Effectively communicating is a skill all students need to enter the workforce. But it鈥檚 not just about talking, it鈥檚 about being present, about listening, and about avoiding roadblocks that hinder shared understanding. But how can Golden Flashes go about doing this?
鈥淒ialogue and Difference: A New Understanding鈥� is a new initiative from the Division of People, Culture and Belonging, the School of Peace and Conflict Studies and the Division of Student Life, providing support for each 黑料网 student鈥檚 success.
Jacquelyn Bleak, associate lecturer in the School of Peace and Conflict Studies, kicked off the series by hosting a 鈥淐ommunication Dos and Don鈥檛s鈥� session on Sept. 12 in the Kent Student Center. The workshop focused on how to communicate more effectively with your peers and learning what your communication roadblocks are.
Kent State Today attended the session that began with Bleak expanding on topics related to communication and listening.
Bleak said it鈥檚 important to have 鈥減sychological presence鈥� or be present when listening to those around you. This means putting your phone down and maintaining eye contact with the speaker.
鈥淭he idea of being psychologically present isn鈥檛 something we鈥檙e necessarily used to,鈥� Bleak said. 鈥淏ut this lays the foundation for the work we do in communication.鈥�
The work Bleak is referring to is analyzing if we鈥檙e in 鈥渏udger鈥� or 鈥渓earner鈥� mode, as these essentially are the two different listening styles.
鈥淚f I鈥檓 stuck in traffic somewhere, I would ask why this is happening to me, and that鈥檚 judger mode,鈥� Bleak said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e able to switch from judger to learner, the world opens more possibilities and allows you to be present.鈥�
If we鈥檙e present in the conversation, we can also realize what roadblocks to communication there are.
Have you ever had a conversation, and then after the fact you feel worse than before the conversation happened? That鈥檚 because there was a roadblock in your communication, Bleak said.
Roadblocks include criticizing, which looks like making a negative evaluation of a person and their attitude or actions.
As part of her presentation, Bleak broke attendees up into small groups for people to share their roadblocks of communication.
The attendees were excited to break into small group discussions. Communication was alive and well in this room. Instead of awkward silences, attendees jumped into talking and sharing their feelings.
Kelsey Tomlinson, assistant director of employee engagement and outreach with the Division of People, Culture and Belonging, spoke about her feelings on roadblocks.
鈥淚f somebody comes to me on an issue, I really try to get into my system to ask if they want comfort or solutions right now,鈥� she said.
Roadblocks to communication can also be a misunderstanding of nonverbal cues. Just as language is crucial to communication, it can distract us from the messages of non-verbal cues.
鈥淧oor listening is an epidemic in this country and probably around the world,鈥� Bleak said. 鈥淚 think there are many people who go their whole lives without truly feeling heard.
Learn more about the Dialogue and Difference: A New Understanding series.
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