Communication Problems

Communication is a very vital part of life, it's how we interact and understand each other. It powers the advancement of human kind. To build tribes, communities, nations etc. Without communication, there will just be a boring impasse with nothing to look forward to.

Since humans are complex creatures, communication has also become complex that it's proven difficult to fully understand the different layers of meaning. It's a double edged sword where the words you uttered doesn't only have the potential to figuratively stab the receiver but also yourself. The words can be interpreted differently based on how you communicate the words and the level of understanding of the receiver.

But communication is not only about words. It's about eye contact, body language and some other nuances, like silence. Silence is communication too, albeit a mysterious one!

Source

Implied Meaning vs Actual Meaning

They say there are two types of communication; direct and indirect. On the receiving side, most of us are not mind readers so we mess up between the two. We take the implied meaning for the actual meaning or vice versa taking the actual meaning for the implied meaning. This is especially true in friendships and relationships where the level of subtlety is high. Being direct is frowned upon (or embarrassing?) so we take the indirect route and sadly most of us are not experts in it.

I'll say understanding the words when uttered directly is easier for us but saying the words directly seems to be a heavy burden. Maybe we're trying to protect the emotional fragility of the other party?

This has been the cause of all kinds of communication problems from a simple outfits mismatch at a dinner party(It has happened to me twice!) to a complex constraint and difficult relationship/friendship ending.

Different Wavelengths

We're never on the same page. Channel 1 is different from channel 6. Instead of both of us meeting at channel 4 to communicate, we stay at channel 6 and throw it down to channel 1, channel 1 also throws it up to channel 6. Then we complain why he/she doesn't get it?

It's because we're on different wavelengths. We sometimes lock ourselves in our own level of perception and want people to find us there and explain it to our understanding. Try explaining optimism to a pessimistic person and your words will just hang in the air. Try saying the world is a fun place to be to a person who've lost all his/her life savings and you'll be lucky if you didn't get a punch on the face!

You can say the right words and it won't get through simply because the person is not ready to receive it. Here, having a broad mindset helps. that way you can ride the different wavelengths and understand where a person is coming from.

Suggestions

Here are a few suggestions to minimize the communication problem;

- Be as much direct as possible. Being completely direct is boring, it eliminates the guessing game. But you should be as much direct as you can, this will prevent misinterpretations of all kinds.

- Really listen. When a person is saying something, we're only hearing him/her but we're not listening. In our minds, we're cooking up ways to reply or worse thinking about something else. Pay attention and listen.

- See the big picture. Have a broad mindset. Sometimes, the problem might not be from you. You can be doing the right things and still don't get it right. dig deeper.

What would you like to add on this list?

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I appreciate your support!

Profile: @youngkedar98

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