28 Aug 2015

The biggest problem in communication is of the illusion of it being accomplished. – George Bernard Shaw

In 1941 swarms of people from several parts of Europe gathered at Kroplloper, to hear to a speech delivered by a great orator, on the ‘Declaration of War on the United States Of America.’ Citizens by the million were glued to their radio and television set to see this great orator move the whole of Europe to believe in what he said. We are talking of none other than Adolf Hitler. We all know of the monstrosities that Hitler meted out on the Jews, but yet there was a huge fan following for his oratory skills, that continues to this day. So what made Hitler an effective communicator? Or For that matter what makes anyone a good communicator

  1. Being a good communicator is not easy. It certainly does involve a dint of hard work and perseverance. An effective communicator (unlike a poor communicator) will collect the information, interpret the data, discuss it, analyze it, and develop an understanding on the subject through continued dialogue before he/she arrives at a decision.
  2. A good communicator will express ideas (written or verbal) very clearly and simply. They are always to the point, and will be able to achieve the end result using their ideas to move people in the appropriate direction. (Just like how Hitler did.) It is no use bombarding your listeners or readers with a hoard of information and jargon that will compel them to shut out.
  3. A good communicator will not only analyze the data, but also the audience that is to be addressed. He/she will effectively use words ideas and examples that fittingly steer people to achieve the desired goal. Intonation (what we colloquially call the accent or dialect) is ideally used in verbal communication to make a broader impact when addressing a crowd using a certain language and dialect.
  4. When speaking or addressing a crowd it is very important for a speaker to maintain eye contact. Hence, it is necessary to use the correct expressions, emphasis, and inflection (the rise and scale of the voice in the vocal scale).
  5. Communication is not only about delivering speeches, but also about listening, probing, and responding to people. One should have a good mix of close and open-ended questions to make the interaction noteworthy and fruitful.
  6. Your body language, especially when delivering a speech, should display an air of confidence. One should rid off any stage fright. After all, you are only addressing a group of people (they really won’t kill you, but you don’t also want to be the laughing stalk).
  7. Articulate every word clearly. Clarity is paramount in any deliverance, especially when concerning a large crowd. Where written communication is concerned one can maintain clarity by conveying the idea using very simple language, with a few strong words to convey what you must.
  8. It is important to find your own tone or style when communicating. For instance some people have a very corporate tone while some have flowery tone, there are a few who also have an air of comedy. This is not bad, as one is able to convey the message effectively.

As I wind up, I would only like to state that a good communication is about bridging gaps, and using ideas to bring people together.
Communication is and has been a very important tool in every era whether now or earlier ages. It is very necessary to be able to communicate effectively so that one can get to where one wants, and also achieve what one wants. It isn’t easy to communicate, yet if we remain flexible in understanding that people have behaviors and they are not the behaviors and if we just practice this then we can reach at least somewhere if not being a perfect.