“Communication – the key to personal and professional success”

The Importance of Effective Communication

WEEK ONE

The morning of June 7 the Youth Leaders’ Leadership Development Programme was back on track with two presentations on communication, its importance and ways to enhance it. They were conducted by Dawn Stewart and Ruel Johnson.

In her presentation Ms Stewart raised the issues which often come with communication – the difficulty in communicating, the impediments which prevent communication, the many forms of communication and the channels necessary for effective communication. As members of organising trying to effect change communication is essential. Everyone has a message within them which they hope to share with the world but until we are able to efficiently organise our thoughts, and clearly and confidently put them into words we will not be communicating using our full potential.

How many of us have had crises in our homes, within our families, made attempts at communicating our issues but failed? It was one of the stimulating questions Ms Stewart asked the audience. Why is it that parent/child communication – especially from the younger person to the older one – is so often received in a different way than the sender intended? Ms Stewart provided a number of examples of the “younger” generation – dating from Plato’s era on ward – being accused of being complacent by their elders.

“Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.”

George Orwell

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Mr Johnson’s presentation was on the written word. As members of organisations oftentimes correspondence plays an important role in getting the message of the group out there – letters to the editor, press releases.

Before the pen hits the paper, the writer must be certain that they have conviction on the topic being addressed that they comprehend it and they are competent in it. In communication, both written and verbal, tools of rhetoric are essential.

Logos – the use of logical ideas to appeal to audience
Pathos – an appeal to the audience’s emotions
Ethos – the author’s credibility

Ms Stewart pointed out these three facets in her piece on verbal communication and they were reemphasised in Mr Johnson’s piece. Arguments must be organised and logical. And it is imperative that as leaders we use all within our arsenal to appeal to emotions of those around us. We must also be credible and ethical in our communication. When we are logic, incite passion in the hearts of others by appealing to emotion and have shown ourselves to be ethical we can then create change.

Ms Stewart broke the participants into groups. One representative from each group was givenc an image which the other participants must replicate without actually seeing it. The point was for the leaders of each group to communicate - use words to explain what was needed. How effective could they be at communicating? The exercise was a key example of the difficulties which can sometimes occur when communicating and the need for questions and follow-up conversation to ensure that all parties understand each other.

With effective communication problems engendered by generation gaps, differing classes, different experiences, will be diminished and when we can communicate effectively we can then begin Making A Difference.