According to a ‘National Association of Colleges and Employers’ survey, verbal communication skills are ranked first among a job candidate’s ‘must have’ skills and qualities.
But we don’t really need them to tell us that, do we?
Whether in making holiday plans to include different branches of the family tree or understanding exactly what it would take to satisfy a disgruntled client (or boss!) at work, communication is either the duct tape that can fix almost anything or the vinegar that sours everything it touches.
Professional relationship coaches are quick to ask about the quality of communication as they gauge the baseline relationship health between partners or between parents and their children.
It’s that important as a marker.
Over your lifetime, you will interact with a wide variety of shops, government offices, charities, your faith community, friends, medical professionals, and work contacts. Getting your point across calmly and clearly, and understanding the responses you receive could not be more crucial.
Communication, however, sometimes gets an overly narrow definition: talking to others. We are remiss if we do not include listening effectively, writing, printed or digital media, how we speak to ourselves, visual output like charts and graphs, gestures, emails, texts, and the tone and pitch of the voice.
For all of these reasons, communication skills stay near the top of our list at Indi-ED.
As we continue to redefine life moving towards the other side of a pandemic, communication has become even more poignantly intertwined with connections. While we made concerted efforts during the lockdowns to stay connected, the delicious pleasure of communicating face-to-face, and our recent experience of trying to do so from isolation, motivates us more strongly than ever to improve this vital life skill.
Indi-ED is uniquely positioned to provide more opportunities for students to refine communication capacities. Smaller class sizes create a level of safety and familiarity that lends itself readily to expressing opinions, feelings, questions, and curiosity.
We actively create situations in which students can experience interacting with each other, community professionals, and, of course, with teachers. Mixed-aged cohorts add a nuanced layer of interest to interactions as students listen, clarify, and check that they have understood by reflecting back. Through partner talking and turn-taking, they learn that good communication is an adaptive process. All of this leads to greater self-awareness and the ability to fine-tune their understanding of others.
Socratic discussions, presentations, and play have always been on the regular menu at Indi-ED. This year, we’re incorporating improv classes and studying how communication connects to philosophy, psychology, and culture.
Like so many other things, bringing something actively and intentionally to mind changes our perception. It’s like zooming the camera lens in on the subject. We are less likely to forget its importance.
While some people seem to communicate well effortlessly, it’s a skill that anyone can learn as we seek to get our point across quickly, succinctly, and in a way that is heard. With practice, we can all learn to understand both what is said and what has not been said.
Rollo May said – “Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy, and mutual valuing.” As we bring communication front and center at Indi-ED, we continue to strive to deepen relationships and build on our shared experiences as a learning community.