In the fast-paced world of information technology, communication is of utmost importance. Ideas, opinions, innovations, and products are frequent nouns that must be engaged in this field of work, and with them comes the need for effective communication skills. As a student studying for a degree which will land me in this industry, I am almost afraid to say that I'm introverted by nature.
Speaking has never been an easy task for me, and it has led to a more than desirable number of misunderstandings for me. I have always favored myself as a listener, but now I know that listening is not enough. Communication is not a one way road, it also involves feedback where I should reply and express my interpretations of the message which I received. This gives rise to the creation of the 7Cs of communication, guidelines to a successful transmission of the intent of a sender to the receiver.
The importance of communication is further emphasized by another unique characteristic of the IT industry, and that is the existence of teams. Of course, teams are present in many sectors of the economy, and are crucial to the success of any organization. I myself have experienced being a part of a production team in my junior college days. The essence of the team is based highly on the addressing of problems faced logistically, financially and artistically. Only by effectively communicating the nature of the problem, can we work together to find a solution. As everyone has a different way of thinking, a vague order from one can be interpreted in a wide array of ways by another, most of which not even close to the original instructions. Results of which, is total chaos.
Admittedly, communication plays a large role in maintaining a great team. But all talk and no actions will not bring any success. Team members, each and every one of them, must work to their comparative advantage to maximize productivity of the team, or they will be outdone by competitors in the market. This is of great relevance to me again through personal experience and with regards to my future line of work.
Importance of TEAM: Here
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Hi anni,i agree with you that Communication is not a one way road, that is why there is a feedback box in the model of communication.I agree that we should use the 7Cs of communication, that is Clear,Concise,Concrete,Correct,Coherent,Complete and Courteous to effectively transfer our message.This 7Cs also same as the 7Cs in writing.I disagree with you that "Only by effectively communicating the nature of the problem, can we work together to find a solution.". Effective communication is not the only thing that enable us to work together,there is still other factor that may affect teamwork,like endurance,skill and etc.For example, if a person in the team dont have any useful skill and know anything about nothing, he may not able to contribute well to the team.I give another example, if the person have a bad temper, he will get angry easily and will certainly affect the whole team.
ReplyDeleteHi Annie,
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of your ideas and opinions but i would like to add on something so that your next post can be better.You can elaborate more on how to improve communication and teamwork so that people who read this post will learn from it.In this case maybe you can elaborate further on the 7C's or other relevant materials.
Regards,
Joon Wai.
Hi Anni,
ReplyDeleteI liked the way you added a personal touch by using yourself as an example to bring across the importance of good communication. I myself am also somewhat of an introvert and many a time I feel awkward among strangers. But one thing to remember is that the best way overcome a fear is to repeatedly place ourselves in such a situation. That is why we must step out of our comfort zone and interact with new people (of cause the type of people we choose to interact with is also important) in order to be a better communicator.
Regards,
Corn
Hi Anni
ReplyDeleteLike Cornelious, i really liked how you related this topic to your personal experiences. I would say, you have definitely changed from the person you thought you were, because when i met you for the first few times, you did not come across to me as an introvert at all. I certainly hope that effective communication is already making a difference to your life!
In the IT industry, we are constantly made to work in teams, simply because a 'useful' program is almost always too tedious for an individual to complete alone. Thus, knowing how to express your ideas appropriately to be understood the way you want to be, is definitely a skill we must acquire.
To conclude, i would like to say that you could include several options or solutions that you feel may solve communication breakdowns. Like the barriers at each stage of communication we learnt during tutorial, and how to solve them.
Andy
PS - Hilarious video clip! haha