21st Century Communicating: the Reality

Do you speak and use words to string together sentences? If you said yes, then you are a communicator. 

You don't have to do communications for a living or be a communications specialist to officially be a communicator. Every human who speaks, uses hand signals or body language gestures is communicating in one way or another.

So why should everyone care about HOW they communicate? 

Because it speaks VOLUMES about who you are. As a leader. As a Manager. As a volunteer. As a significant other in a relationship. As a friend. Really, as a person. Speaking-- the art of not only WHAT you say but HOW you say it defines who you are.

When giving workshops and presentations, I always remind people that communication is THE most important skill we will use as human beings while on earth. If you can't get an idea expressed clearly and concisely to those you are talking too, then how can you get anything done or simply have anyone understand you?

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The Reality of Communicating in the 21st Century

What is hard teaching people of different generations on how to communicate is that each generation has their own style of speaking and "language" and what is acceptable. Speaking in abbreviations, for example, was not common for baby boomers but has become 'the norm' and acceptable for people belonging to Generation Y.

The reality is we are experiencing a time in society where many generations of people are communicating in very different styles and all at the same time. With the introduction of internet and social media, it is simply changing the way our brains are wired. How we understand and process information and then communicate it outward is simply different than previous generations.

More to come on the science of how our brains are actually being rewired and some techniques on how to combat this reality on the new way of communicating.