As a human being, the need to communicate is vital for you to live a normal life. Information is conveyed from one to another through different types of communication. The various ways of interacting also allow people to exchange thoughts and feelings. Therefore, these interactions are an inevitable and are a necessary part of socialization.
The different ways of communicating aim to create understanding about what you have to say. Although there are many means of transferring concepts and ideas with various sorts of messages, there are certain hindrances that can create a barrier to communication success. The main barriers are the complexity of the message and the ability of the receiver to decode the message.
Furthermore, communication is divided into three parts. These are words, voice, and body language. These parts come in different chunks, depending on certain factors and situations. In addition to that, the three can be used together in making a point and in enhancing the different forms of communication.
There are many different types of communication, and the major ones are verbal communication, nonverbal communication, and visual communication. Verbal communication, as the name may suggest, is the use of spoken words to create a dialogue between two people. To make this more effective, it should be merged with some of the other forms of communication.
The next type is nonverbal communication, which is achieved without the use of words. This can be done through the use of gestures, posture, facial expressions, eye contact, symbols, or a combination of any these. This type occurs more often than any other way of using your communication abilities and usually without your knowing. It also plays a vital role in many aspects of people’s lives.
Visual aids are the medium of visual communication. This type differs from the other forms of communication in the sense that it relies solely on things that can be seen or read. Ideas to be delivered to the receivers are given then through various visual forms, such as drawings, illustrations, signs, and many more.
Another aspect of visual communication is, of course, body language. Body language includes things like facial gestures and expressions. Body language also includes posture and even the position of the speaker on a stage. This stage positioning is called positional anchoring and it is used effectively by trainers and teachers who are in the know. All of these can be and are, used by really accomplished public speakers, entertainers and politicians.
One of the most powerful aspects of using body language is that it is not readily perceived.This is because it enters the unconscious part of the mind where it triggers responses that are hard wired into our brains. (This is the subject of a whole series of articles and I won’t go into this any deeper here)
There are other forms of communication which are more specific. Whichever one you pick from the different types of communication, you have to ensure that it will be effective in making your intended audience understand the message you wish to deliver. Communicating then is not only about sending out messages, but also includes the receiving and interpreting of the message that has been sent.
