About Communication
In the past communication was seen as a one-way act conveying a message from one person to another; however, today we view communication as a more complex process—more like a conversation with all its uncertainties and differences of interpretation.
How do we communicate?
The obvious ways we communicate include speaking and writing; however, we also communicate through body languge, tone of voice, objects, signs, and codes—things such as clothing, advertisements, colour, diagrams, graphs and pictures. Understanding how we communicate and how we can do it better is the focus of this website.
Different communication systems encourage different behaviours
We can look at how individuals behave, but we can also look at the systems in a workplace, because often the systems affect how people behave. Today workers communicate through emails, telephone calls, MSN, newsletters, Blogs, networking functions, conferences, meetings, and websites and each one encourages different behaviours.
Communication then is not just about how individuals behave, but also about how individuals behave within particular contexts and systems. Michael Schrage* takes this idea even further by saying that innovative prototypes, which some companies rely on as a source of creative ideas for business success, play a more influential role in creating a team than teams do in creating prototypes:
In world-class companies, an interesting prototype emits the social and intellectual equivalent of a magnetic field, attracting smart people with interesting ideas about how to make it better. (Schrage)
Not all companies create prototypes. However, most companies today hold meetings or have websites, so it is worth exploring the systems of communication to see how they affect communication with colleagues, stakeholders and clients, and that includes the conversations that occur within these systems.
Interpersonal skills
Beyond systems, though, a way for individuals to improve communication skills is to focus on such things as
- business writing skills
- business presenting skills
- collaboration and partnerships
Communication does, of course, include other topic, and, as an ongoing project, these will be added as they are acquired, so keep coming back to see the latest offerings. For now check out how to improve your communication skills by exploring the links above.
Reference
* Schrage, Michael. Serious Play : How the World's Best Companies Simulate to Innovate. Havard Business School Press, c2000
