to hear that it’s the other person’s fault. I've even had people send me a message asking, no, PLEADING with me to help them because they don’t understand why they are always misunderstood. I tell them. I share it in the most gracious way, but they don’t want to hear that they need to change. They want the other person to have to change. Remember the man who asked Jesus what he must do to...
Number ONE New Year's Resolution: Spend More Time with Family & Friends Recent polls conducted by General Nutrition Centers, Quicken, and others show that "more than 50% of Americans vow to appreciate loved ones and spend more time with family and friends this year." What's the one skill we all need if we are going to spend more time with our friends and relatives? It's the very same skill needed to improve relationships: Communication! Why? Because you cannot even have a relationship with someone unless you communicate with them in some way. As I wrote about in a recent article, relationships are all about communication and the potential for misunderstanding and misinterpretation leave a relationship vulnerable. This year, resolve to learn to become a more effective communicator! Don't wait...
sesquipedalian \ses-kwuh-puh-DAYL-yuhn\ (adjective) - 1 : Given to or characterized by the use of long words. 2 : Long and ponderous; having many syllables. (noun) - A long word. "Because my father was a professor, I early picked up a sesquipedalian way of speaking." -- Damon Knight, 'A Science Fiction Argosy' Sesquipedalian comes from Latin sesquipedalis, "a foot and a half long, hence inordinately long," from sesqui, "one half more, half as much again" + pes, ped-, "a foot." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Is it always desirable to use large, complicated, obscure or technical terms? While having a large vocabulary is important for good communication, it isn't always effective to use. Here are a list of circumstances in which it is NOT effective...
By JoJo Tabares We've all gotten them. Those cryptic emails that we can't make heads or tails of. You think..."Whoever sent this, must be trying to tell me something, but for the life of me, I cannot decipher what it could possibly be!" Email is a deceptively difficult communication skill to master. Devoid of much of what makes up face-to-face communication (inflection, eye contact, body language, intonation and real-time interaction), an email can be misunderstood faster than you can say..."Hey what'd she mean by THAT?" Many people don't fully understand the impact their email can have on their reader and so they neglect to give it the attention it needs in order to produce the desired impression upon its recipient....
