The Definition of Communication:
Does It Contribute to Communication Challenges?

Dictionary.com states the definition of communication is "the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs."  We contend the broad nature of this definition is the foundation of the communication challenges we all face on any given day.

For our purposes, we can extend this definition of communication by noting that speech is comprised of more than just words; it also includes voice volume, tone, and inflection along wtih your facial expressions, your body language, and even the clothes you wear.  Because communication includes so many different components, you can imagine the challenges to effective communication are also numerous.

So why would you want to spend time learning all about communication challenges?  Because without understanding the challenges, it is very difficult to identify and learn the solutions to those challenges, and ultimately that's the key to your communication success.

So, let's use the following communication challenges to illustrate our working definition of communication.  You can then click on each of the challenges to learn more about that particular issue as well as solutions and ways to mitigate these potential stumbling blocks.

Importance of Communication Skills
Learn why communication is so critical to the success of your technical presentation.

Barriers to Effective Communication
Unknowingly, we all create unconscious (and conscious) barriers within our communication.  And since your technical presentation is essentially you communicating your idea or solution, learning these will help you minimize the barriers to effectively communicating your idea or solution

Communication Anxiety
For many people, the definition of communication IS anxiety.  Here you can learn some of the causes of anxiety so you can begin to elminiate them and make yourself more comfortable in the presenter role.

Communication and Ethics
One ofen overlooked component of effective communication is believability.  This is because your audience, be it a sinlge person or a large group, is evaluating your presentation based on your projected ethics - are you honest, trustworthy, and sincere in what you're saying.

Communication Problems in Relationships
Entire books have been written about communication problems in relationships between spouses, friendships, etc.  Because you have a defacto relationship with your audience, whether that audience is a single individual or group, we'll touch on these challenges with a focus on how they affect the conveyance of your idea or message.

Gender Communication Differences
It's important to understand how the genders may hear things differently.  This knowledge has increasing value as more women successfully compete in the technical job arena.  This has particular benefit for the woman who is making a presentation in a predominently male industry (i.e. construction) or a man who is selling his company's idea to a predominently female financial group.

Nonverbal Communication
If you were to ask most successful communicators what they think the definition of communication is, you'd most likely find nonverbal communication a prevalent part of that definition. This is because nonverbal communicaiton makes up such a large percentage of the overall message you send.  Understand it and you unlock over half of the secrets to making a successful presentation.

Workplace Communication
Most folks understand that effective workplace communication is a big contributor to your career success.  What you may not realize is that when you work in a technical environment, often this workplace communication is comprised of small "mini presentations;" combining effective technical presentating skills with effective workplace communication is one of the fastest ways to improve your career.

Technology and Human Communication
Ask any young person what their definition of communication is and you're likely to get an answer that includes, email, text messaging, instant messaging (IM), or tweeting.   For many of us, these methods present challenges to communicating, particularly with a technically-complex idea.  Understanding these challenges is the first step to successfully overcoming them.

Once you understand how these various challenges characterize the definition of communication, you'll be able to focus on the solutions to these challenges.  And this knowledge will supercharge your technical presentations!

We'd like to hear from you!  Did you learn from these challenges?  Has understanding them helped your technical presentations?  Or did this information do nothing to improve your skill level?

Please contact us here to let us know what this information meant to you.

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Communication Challenges

"To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others."

  – Tony Robbins