Communication & Mutual Problem Solving

The Nature of Communication: 

Words           14%
Tone             35%
Non-Verbal  51%

The objective of communication is to decode the messages that are being sent our way.

Communicating our feelings can often times be a complex scenario. The feelings you intend to communicate can often times be misinterpreted. A KEY to avoid miscommunication is Listening. 

Psychiatrist Karl Menninger once said, " I believe listening to be one of the most powerful and influential techniques of human intercourse." It is no doubt that listening plays a significant role in proper communication.

The 5 styles of poor listening are;

The Faker: They pretend to be listening, nodding their heads and smiling, but are thinking about something else.

The Dependent Listener:  Primarily looking to please the speaker. Agreeing with everything they say just to maintain a goodwill with the speaker.

The Interrupter: Never allow the other person to finish speaking.

The Self-Conscious Listener: Trying to impress the other person, they fail to listen with understanding.

The Intellectual Listener:  Attend only to the words of other, ignoring non-verbal cues.

If you have found yourself being one of these listeners at one point than it would explain moments of miscommunication. However, there is always room for improvement.
A few pointers for this is;

• Taking initiative in communication. Listening does not have to be passive. Look at the person speaking to you and concentrate on what they are saying. 
• Resist distractions. 
• Control your emotions and tendency to respond before someone is finished speaking. 
• Ask questions and rephrase to clarify meaning. 

We are constantly communicating with one another. Whether it be verbally, or non-verbally we are always sending a message to the world. A good communicator must be an effective sender and receiver. A healthy relationship is one that has good communication skills. Therefore, it should be something we are constantly working on.