Communication Skills Background The goal of communication is to be understood. How well people understand each other, depends on how well they communicate. Although communication is defined simply as the means of exchanging information, it is, in reality, very complex. Communication is both verbal and nonverbal and is influenced by many factors such as age, gender, race, socioeconomic status, education level, speech impediments, and hearing impairments. Effective communication exists when people are able to accurately exchange information about facts and feelings. Poor communication exists when people are not able to accurately understand the facts and/or feelings being shared. Although effective communication can lead to conflicts because people hold different values, poor communication often leads to unnecessary conflict because people are misunderstood. As students improve their communications skills, they will both reduce the number of unnecessary conflicts created through poor communication and grow in their ability to effectively communicate differences in nonviolent ways. There are many potential blocks to achieving effective communication. Among the most common blocks are: poor body language, poor listening, "you" statements, "loaded" words, and unwillingness to acknowledge a differing perspective. CURRICULUM INDEX
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