Take a moment and say the word "communication" slowly. Can you feel your lips forming? Can you hear the sharp sound of the "K" followed by an inviting "O"?
The 'O' feels cosy and round. Followed by the deep humming "Mmmmm", which triggers a tremor in your chest.
I could go on like this forever. I have my own thoughts when I pronounce a word. For example, it crosses my mind whether you will read my written word the way I pronounce it in my mind. Do you pause in the same places? When do you lower or raise your voice? Do you read the text aloud and possibly get out of breath when I form a long sentence that turns into a quatrain due to the flow of my thoughts, so that it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain the flow of reading in the long run, especially with numerous convolutions and ...
Language is a great thing! In German, we can let off steam with neologisms and nouns whose connotations are so nuanced that you can juggle with them. In which context is which word, which meaning appropriate and how can I formulate and convey my thoughts so that they are received by my counterpart in the way I meant them?
Communication is not just language. I was aware of this long before I joined our N18 Lab, as well as the fact that my demeanour is at least as relevant to the transmission of my thoughts to my counterpart as my spoken words. The days in the Coaching Change communication training programme allowed me to feel and practise the weight and impact of this weighting using my own example. This led to a lasting learning experience.
Very little of what we say is remembered. Does this make our content unimportant? On the contrary, the fact that we remember so little of the content means that I have to make an even more carefully considered, higher quality selection. To take responsibility for promoting the important information with all the other factors of communication.
I would like to say at this point that I see communication as a game. It is something that can be learnt, something that has rules, something that happens in exchange with others (at least in the narrower sense), something that is fun and connects us! In the training, for example, we were able to learn from experts about the rules of communication. Of course, knowing the rules doesn't mean you can master the game. This is only possible through experience, which formed the main part of the training days in the form of practical exercises with subsequent feedback.
There is a goal in communication (as with every game). There are also action cards such as jokers, which can vary or be interpreted differently depending on the course of the game and the participating players.
The preferred rules and familiarity with them will differ depending on the player and the group. One person knows what they consider to be the "official" rules well, another person insists on popular house rules and a third player has everything explained to them again at their leisure. Some play strategically, others intuitively.
In the communication training, I was shown how to use action cards such as "voice" in the best possible way and in which situations they can be used correctly. We also worked together on which communication factor is my wild card. What is my favourite way to play this game? What special move characterises me? Which actions draw me out of my reserve? In a professional context in particular, a deep understanding of the rules of the game is just as helpful as knowing your own cards and your own experiences.
In my view of the game, however, the focus is on sharing ideas. Regardless of the intensity and level - the game is only fun if we involve other players.