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Creativity Tip 26 – Communication and Creativity
Communication is something we do throughout our lives, but often don't give much thought to how we're doing it. Communication is a skill and, like any other skill, we can improve it. In improving anything we make a change - and change requires creativity.
With better communication, we can enhance our relationships, both personal and business. And since just about everything in life is based on relationship, the impact of enhanced communication can be far-reaching.
Creative communication, which is about ensuring that the message is effectively delivered and understood, can be improved by using a feedback loop. From time to time in a conversation, try responding by rephrasing what the other person has just said. They can then either acknowledge that you’ve understood or provide clarification if necessary. This is of course based on having good listening skills (see Tools and Tips 2009: Tip 31).
Part of becoming conscious of good communication is being aware of the barriers. There are many potential barriers to communication and here are some of the prime examples:
- Environmental challenges - A noisy pub is not the place for an intimate, meaningful conversation. Similarly, the office may not be the best place to discuss personal issues.
- Planning your response ahead - Often as we listen to someone, our minds are busy planning how to respond. Or we're thinking about a personal issue that's on our mind or in a past memory that the conversation has triggered. When we do that, we're not fully present and miss a lot of what is said.
- Personal beliefs and judgments - As someone is speaking, we may notice ourselves having an inner dialogue, judging what they are saying. "I like that, I don't like that, I don't agree" and harsher judgments fill our mind. Or, we may have beliefs about them or what they are saying, that block us from really listening to what is being said.
- Cultural differences - Different cultures have different styles of communication, including use of words and body language. We may misinterpret what is said or even take offence. The person's gestures, or lack of them, may be distracting. The language barrier itself or a difficult-to-understand accent may also cause us to ‘tune out’ and lose what's being said.
- Self-esteem issues - If we feel unworthy or intimidated by the person we’re talking to, it's hard for communication to flow. Our attention tends to be on ourselves, ie what we're saying, how we look, what they think of us - and not on really listening to what's being said.
How to start improving your communicating skills
- Become conscious of the way you are communicating. Awareness is the first step to change. How are you communicating? How are you listening? Which barriers are getting in your way?
- Have an intent to communicate more effectively. Intention is a powerful force that sets change in motion.
- Listen with the intent of understanding. Give your attention fully to the other person. If you find your mind wandering, pull it back. Refocus on the message and its meaning. Trust that you will be able to respond appropriately and at the right time (and let it be okay if you don't have a brilliant response prepared!).
- Whether you're talking or not, actively engage in the conversation. Begin practising the feedback loop mentioned above. At appropriate points, rephrase what the other person said. Ask questions or build on what's been said.
- On a more advanced level, you can become aware of whether a person's primary sensory system is auditory, visual or kinaesthetic. For example, you would connect more with an auditory oriented person by asking, "Do you hear what I'm saying?" rather than "Do you see/feel what I'm saying?"
Creativity coaching can help with your thinking, so you can find more connections to successful ways of achieving your goals and dealing with your challenges.
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