I’m coming to a realization that almost everyone is bad at communication. I get emails – from allegedly English-speaking people – that I simply can’t decipher. I listen to preachers that lose me with their illustrations. I watch shows like Honey Boo Boo and rely heavily on the subtitles to follow the story (or lack thereof).
Our world is increasingly losing its ability to communicate. And I think it might be because communication is so easy now. I can easily air my opinions to hundreds of people without having to give so much as a thought to the accuracy or clarity of my message.
I can bench press a cow, stand up, hold it over my head and eat a hamburger without feeling so much as a twinge of sympathy.
What the heck did that sentence mean?! I don’t know. But I said it. Those were the first words that came to my head so I put them down in this blog. I can do that. It’s my blog. You’re my captive reader. Get over it.
And that sort of action is pretty much what happens in almost all communication nowadays. We barely take the time to think through what we want to say before we tick it away on our iPhones or spew it from our mouths. It’s a discouraging truth.
But here’s the beauty in the midst of the ugliness. If you’re willing to stop, think through what you want to say, and be as clear as possible, people will listen. It’s amazing how a bit of clarity can cut through the clutter. You just have to slow down. Be silent. Think through your thoughts. Then present for the listener, not for yourself. And people will listen.
There are so few good communicators these days. Imagine the impact you can make if you care about others enough to help them understand what you’re saying.
“I like to get in the mud because I like to get dirty like a pig.” – Honey Boo Boo —
It’s true, JM. We could all be a bit better with the words that we choose to use, and use them a bit more effectively.
I try to hone in the words I use to produce something that is at least coherent — but if I can use them to make an impact on someone’s thoughts on how they are living their life, then I have been successful.
What I have learned is that the impact with the words I use is only going to go as deep as the person receiving them allows them to go. A willing spirit, (open, willing and ready) will receive much change… To where a closed or passive spirit (either shut off or not paying attention) will have nothing more than a polite grin with no lasting change to their heart — simply because they were not looking to better themselves or listening to what God was wanting to do in their hearts in that moment.
We can only change as much as we are willing to change… And we can only change for the Good when we allow the Holy Spirit to change our hearts more towards the heart of the Father. If God uses my words in someone’s life, then praise God that a difference has been made.
“I like to get in the mud because I like to get dirty like a pig.” – Honey Boo Boo —
It’s true, JM. We could all be a bit better with the words that we choose to use, and use them a bit more effectively.
I try to hone in the words I use to produce something that is at least coherent — but if I can use them to make an impact on someone’s thoughts on how they are living their life, then I have been successful.
What I have learned is that the impact with the words I use is only going to go as deep as the person receiving them allows them to go. A willing spirit, (open, willing and ready) will receive much change… To where a closed or passive spirit (either shut off or not paying attention) will have nothing more than a polite grin with no lasting change to their heart — simply because they were not looking to better themselves or listening to what God was wanting to do in their hearts in that moment.
We can only change as much as we are willing to change… And we can only change for the Good when we allow the Holy Spirit to change our hearts more towards the heart of the Father. If God uses my words in someone’s life, then praise God that a difference has been made.
What you pointed out in your article today is quite literally the basics of what I learned before and during my time in school for Journalism.
Good work bringing this issue up!
What you pointed out in your article today is quite literally the basics of what I learned before and during my time in school for Journalism.
Good work bringing this issue up!