Communication skills training is the most essential form of training as communication is the most elementary skill required by humans since the inception of humanity, without which any contact between two beings would have been impossible. In fact it is not only restricted to humans but extends to all living creatures as they also use some form of communication, although we may be far from understanding it!
Communication has been around since a very very very long time. The only thing that has really changed in it is that it’s got a little refined as we moved down the time line, but otherwise the purpose remains pretty much the same.
- From Cavemen to Common Day Men, nothing has really changed!!!
In the early hunter days, we used it more as a means to survive. We depended more on body language, gestures and making peculiar sounds to indicate to one another when there was danger or when there was food around. Language frankly took quite some time to evolve, which is probably why it still forms a very small percentage of our communication. Yes it’s true, words only form 7% of our face to face communication whereas body language and the way in which we speak the words form a whopping 93%. Shocked? I was too and we actually spend so much time trying to perfect our vocabulary, don’t we!
Communication has been the key in the social space as we evolved as species and it started playing a major role in our social as well as professional success. As languages evolved, communication started getting more and more sophisticated with more and more emphasis being laid on verbal and written communication. However, these continue to be impoverished modes of true contact with other individuals as that can only happen by putting those things in place that really matter, body language and voice. Let’s say it’s like a wedding cake with many layers of cake. Body Language forms the lower most layer, the solid foundation, while voice is the middle layer. The cake can be complete with just the base layer as is with body language, a powerful way of expressing, in fact one which is adept at expressing all by itself. Voice provides the next layer, the base of the upper layers of word. Truly, words without the lower layer of voice are quite empty and can more often than not lead to gaps in understanding what we are really trying to say. Remember the last time you misunderstood the meaning of an ambiguous word because you either did not have access to the emotion behind it or were not too successful is deciphering it correctly? So are words important then? Let’s just say that they are the couple standing on the top of the cake. They add to the beauty of the cake and often mesmerize us and keep our attention fixed on them, often leading us to miss out the beauty of the lower and middle layers! Nonetheless, they make the cake more attractive and if we can remember to look at the entire cake in a balanced and non-partial manner then they can be quite a completing factor!
The current predominantly ‘word’ modes of communication we typically use are telephone, e-mail and how can we forget, social media. These make use of mostly verbal and written modes of communication and have done a pretty good job of bringing the world together and making it a smaller place. The question then is that have they really made it a smaller place? Are people really closer to each other than they were before?
Well they have definitely made it a lot easier for people to communicate. The Facebooks, LinkedIn, Whatsapp and Twitters have done wonders when it comes to making people a click or should I say a tap away. In fact they have eased communication for introverts like me who are more comfortable expressing their thoughts and emotions through the written word. However they have not done very well when it comes to bonding for many people. The virtual world has torn apart many relationships by reducing face to face interactions with our near and dear ones. We have started spending so much time in the virtual world that quality time with our family has really taken a back seat and will soon be a thing of the past! With less family time being spent, families are breaking apart and we have seen an unprecedented rise in the number of divorce cases as well as suicides being committed. While everything looks perfect and rosy in the unreal world, relations are becoming fragile and communication is deteriorating in the real world.
So does that mean this form of communication is bad? No. It just means that is being used in an unbalanced manner. As with all things in this world, balance is at the centre of everything. Everything ever created can have a positive and a negative side, depending on the way you use it. The same goes with communication. It has to be used in a moderate manner. Some things have to be spoken while others need not be expressed. Some need to be expressed using the body while others using words. Some need to be expressed in a specific way to ensure that they do not make the recipient uncomfortable.
We invite you to come and learn the art of communication through the communication skills training that we conduct. Whether it is better expression through the body, voice or words; our communication skills training will help you go to the next level using a range of different techniques that help us communicate better with you:)
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