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