Inspiration - The Art of Communication

Inspiration – The Art of Communication

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

I don’t know about you guys, but I am struggling to understand what people mean when they talk.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t understand the words – the words are very clear . . . it’s the underlying meaning and hidden agendas that’s causing all of the confusion and getting me to constantly second guess myself or try to ask the right questions in order to get clarity and even then, more often than not, I seem to get the whole story or the “intent” wrong.

Not only is it extremely frustration, but it is also exhausting!

I did have a huge chuckle though when I came across a quote from Warren Buffet who said “If you can’t communicate, it’s like winking at a girl in the dark.” It describes exactly how am feeling right now – like the girl in the dark being winked at!

I think it has to do mostly with the written word and that’s where we kind of live these days with social media and the millennials, who would rather text than have a real live conversation. We’re in the middle of a generation who do not engage in a whole conversation.

Think about it for a moment . . .  When you actually have a conversation with someone, you “take in” the whole experience, not just the words you understand, but also the tone of the voice and of course don’t forget the whole body language thing. Now that’s the whole package, don’t you agree?

So does this mean that we are going to lose the art of conversation?  I hope not, but that said it does feel like it’s a very real possibility.

That statement sends me off on the next very real possibility – the art of reading!  I think we are about to lose that too.  Just like I have a very real sense of “all is well in my world” when I have an engaging conversation, I get a sense of wonder and excitement when I open up a new book or pick up a familiar one.  What will I learn today or where will the story take me now?

I think that we all need to make a conscious decision, from time to time, to put down all the electronic gadgets, be present in the moment and engage – really engage with one another.

I have no doubt at all that we will be pleasantly surprised.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za