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| Communication Gap? Often, when I was teaching (adults) I would present a theory verbally to the class. Then I would scan the faces of my students. What was I looking for? I was looking for the "what in the world does that mean?" look on anyone's face. That "I didn't understand a word he said" look told me that I had not laid down the proper foundation for understanding the theory presented or I had not presented it in the proper manner for that student. And guess what... very often I saw it. Does that mean I was a poor teacher? No, I wasn't done yet. Every Class, like every Human, is a work in progress. Everyone of us processes information through our three major senses. By listening (auditory), by seeing (visual), and by touch (kinesthetic) with one of them be preferred. When we communicate with others we have a tendency to use the method we ourselves favor. If the person we are talking to doesn't use that same method we often miss the mark in our communication. Unless we are conscious of the other persons 1. response, and 2. their "preferred" method we fail to get our point across. What is worse is that, without the knowledge of how these work, we often blame the other party. We think that the person we are talking to is an idiot for not grasping the obvious... yes you have thought that so don't deny it. Of course that is not true. The responsibility for communicating clearly lies within us, not the other person. So how do we learn to communicate clearly, how do we bring about "understanding" in the listeners mind? First we have to understand, ourselves, that there are 3 predominant methods of information intake used. Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic and usually one of them is favored more heavily over the other two. Then, once we realize that, we need to identify which method is favored by the person we are talking to. And finally, here is the hard part, we need to learn how to present the same information in all 3 methods. What do we have to do to identify which method the other person uses? Now this is difficult so be prepared... we ask... we ask questions. We ask that person a few questions and LISTEN to his or her answers. In the answers are the keys to the methods their mind uses to process information. If that person says "I hear what you said but it just doesn't sound right" or "That doesn't click" then that person processes predominantly through auditory input. If you are visual then you present information in an animated and relatively fast verbal presentation. Yes, you are still using words (audio) to present your information but it is the manner in which you use those words that is confusing your listener. Auditory people prefer slow and deliberate communication. A good example of that method is Carl Sagan's method of introducing each segment in his "Cosmos" series on the PBS TV stations. Carl left this world on December 20, 1996 and is missed by us all in one way or another but his work lives on in many forms. Visit the Carl Sagan Website to learn more. If the response is "That doesn't feel right" then your listener relies heavily on kinesthetic input. Your presentation will have to include real life experiences for that person to compare to in his or her mind for it to make sense. Compare your information to something that person has probably done, actually physically experienced, in their life. Remember that we "feel" with both our sense of touch AND our emotions so you can sometime use an "emotional" comparison as well as a physical one. If the response is "That doesn't look right" or something similar then they are "visual", which is the most common. If you are "auditory" then you miss the mark because your presentation (even if it is a simple one) is, for all practical purposes, in a foreign language for your listener. You would need to speed up your presentation, become more animated, and use visual comparisons in it. So, to be a good communicator you need to understand all three methods and learn how to use all three methods of presentation. You can do that with a little effort... well maybe more than just a little effort but you CAN do it. I would suggest, being that you can't be in a class with me personally, that you watch the "Cosmos" (Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan) series on Public Television and take the presentations made by Carl Sagan apart using the information we have covered so far. You'll notice that he (Carl) uses "auditory" introductions, "visual" presentations, and "kinesthetic" comparisons to bring about an understanding of complex subjects to the watchers. And he does it very well. Even if you don't care about the material he covers, the methods used are clear, entertaining, and effective. As a student of communication you could benefit greatly from emulating his methods. I do, actually I used those methods for the last 25 years and they have worked for me. One closing comment. The comprehension level of your listener is important also. For example, you wouldn't try to teach basic electricity to a 4 year old child. They simply don't have the references in their experiences to understand the subject. That often applies to adults as well. Try to teach electricity to an Aborigine and you will discover that fact. Also, it would be pointless to give a presentation on "Algebra used in Quantum Physics" to a conference of Dentists. For that reason you have to tailor your communication to the educational level AND the comprehension level of your listeners. This fact was brought to me very clearly about 15 years ago in a conversation with my youngest son. You can read that story on my Website in the Weekly category. Enjoy, Layard |
