Communication
Communication
is a tool for
contact, transfer of ideas,
influence and development.
What
is communication?
The word
communication derives from Latin’s “communicare”, which
means that something is being made in common. In the
communication we use more or less obvious meanings,
experiences, thoughts, feelings, actions and values.
Why do we communicate?
How do we do it?
From the very beginning of human communication we needed to
mate, feed and be secure – physiological needs.
The other needs we use to fulfil with communication are
psychological (identity, confirmation, safety), the need of
relations (belonging, intimacy, status) and societal needs
(adjustments, transfer of knowledge, traditions)
We communicate in a large variety of ways since we have
contact with people every day. What would you think happen
if you decided not
to
communicate one day? Is it even possible to
not
communicate or is it
not just another way of communicating?
We cannot stop communicating, but we can be aware of how we
communicate in different situations and how other people
perceive us. About 70-80 % of all our communication is
through non-verbal communication (body language), 20-25 %
through intonations/the voice we use when we speak and
about 10-15 % in the words we use.
Models
of communication
In most
areas you can use models to explain things with. That means
that the model creates an image of something, like a
metaphor. One model of communication is called ”the
Hammer”. In the Hammer model, communication is just a
question of speaking loud enough or repeating a message a
large number of times, like you use the hammer to hit a
nail. You can imagine yourself what will happen to the ones
who listen to a person communicating that way. After a
while they stop listening to the person or they get
“brainwashed”. Instead of creating openness, this way of
communicating creates fear, irritation and resistance,
contradictory to dialogue.
If you would like to improve your communication skills in
your organisation, this could be done quite easily
by contacting us.
Please check the page on Dialogue as
well.