Switched-On Magazine

Ever tried to convey a certain emotion or thought to another person, but the message did not really get across. Communication is a crucial part of everyday life and properly executing it can make all the difference. Most people can get through life interacting with people out in the world because the whole process is very superficial and serves as the means to an end, however, relationships that are on a different, more personal level can prove to have some difficulties. Going to McDonald's and ordering some food is an easy, painless process that most people can handle, but expressing to the cashier intimate feelings would be a thousand times harder. The reason for this is that the type of information given is vastly different. Food orders are easy to give away and process, but details of someone's personal life is not to be compared with French fries.

Failing to communicate with people on a deeper level can falter due to either personal blocks made to protect one's self, just purely lacking the skills to rely a message, or an inability to listen to the other person. All of these problems can cause major damage to any relationship worth having, be it a family member, a friend, or a boy/girl friend. Communicating with another person is a two-way street that only works if there are not huge roadblocks along the way. To understand another person and in exchange have them understand you, there needs to be clear styles of communication because without them the relationship will completely self-destruct. Here are a couple tips on how to make that road more manageable and pave a way for clear, constructive communication:

• The louder the person talks does not make the message any clearer. Lack of volume control usually means lack of control over emotions and a poor choice of words.
• Silence is good for cooling off, but not for solving any sort of problem. Sweeping the problem under the rug only creates more problems later on.
• Hearing a person is not listening to them. Yes, cliché, but not always so obvious. More is accomplished by understanding the other person rather than proving them wrong.
• Avoiding an argument and confrontation only creates resentment not solutions; however, if yelling or arguments are the only forms of communicating then there is a problem.
• Communication requires two or more people. If you do not share thoughts or emotions with someone, they will not want to share time or anything with you.

Communicating should be a simple concept where information is exchanged, but being humans does tend to complicate things a whole lot. Ego, pride, insecurities, and all other kinds of personal issues really muck up the concept. This does not stem from being a bad person, just one that is incased by personal issues, which then might result in complications when communicating. In a perfect world, everyone would express themselves to one another effortlessly without fear of judgment, persecution, or any form of option. Alas, we are not perfect and therefore must learn to maneuver through the fog that is the human spirit in hopes of catching a glimpse it. Communication is just as much about understanding as it is about expressing a thought. It is a careful balance, which will continue to wobble since it is influenced by a gargantuan amount of outside forces; however, the benefits are enough to compel most people to strive for that ideal.