Effective Communication

To communicate more effectively I have to first know and understand what areas of communication I may lack in. We often think that our way is the right way. That is definitely not true. We all have some areas that we need to improve and there are some things about communication we were not aware of. We have to make sure we truly understand what it means to communicate effectively. The second thing I can do is to not be so grounded in thinking that my cultural ways are what’s appropriate. This is called cultural myopia. Cultural myopia is especially dangerous when members of the dominant group in a society are unaware of or insensitive toward the needs and values of members of others in the same society. Third I can apply the platinum rule when I am communicating with others. The platinum rule states, “Do to others as they themselves would like to be treated." Which goes hand in hand with valuing and respecting others. As it relates to effective communication, if we are aware of and are knowledgeable of the different cultures we can then communicate with them in a way that does not suggest we don’t appreciate who they are.

Communication skills

For this week assignment I watch a recorded episode of the reality show real house wives of Atlanta. In this episode in the sound off version there are a group of men I assume are the husbands of the wives. They are in a group talking in a bar or club atmosphere. Looking at them communicate it was hard to determine what they were talking about. Based on their body language, facial expressions, and different emotions displayed I assumed they may be talking about things men normally talk about. During the conversations there was a lot of laughing and high fiving and other hand gestures between the guys.  Based on what I observed they seem to be friendly and cordial at times and other times they seemed angry based on body language.

After re-watching the episode with the volume on I realized the husbands were communicating about their wives. They were discussing previously aired episodes of the show and offering advice to each other how they could have made certain situations or outcomes different. This explains why their communication skills varied throughout the show. They discussed instances where their relationships with their wives were more pleasant and when they were not. When the talked about or addressed more pleasant situations their body language and gestures (high fives and laughing) were more evident.

It is so obvious how we can make the wrong assumptions about a situation based on our opinions. I assumed these guys would be talking about sports or something or than their wives. Even if the show had been one that I watched on a regular basis I probably still would make some wrong assumptions if I was not fully aware of what was being communicated. I have often heard people say that they can tell when someone is talking about them even if they can’t hear what’s being said. We often make bad decisions about other people’s intentions based on our lack of properly identifying or knowing what is going on when others are communicating

Competent Communication

The person that I think demonstrates competent communication would be my Pastor. The success of our ministries and how well we operate is largely due to his ability to communicate effectively. He use various techniques and different forms of technology to get the information out.  If he is preaching, teaching, or just engaged in conversation with members he always demonstrates competent communication skills. During his messages or teachings we are often introduced to things we may not understand, but he will help us understand the meaning as it is being used. He also alerts us when he knows he is about to use improper English. The use of proper English is important when communicating with others in an effort to accomplish certain goals. He has the ability to influence others through his communication to make decisions that will be beneficial to their daily lives and the lives of others.

Because he display exemplary communication skills and has been successful at how well he exchange information I would like to model some of my own skills after him. I am intrigued that he is able to contribute to the success of our ministry through competent communication. Imagine the success we could have in the early childhood field just by being able to communicate effectively.