The Power of Communication
By: Bianca Cseke
Everyone has at least one quality that he or she would like to change about him or herself. If that change ever ends up being made, an enormous amount of benefits will occur to the individual. Something I would like to change about my own personality is my lack of communication. Not fully communicating how I feel often causes problems between others and myself. In addition, this trait can hold back society as a whole. This means that both I and the rest of society must undergo an inner change in order to solve this problem.
Conflicts often arise between myself and other people when I do not share everything that is on my mind. People think that I either do not want anything to do with them as a person, or that I do not appreciate their ideas. For example, when collaborating with my State Officer team on ideas for future events and projects, I do not always share all of the ideas I have on the topics or my opinions on others' ideas. This not only makes it difficult to have my voice heard on some very important subjects, but also frustrates some of the other members of the team. The frustrated members of the team are those who are very outgoing and seem to say literally everything that pops into their minds about a subject, and they do not understand why not everyone is also this way. This also applies to people outside of the State Officer team, including some of my classmates. I often do not hold long conversations with people even when they are making a genuine effort to be friendly, simply because it is a natural part of my personality to be distant from most people. Most people do not understand the reasoning behind my behavior, and often simply assume that I don't like them rather than think of other possibilities. In this way, my lack of communication also holds me back from interacting with people and making friends.
This trait can also hold back an entire society. Those who do not express their feelings cannot have their voices heard, giving the more expressive members of society more power. Many wonderful, innovative ideas will never be known if people do not share these ideas with others. Imagine if no one ever shared the inventions that they came up with; society would not be able to make progress, as it would be stuck in the same non-innovative mindset forever. We would not have much of the technology that we use on a regular basis, if any of it at all. Many people also lose their confidence to speak their mind when they see that everyone else is being silent. For example, when no one in a class volunteers to answer a question and the room is completely silent, everyone is wondering if it is all right for them to speak up. Many people will not, as they are not confident enough to be the first one to say something. This would not be a problem is everyone would be more willing to share what they are thinking.
Both I and the rest of society must undergo an inner change if the problem with lack of communication is ever going to be solved. In order to help others communicate their ideas, everyone must allow others opportunities to do so. In a discussion, for example, one person should not be leading most the conversation. Instead, everyone should have as equal of a role as possible. To solve this problem in my personal life, I must teach myself to be more outgoing when the situation is appropriate. It does not help when others try to push me to speak more often; instead, this often has the opposite effect. If this is the case for everyone else as well, then having people force others to change their ways will not work. For change to occur, everyone must make an individual effort to speak up. Those who do not have a problem with not communicating enough will have to make sure that they do not have the opposite problem: that they are actually communicating too much, and thus not allowing others to speak. Once everyone is making an effort to solve this problem, widespread change can occur.
The outcome of this change will be positive for both myself and for society as a whole. I will be more confident as a result of my voice being heard and my ideas being considered. This will make me a happier person overall, as I will no longer have to worry about others having a greater say in important matters. Society as a whole will learn to respect other people's points of view, resulting in fewer conflicts, both verbal and physical. Families and relationships will be more successful when each member of the family or relationship is sharing any problems that may be going on. If the issue is not even known, then there is no way it can be solved. However, when it and everyone's point of view is well known, the chances of the issue being resolved go up drastically. As people become more outgoing, neighbors will be more willing to communicate with each other. Many people have no idea who their neighbors are, unless they get into some sort of conflict with them. When people naturally become more inclined to talk to each other, this will not be such an issue. People will also be able to ask questions when they need help, both in school and in the workplace. Communication will actually help people be more successful in life, and they are learning and understanding more by seeking further explanations of concepts when needed.
The benefits of having more communication will be felt day-to-day, as it impacts nearly all areas of life. The impact radius of this change has the potential to be enormous. If everyone, or even just a percentage of the population, made the change to communicate properly, there would be a huge change in the world. However, this change will not have an immediate impact on the entire planet, as it takes time for the change to spread from one person to another. I will be able to feel an impact on my personal life much quicker, though. I can apply the change in just a matter of weeks, and the results would become noticeable within just a few short months. I would have made several friends that I had never even had an actual conversation with before, and I could have a greater impact on what the Nevada FBLA State Officer team does.
While it is not an easy change to make, communicating better and more often can have enormous benefits on everyone's lives. From an increase in confidence, to a decrease in violent conflicts between people and even entire nations, speaking what is on one's mind and listening respectfully to what others have to say will certainly have a positive impact. It is even possible that this change can lead to peace throughout the world, something that countries have struggled with for centuries and that nearly everyone finds to be an impossible goal. All it takes is one person's commitment to changing their behavior, and letting the change slowly spread afterward.
Conflicts often arise between myself and other people when I do not share everything that is on my mind. People think that I either do not want anything to do with them as a person, or that I do not appreciate their ideas. For example, when collaborating with my State Officer team on ideas for future events and projects, I do not always share all of the ideas I have on the topics or my opinions on others' ideas. This not only makes it difficult to have my voice heard on some very important subjects, but also frustrates some of the other members of the team. The frustrated members of the team are those who are very outgoing and seem to say literally everything that pops into their minds about a subject, and they do not understand why not everyone is also this way. This also applies to people outside of the State Officer team, including some of my classmates. I often do not hold long conversations with people even when they are making a genuine effort to be friendly, simply because it is a natural part of my personality to be distant from most people. Most people do not understand the reasoning behind my behavior, and often simply assume that I don't like them rather than think of other possibilities. In this way, my lack of communication also holds me back from interacting with people and making friends.
This trait can also hold back an entire society. Those who do not express their feelings cannot have their voices heard, giving the more expressive members of society more power. Many wonderful, innovative ideas will never be known if people do not share these ideas with others. Imagine if no one ever shared the inventions that they came up with; society would not be able to make progress, as it would be stuck in the same non-innovative mindset forever. We would not have much of the technology that we use on a regular basis, if any of it at all. Many people also lose their confidence to speak their mind when they see that everyone else is being silent. For example, when no one in a class volunteers to answer a question and the room is completely silent, everyone is wondering if it is all right for them to speak up. Many people will not, as they are not confident enough to be the first one to say something. This would not be a problem is everyone would be more willing to share what they are thinking.
Both I and the rest of society must undergo an inner change if the problem with lack of communication is ever going to be solved. In order to help others communicate their ideas, everyone must allow others opportunities to do so. In a discussion, for example, one person should not be leading most the conversation. Instead, everyone should have as equal of a role as possible. To solve this problem in my personal life, I must teach myself to be more outgoing when the situation is appropriate. It does not help when others try to push me to speak more often; instead, this often has the opposite effect. If this is the case for everyone else as well, then having people force others to change their ways will not work. For change to occur, everyone must make an individual effort to speak up. Those who do not have a problem with not communicating enough will have to make sure that they do not have the opposite problem: that they are actually communicating too much, and thus not allowing others to speak. Once everyone is making an effort to solve this problem, widespread change can occur.
The outcome of this change will be positive for both myself and for society as a whole. I will be more confident as a result of my voice being heard and my ideas being considered. This will make me a happier person overall, as I will no longer have to worry about others having a greater say in important matters. Society as a whole will learn to respect other people's points of view, resulting in fewer conflicts, both verbal and physical. Families and relationships will be more successful when each member of the family or relationship is sharing any problems that may be going on. If the issue is not even known, then there is no way it can be solved. However, when it and everyone's point of view is well known, the chances of the issue being resolved go up drastically. As people become more outgoing, neighbors will be more willing to communicate with each other. Many people have no idea who their neighbors are, unless they get into some sort of conflict with them. When people naturally become more inclined to talk to each other, this will not be such an issue. People will also be able to ask questions when they need help, both in school and in the workplace. Communication will actually help people be more successful in life, and they are learning and understanding more by seeking further explanations of concepts when needed.
The benefits of having more communication will be felt day-to-day, as it impacts nearly all areas of life. The impact radius of this change has the potential to be enormous. If everyone, or even just a percentage of the population, made the change to communicate properly, there would be a huge change in the world. However, this change will not have an immediate impact on the entire planet, as it takes time for the change to spread from one person to another. I will be able to feel an impact on my personal life much quicker, though. I can apply the change in just a matter of weeks, and the results would become noticeable within just a few short months. I would have made several friends that I had never even had an actual conversation with before, and I could have a greater impact on what the Nevada FBLA State Officer team does.
While it is not an easy change to make, communicating better and more often can have enormous benefits on everyone's lives. From an increase in confidence, to a decrease in violent conflicts between people and even entire nations, speaking what is on one's mind and listening respectfully to what others have to say will certainly have a positive impact. It is even possible that this change can lead to peace throughout the world, something that countries have struggled with for centuries and that nearly everyone finds to be an impossible goal. All it takes is one person's commitment to changing their behavior, and letting the change slowly spread afterward.