Misconceptions about Human Communication

1. What we need is more communication.

More communication is useless if it is not effective, so instead of
communicating more, people should communicate better. Effective
communication involves giving out a clear message, having a clear
understanding of message, and thus giving an appropriate feedback. Spurting
out nonsense, gets nonsense feedbacks. For example, in long term relationships,
there will come a time that couples will fight every time they talk due to problems
or even just because of the silliest things; the more they talk, the more they fight
because of bad communication and lack of understanding. At this point, some
people break up or gets a break from each other, where they can reflect and try
to understand each other, so that when they talk again, they could understand
each other better, and thus communicate better to solve their problems.

2. Speakers bear the burden of effective communication.

Communication is a two way process; a speaker gives messages, then
the listeners decodes that message and gives a feedback. Thus, to have an
effective communication, the listeners must also participate; the speaker is not
the only one to blame. A typical example would be in a classroom setting, where
a professor is passionately teaching his or her lesson, but several students are
very sleepy due to their exams and requirements in other subjects so they tend
to fall asleep and not listen, hence, the lesson won’t reach them and there is no
effective communication since they aren’t doing their part as listeners. Another
example would be salesmen that give out flyers; no matter how much they try to
catch your attention, but since you are not interested, there will be no effective
communication will be made.
3. Communication breakdown stops communication.
Communication itself cannot break and stop. Communication is an ever-
changing and continuous process. Communication can stop between people, but
this is because these people gave out signals or messages that they don’t want
to communicate, which is still communication; hence, communication is not to
blame here. Moreover, if a person have speech or hearing disabilities,
communication does not stop. They will have another way to communicate. The
example disproves the existence of communication breakdown, and it support
the idea that communication has no end and is dynamic

4. Communication consists of words.

To convey message, words can be accompanied by movements and
facial expressions. This way, the listener can understand clearly what a person is
 trying to convey. However, use of words is not only effective way to
communicate. For example, those with speech and hearing disabilities
communicate using sign languages along with facial expressions which can
easily be understood by those who know sign language. In addition, in pre-
historic times, where words do not exist yet, humans are able to communicate
with on their own ways. Moreover, even animals can communicate without the
use of words. Therefore, use of words is not the limit of communication.
5. Meanings are in words.
Words have meanings, but meanings are not always in words. Words are
just symbols, which have indefinite meanings because of different human
interpretations. Meanings of words can be interpreted differently due to
languages or dialects, cultural backgrounds, and context. For example, in the US
and also here in the Philippines, the words “first floor” means the ground floor,
but in Britain, their first floor is our second floor. If a British gave directions to
Filipino, they would clearly misunderstand each other; thus, it was proven that
meanings vary in different cultures. Another example would be the word “okay”; it
is a word that expresses agreement, but its meaning can vary depending on how
it was said. If it was said with a smiling face, it would mean that the person totally
agrees but if it was said by whispering with a sad or poker face, it would mean
that the person doesn’t really agree. Thus, it can be seen that actions defined
that meaning of the word okay.

6. Effective communicators are born, not made.

To be an effective communicator, you need communication skills. Just like
any other skill and talent, it takes learning and practice. No one can be born with
those skills. Certain situations, experiences, and lessons shape a person to be a
good communicator. Anyone can be an effective communicator as long as you
show interest and exert effort to learn. Back in high school, I have this friend who
lacks self-confidence and rarely talks. One day I found out that this friend
became a blogger and is now a brand ambassador. She gets invites to give talks
about blogging and style. My very shy high school friend became a good speaker
through building self-confidence, studying, and experience; hence, this proves
that effective communicators can be made.