Effective communication. I never really understood fully how much more I had to learn about it until recently. But I shall leave that juicy story for the next post ;)
But here is what I DID learn.
To me, effective communication is important simply because (as stated right at the top of the page), getting your point across requires more than just talking. Effective communication is what it is, EFFECTIVE. When done properly, it enables the listener to fully comprehend and absorb the message you are trying to convey. And it isn't just the message. The tone, context, sentiments that are attached to it as well.
So, why is it important to me? Well, humans are highly social beings and for me, interaction is absolutely fundamental to my survival. Isolation will just kill me. I'll be bored out of my wits. But on the other hand, based on past experience, when communication occurs, it gives room for misunderstanding, which if left unattended or unclarified, will lead to... DRAMA! And that is really not something I need on top of my already stressful final semester here (not that I have a say in its existence in my life to begin with). Effective communication eliminates this opportunity, or reduces it to a certain extent. Relaying the message is not enough. One must be sure that the other party hears, understands and comprehends the message in its entirety in order to be able to make the best decision or to take the best course of action.
That would be the primary importance of effective communication in my personal life.
Professional wise, effective communication is absolutely essential in the line of social work (yes, that is my major. Yes it is an actual major and yes I do get paid). Imagine if I had poor communication skills. My work will never get anywhere! D: I won't be able to built rapport with clients, emphatize with them, advocate for their rights, persuade different stakeholders to support the change movement etc. Oh the HORROR! D8 In social jobs, communication is essential because we are dealing with people and the key to mobilizing people is to be able to effectively communicate what we all want, when we want it and how we want it.
Anyway, these are the two main reasons for me. Do wait for the juicy story in the next post (:
I totally agree with you about "the tone, context and sentiments" of the message being communicated. I think we can all hope that this module helps us to find the correct way to express a message in the right tone, context and sentiment. However, I am skeptical that this module can really teach us something like that in a theoretical manner. After all, isn't communication something that you refine in your daily life rather than through that of a classroom environment? Having said that, I still have high hopes for the module to present a unique perspective to professional and effective communication.
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