Practice of Human Communications
How is it, that the practice of human communication is so common, and yet so complex? One would expect a common occurrence to be simple in nature, but all too often, when one really inspects that common occurrence, they find numerous elements that contribute to its cause. A wrist watch is able to tell you exactly what time it is, but there are many intricate moving pieces on the inside that allow it to perform that function for you. I’d like to discourse on some of the intricate pieces that allow for the practice of human communication.
When I asked one of my colleagues, Srikant Devaraj, to give me one key word that described human communication, he said, “human communication is unavoidable.” I found that to be a pretty meaningful statement. In order for humans to have any kind of quality in their lives, they must first have the ability to effectively convey their thoughts, feelings and ideas onto other people. Humans, and their ancestors, have always functioned in groups. They have always relied on communication to survive. With each generation, human communication has gotten more complicated, but because it is necessary for our survival, we have not only been able to adapt to the changes, but we have thrived on those changes. The reason human communication is so prevalent in our lives is because it is one of the main reasons for the survival and eventual success of our species.
One of my other teammates, Senthil Natchimuthu, said, “human communication is indefinable.” While I don’t necessarily agree with this statement, I do understand why he said it. Human Communication is very difficult to define. Just because it is an intangible, abstract concept, does not mean it is impossible to define. Communication happens everywhere, over many different mediums, using many different encoding and decoding processes. It is used so often, that most people don’t even think about it as they’re doing it. People don’t often step back and ask “why?” I like to think of Human Communication as: a person’s ability to send and receive messages with another person(s). It is communication between or amongst humans.
“In human communication, your words have a function beyond mere transfer of information. Your message has value as an act.”(Theories of Human Communications, Littlejohn, Foss, p103) Value is key in communication. Your message should hold meaning. If you ask for something, it is a request. If you tell someone to do something, it is a command. Each time you communicate, it is a call to action. (Occasionally, the call to action requires no action at all) Each communication you transmit adds value to the receiver(s), and each transmission you receive adds value to your life.
Cross-cultural communication is another element in human communication that influences the way we communicate with each other. In his book, Thriving on Chaos, Tom Peters highlights a great point about being an internationalist. “American management in the past has been singularly blind to the needs of human beings. Management wants to eliminate the human equation from business…. That puts businessmen at a disadvantage overseas because so many businesses are based on human relations and friendship.” There are great cultural differences in the way we communicate, and in the way other cultures communicate. Understanding those differences will be an important process in developing our communication skills. Once we understand the difference between appropriate and inappropriate behaviors, gestures, and words in other cultures it will be much easier to successfully communicate with those cultures. Peters finishes the paragraph by saying, “But all over the world, if you have friends, you can do anything. That’s how the system works.” (Thriving on Chaos, Peters, p151)
The practice of human communication has developed from the origins of our species. It has become an essential part of our culture and every day life, it is based on the value of our message, and it is quickly linking and merging cultures together, even if those cultures are separated by great distances. Human communication is easy to participate in, but difficult to define. It requires a great deal of our energy, but at the same time, it is one of the main things that propel our lives forward. It is important to think about human communication, but our survival requires us to apply it effectively.
References:
Foss, K. A., & Littlejohn, S.W. (2007) Theories of Human Communication (9th ed.), 103.
Thomson Wadsworth
Peters, Tom. (1987) Thriving on Chaos: Handbook for a Management Revolution. 151
New York, Harper and Row
(Senthil Natchimuthu, personal communication, 22 October 2007).
(Srikant Devaraj, personal communication, 22 October 2007).