(Stillness in the Storm Editor) There are several pillars of living that once embraced make everything else better in our lives. Often these pillars force us to face our fears and grow. Life improves, not because it’s without challenge, but because we face challenges and in doing so grow stronger and wiser. Communication is one of these pillars. Without effective communication, most of the things you enjoy in life fall apart. There is a science to communication, ancient wisdom that we still use in the modern world in certain places. If we took this wisdom and used it everywhere we could, almost every problem you can imagine can be dealt with as a collective effort.
Communication is important for many reasons. As individuals, we know ourselves by sharing our ideas, beliefs, dreams, and values with others. In the act of feeling heard, a connection is made with another person, called rapport, that acts as a foundation for cooperative works.
Values guide us in life. Some of the things we value can only be realized by partnering with others. A musician that writes music for a big band needs other musicians to realize their vision. An architect’s dream for a new building design can’t come to life without workers. And each of us can’t satisfy our need for companionship without that companion. All of this requires skill in communication. The better our skill, the sweeter the reword for cooperative works, for both us and the ones we work with.
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For beings endowed with mind and free will, communication is the art of sharing your mind with another. Words and language help us share ideas, through sonic word symbols that can be decoded for meaning in each individuals mind. Ideally, if we’re careful to define our words and clarify any misunderstanding, everyone in a discussion gets on the same page. Communication helps people understand what’s in your mind. This creates a group or shared mind, in a sense, coordinating the actions everyone in the party like our brain coordinates the organs in our body.
Cooperation is when two or more people work together to do something they both want to do. How well they work together directly depends on how well they can communicate.
If you make assumptions, if you fail to ask clarifying questions, if you presume to know but haven’t asked, all these things and many more create a misunderstanding that hampers effective cooperation.
The ancient wisdom is that of trust, honor, and contracts. Human beings have been communicating and working together for as long as the human race has existed.
A contract is a formalized agreement that is founded on clear and effective communication. When you desire to do something, and you need another person to help you realize that desire, you have to talk to them about it. You have to clearly describe what your intention to create or do is, and then offer that to another so they can help you. Both of you work together to come up with a way to manifest or realize mutual desire. Every detail, every hazard, every aspect of the effort should be discussed and worked out. The better each person does this, clearly stating what’s in their mind to the other, the more likely they are to achieve their goals. Finally, once a proper plan of action has been developed, they each play their parts generating the goal they pledged to work toward.
The following article discusses one type of communication called conscious communication. It involves a holistic approach to communication, using body language, emotions, and self-reflection to navigate this essential human ability.
Humility is the ability to accept the truth even if it goes against your personal beliefs. In doing so, you grow stronger and wiser through the truth.
In communication, we often want people to do things for us or to act a certain way. We want our beliefs respected, our desires honored, and we want others to meet our expectations. This often happens subconsciously, recognizable when people fail to meet our needs, causing us frustration to some degree. By keeping yourself in check, recognizing that you have these urges, you can better communicate through the clarity of mind that comes from letting go of resentment. And this is just one thread to consider.
What if we all took the time to improve our communication skills? What if we learned how to be more tolerant, compassionate, and brave in our social exchanges? Given how much of our lives depends on clear and effective communication, I think it would be a great improvement.
– Justin
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by Staff Writer, February 5th, 2019
Mindfulness is a popular concept these days, but have you thought about it in terms of communication? Learn how to incorporate mindfulness into your interactions with others here!
We start communicating with our surroundings in our mother’s womb. We react to the stimuli around us, although our responses aren’t the result of conscious decisions. As we grow, we shape and modify our communication to conform to certain social patterns. Thus, we reach a point in which we can differentiate between intentional communication and conscious communication.
Communicating your basic needs ensures your survival by establishing bonds with the people around you. This is a natural and spontaneous impulse. However, people have been talking about another kind of communication: conscious communication.
Mindfulness, or conscious communication, gives us an awareness of the present. In the modern world, where we have multiple means of communicating with others, some research tells us to stop multi-tasking. We need to focus on one task and stop dividing our attention. We’re talking about producing as well as receiving information. After all, communication isn’t just about sharing information, but also about knowing how to interpret it.
What is mindfulness?
People often firmly believe in their point of view. However, when they’re getting a message from someone else, they divide their attention. Thus, during a conversation, it’s important to ask yourself “Am I really listening? Or am I just waiting for the other person to finish so I can talk? Am I aware of the non-verbal communication?” For better or for worse, a large part of the messages we share with other people is non-verbal.
If you want to be a conscious communicator, you have to be an active participant. This isn’t an easy process. It has to start in schools, where students and teachers are already practicing some exercises related to conscious communication. For example, empathy and acceptance activities are a great way to introduce this subject to small children. Emotions are key in our day to day lives. Effectively managing them requires a lot of patience and practice.
Being mindful, or aware, means not giving in to frustration or anger when you communicate with other people. Knowing when to give your emotions free rein is a sign of conscious communication. This is when emotional intelligence comes in handy because it helps you manage your emotions as well as accept other people’s.
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How can I practice conscious communication?
The first step is understanding that communication is a process. Wanting to be mindful isn’t the same as being mindful. It’s a complex skill with a large scope:
- Writing and reasoning: If you make a lot of grammar mistakes and use a lot of slang, you’re shooting yourself in the foot. Your words make the very first impression, so make sure you speak eloquently.
- Lack of emotion: Communication isn’t just about transmitting information. If that’s all you do, you’ll have a hard time getting through to your listeners. Speaking in an emotional way that sparks empathy with other people is much more effective. Your listeners will feel part of the communication process and, as a result, they’ll listen to you. Using emotions in your speech also increases the likelihood that your message will stick.
- Non-verbal communication: This refers not only to gestures and other kinds of body language but also implied or practical information that you share with others. Consequently, you should try to pay attention to both of these aspects. That is, make sure your body language says that you’re open to dialogue and other ways of thinking. What’s more, practical elements are key. You have to keep things such as culture and social norms in mind so that you can better understand the person you’re talking to.
- Dealing with emotions responsibly: Not everyone feels the same way, and not everyone can express their emotions in the same way. If you want something from someone else, you have to find the best way to ask for it.
Conscious communication is worth the effort
Being a conscious communicator will undoubtedly make you a more effective communicator. It will make you more empathetic and easier to relate to. It will also make it easier to express yourself in the best way possible in any particular social context. This is a difficult process because you’ll have to identify and recognize your mistakes. However, what you stand to gain makes it worthwhile.
Stillness in the Storm Editor: Why did we post this?
Psychology is the study of the nature of mind. Philosophy is the use of that mind in life. Both are critically important to gain an understanding of as they are aspects of the self. All you do and experience will pass through these gateways of being. The preceding article provides an overview of this self-knowledge, offering points to consider that people often don’t take the time to contemplate. With the choice to gain self-awareness, one can begin to see how their being works. With the wisdom of self-awareness, one has the tools to master their being and life in general, bringing order to chaos through navigating the challenges with the capacity for right action.
– Justin
Not sure how to make sense of this? Want to learn how to discern like a pro? Read this essential guide to discernment, analysis of claims, and understanding the truth in a world of deception: 4 Key Steps of Discernment – Advanced Truth-Seeking Tools.
Stillness in the Storm Editor’s note: Did you find a spelling error or grammar mistake? Send an email to corrections@stillnessinthestorm.com, with the error and suggested correction, along with the headline and url. Do you think this article needs an update? Or do you just have some feedback? Send us an email at sitsshow@gmail.com. Thank you for reading.
Source:
https://exploringyourmind.com/importance-conscious-communication/
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