| Good communication is as stimulating as black | | | | about each other based on stereotypes?It's |
| coffee | | | | probably fair to say that the degree of |
| | | | understanding could be rated on a scale from |
| and just as hard to sleep after. | | | | very well understood to completely |
| | | | misunderstood. And anyone who says "I |
| Anne Morrow Lindbergh, 'Gift from the | | | | understand perfectly" is probably deceiving |
| Sea'The word communicate comes from the latin | | | | themselves.G. FeedbackFeedback in our model |
| communis or common. We speak of a common | | | | are the reactions of the receiver that are |
| room that everyone shares or a university | | | | being communicated back to the sender. |
| commons where everyone shares the space. It | | | | Feedback causes the sender to modify his |
| indicates that two people or two groups have | | | | message to increase the chances of its being |
| something shared in common but in our world | | | | understood by the receiver. Each of us has |
| today I maintain that there is nothing common | | | | experienced the feeling "they don't have a |
| about communication. Many of the world's | | | | clue about what I'm trying to say". How did |
| problems and disputes can be traced to poor | | | | we reach this conclusion? By interpreting |
| communication.The dictionary defines | | | | the feedback the receiver is generating. |
| communication as the transmission of | | | | This feedback can be verbal or |
| information, thought or feeling so that it is | | | | nonverbal.H. Communication blocked by |
| satisfactorily received or understood. As a | | | | noiseThe factor of "noise" may occur anywhere |
| working definition we'll consider that | | | | along the communication line, and it may be |
| communication has been successful if there is | | | | physical, physiological, or psychological in |
| shared understanding between those trying to | | | | nature. |
| communicate.So what is the result of shared | | | | |
| understanding? What are the implications of | | | | William Brooks |
| a lack of shared understanding? Does shared | | | | |
| understanding guarantee acceptance, openness | | | | "Speech Communication"When using radio to |
| and trust between people and groups?I | | | | communicate, the static sometimes is so |
| maintain that while good communication | | | | strong that the message is lost. |
| doesn't guarantee our lives will be enhanced, | | | | Communication theorists call this kind of |
| poor communication will make bad situations | | | | interruption during communication "noise". |
| worse and make it difficult to have and | | | | For our purposes noise is any part of the |
| maintain open, useful relationships in | | | | communication process that diminishes shared |
| life.The outcome, then, of successful | | | | understanding. Noise can be found in any |
| communication should be to increase | | | | part of our model. The sender can have poor |
| understanding and thereby improve | | | | communication skills. The receiver may be |
| relationships - and who doesn't need improved | | | | unable to receive the message for a variety |
| relationships?Families, co-workers, | | | | of reasons. The channels they use to |
| governments all need better communication. | | | | communicate may be inappropriate for the |
| So let's examine what happens when we | | | | situation. Feedback may be misinterpreted or |
| communicate, where the problems lie, and what | | | | ignored.As we continue we will examine noise |
| we can each do to improve our communication | | | | factors that decrease shared understanding |
| skills.I. The pieces of the communication | | | | and ways of eliminating or reducing the noise |
| processCommunication is a two-way street, and | | | | so that communication has a better |
| people tend to structure their phrases along | | | | chance.II. Temperament and |
| well-traveled linguistic routes to optimize | | | | CommunicationTemperament comes from the Latin |
| thier chances of being understood. | | | | tem perave, which means to mix. It relates |
| --Christopher Manning, | | | | to the fact that we are each a unique mixture |
| | | | of personality traits - background, |
| Stanford UniversityCommunication is a | | | | intelligence, feelings, education, culture |
| process; that is, it has definable steps that | | | | and on and on. It seems obvious but your |
| can be examined. We will look at | | | | temperament impacts your communication |
| communicating as a cycle going round and | | | | style.A. What is temperament?Temperament can |
| round unendingly. Remember, however, that | | | | also be called personality type and |
| examining the communication process is like | | | | incorporates self-image or self-esteem. |
| putting your VCR on pause; you look at a | | | | |
| frozen snapshot of a dynamic, unending | | | | We'll talk more about self-image later but |
| process. It's often been said that one | | | | now we'll focus on our "natural" temperament |
| cannot not communicate unless you're dead or | | | | or personality that we inherit along with our |
| unconscious; communication takes place - for | | | | eye color and body type. The ancients |
| bad or for good - when we're trying and when | | | | thought that temperament was caused by the |
| we're not.A. SenderThe sender has something | | | | mixture of certain bodily fluids called |
| he wants to share with someone else. In our | | | | humours.B. The four typesWhy four? Why not |
| simplified model, the sender is the person | | | | 104? Over the centuries, through observation |
| communicating. Unfortunately the sender's | | | | and study, it has been determined that each |
| information is in his mind. While much work | | | | of us is a blend of four distinct personality |
| has been done on trying to prove ESP, for | | | | types - and more specifically we are usually |
| most of us we've got to get the information | | | | a blend of two of the four types. Who wrote |
| we want to share out of our mind and into the | | | | this rule? How do we know it's true? Again |
| other person's mind by other | | | | the evidence is mostly empirical or by |
| means.B. ReceiverThe receiver is just that - | | | | experience though the underlying concepts |
| the other person or persons that the sender | | | | come from the work of Carl Jung.For our |
| is trying to communicate with. What we'll | | | | purposes, we'll use the ancient Greek |
| find is that the receiver has some obstacles | | | | nomenclature for temperament types - |
| in the way that will affect whether shared | | | | Choleric, Phlegmatic, Sanguine, and |
| understanding is achieved or not. While the | | | | Melancholy. These are certainly only one way |
| sender has the responsibility to craft a | | | | of discussing the four - other models use the |
| clear message, the receiver has additional | | | | names of animals, the acronym DiSC, and the |
| responsibilities of hearing, listening, and | | | | most famous - the Meyers-Briggs naming |
| providing feedback.C. A messageThe message is | | | | system.Temperament strongly affects |
| not just some words. The message is a rich | | | | communication style. But so does our |
| combination of thoughts, feelings, words, and | | | | cultural background, so does our educational |
| meanings. Even a sender that says, "it's | | | | experience. The point is that temperament is |
| simple", doesn't realize the blended nature | | | | only one part of our communication style.The |
| of the message they want to convey. Many | | | | choleric type is sometimes called the Driver. |
| communication problems stem from the idea | | | | A choleric person is goal-oriented, |
| that communication is simple.D. Some ways of | | | | no-nonsense, hard-nosed person. They are |
| generating a signalSpeak clearly, if you | | | | extraverted, strong willed persons. You can |
| speak at all; carve every word | | | | spot a choleric by their impatient, |
| | | | action-oriented style.As regards |
| before you let it fall. | | | | communicating, the choleric gets straight to |
| | | | the point and is not much concerned with the |
| Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1809 - 1894)The | | | | feelings of others. They say what they mean |
| signal we are speaking of is how we encode | | | | and it can often be pointed and critical.The |
| the message in our heads and broadcast it to | | | | sanguine temperament is an outgoing, warm, |
| the receiver. We'll find that this includes | | | | people person. They are talkers and are |
| more than the sounds of words; it can include | | | | concerned with the feelings of others. They |
| feelings, attitudes, and our unique | | | | are best when meeting and greeting others. |
| personality. If you think about this, all | | | | They are extraverted, warm, and |
| communication is indirect in that we use the | | | | enthusiastic.The sanguine is loath to hurt |
| tools of language and nonverbal communication | | | | others' feelings and will avoid conflict at |
| to attempt to share what we are experiencing | | | | almost any price. Their communication style |
| inside ourselves.E. A brain | | | | is outgoing and talkative. They will often |
| | | | touch the person they are talking to.The |
| I would while away the hours, | | | | melancholy is highly organized, detailed, and |
| | | | critical. You can spot a melancholy by their |
| Conversin' with the flowers . . . | | | | organized desktop or workspace. They are |
| | | | introverted and often moody. They dislike |
| If I only had a brain. -- | | | | their anyone moving their "stuff".As a |
| | | | communicator, the melancholy will be precise, |
| The Scarecrow in the Wizard of OZOur brains | | | | detailed and critical. They often feel they |
| are rich, complicated places. All | | | | are "right" because they have taken the time |
| communication is filtered through our | | | | to carefully analyze whatever subject they |
| personality, our background, our upbringing, | | | | are talking about.The phlegmatic is the |
| our culture, and our current state of being. | | | | quietest of the four types. While generally |
| When you are tired or stressed or in | | | | calm on the surface they are the most likely |
| circumstances that are unpleasant, | | | | to be anxious internally when |
| communication becomes that much | | | | communicating.Again I want to emphasize that |
| harder.F. Shared understandingSpeak properly, | | | | no one is purely one temperament type. |
| and in as few words as you can, but always | | | | Another presentation I do on understanding |
| plainly; | | | | temperament goes into much more detail on the |
| | | | 16 combinations of personality |
| for the end of speech is not ostentation but | | | | traits.Everything that irritates us about |
| to be understood. | | | | others |
| | | | |
| William PennWe return to our definition. | | | | can lead us to an understanding of |
| The degree to which someone understands what | | | | ourselves. |
| we are trying to communicate will depend on | | | | |
| many factors. How much alike are we? Do we | | | | Carl Jung (1857-1961)In a nutshell, |
| share any background experiences? Are our | | | | personality affects communication because |
| language skills, attitudes, beliefs similar | | | | each style has a different primary way of |
| or dissimilar? What assumptions have we made | | | | communicating. |