The key to success: Communication (5)

Communication is a huge aspect in everyday life. Communication enables us to get across our ideas and to easily blend in to the world around us. It shows the culture of the area we derived from with different accents and it shows the education we are received throughout the years through our vocabulary usage. A huge part of my mentorship is the ability to properly communicate. Communication occurs when there is eye contact, proper body position, and the formation of the correct words being shared between two people or a group of people. Speech Therapy focuses on the ability to form the sounds properly during communication. So in a sense, the idea of conversing with someone fascinates me. There are just so many different components that go into talking that most people do not realize. The placement of your tongue when forming certain sounds like “R” can majorly impact how the word comes out of your mouth, thus creating the problem with blending in with society. I have begun to learn the importance of speech. To be able to converse properly with you peers, family members, and mentor is very different when looking at each situation.

Usually when you are having a conversation with friends you do not realize the lack of vocabulary or the lack of respect missing from the conversation. But, with friends it does not really matter. You could be talking about that impossible AP Stat test you just took and how you are about to cry, or ranting about Susie, whose talking about her newest dieting plan, while you’re munching down on a bag of chips. Teenagers do not really take note what they are talking about or if they are even using the correct grammar. Communication between friends is very relaxed and each person on the receiving end of the conversation understands the relaxed tone. A conversation with your family members might be roughly similar to a conversation with friends, but when talking to your parents you are making sure you are adding manners and the “yes ma’am and yes sir” to the end of most of your phrases. The way that I think about it is holding a conversation with your family is a step up from holding a conversation with your friends. At home, you attempt to stay out of trouble and using manners is the easiest way. As a result, you are thinking about the words coming out of your mouth which makes it easier to correct any incorrect grammar. At my house, the expectations of my parents is that we show them respect and they give us respect. It is a win-win situation.

Now communication with your mentor is a whole different ball game. You need to make sure you are giving good eye contact, have the proper body posture (standing up straight and facing them) and seem engaged in the conversation being shared. You need to show your mentor that you care about what he or she is sharing. As I have learned from previous activities, first impressions are everything. Conversing with your mentor is different than communicating with friends or family because you are putting on your best behavior. You are no longer relaxed and ranting about Susie or an impossible test, you are now worried about your word choice and how to get your words across in a professional tone. Mentors expect respect during the conversation. I have learned that it is very important to have the correct eye contact and body posture during a conversation. My goal in the next conversation with my mentor is to make sure I am showing through my eye contact that I am engaged in the conversation and ready to take on the next task. Through the use of the correct body posture, I will show that I have the confidence and I am not scared of new tasks.