5.1 - A few notes on communication

A few notes on communication

Communication in its simplest form is an exchange of meaningful signs between two or more people involved. For us humans, it is a basic social and interpersonal activity and an important part of our relationships. Communication can take place in different ways and for different purposes, for example through speech or writing to make us understand, to convey and exchange information or to order and encourage action. This is perhaps also what we usually think of when we talk about communication. But in addition to the linguistic verbal, communication is also in a broader sense auditory, that is, phonologically significant, for example through the tone of voice, voice mode and the linguistic rhythm we use when we speak. Communication between people also takes place non-verbally in the form of such things as gestures, facial expressions, touch, scents and the like.

Most often, our ways of expression are an intertwining of both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication and when we communicate there is always an opportunity to shape and adapt our message based on how we imagine the other's response. This is also what the task of advertisers and communicators is. But how our signals, and not least when they are non-verbal, are finally received and interpreted by others is something we are often unaware of and cannot always control. Here, pitfalls lurk, such as previous experiences with the recipient, social and cultural differences, as well as the balance of power in the current relationship. In fact, the words we use to convey our message in a conversation are far less meaningful than the way we express them or what we signal with our body language. And most parents probably share the experience that children do not do as you say but as you do.