Is communication a lost art?

1. 61

   Ohmaposted 15 years ago

   I just spent five days a t a training class to learn how to manage a store for the new company I am with and we literally spent every moment being instructed on how to communicate.
   
   It was really odd to me that this company would spend so much money on this type of training. Everything we did for these 5 days to me is just common sense and courtesy.
   So do people really not know how to have a simple conversation anymore?

   replyreport
   1. 77

      mythbusterposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Ohma, did you like any particular part of the training over other parts? I would probably like something like this but then again... it's just 'cos I'm pretty much a geek lol

      replyreport
      1. 61

         Ohmaposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         
         
         Mythbuster, Honestly I have been in Retail Managment for so long that to me the whole experiance was just a little frustrating.
         I know that learning is never a bad thing and that my take away from it is probably not what the company had intended but I really think my time would have been more productive if the training had been based in more real life situations.

         replyreport
   2. 0

      Justine76posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      its more that people dont know how to listen anymore.

      replyreport
      1. 61

         Ohmaposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         Again well said and something I would have to agree with.

         replyreport
         1. 0

            Justine76posted 15 years agoin reply to this

            

            replyreport
   3. 85

      rebekahELLEposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      customer service is a businesses #1 priority. without good customer service, a company can't survive. and there are so many rude people who feel entitled to everything, it pays to know how to be solution oriented quickly rather than focusing on the complaint. that is an art and takes practice and training. it's the world we live in..

      replyreport
2. 67

   TheGlassSpiderposted 15 years ago

   Yep. Have you seem my thread asking for a pharmacist? It seems there are more people with no clue what civilized communication is, much less customer service.
   
   See also shadesbreath's Hub about shopping at Lowe's

   replyreport
3. 70

   Beth100posted 15 years ago

   There are several forms of communicating, and one is categorized as "effective communication".  That is what you were probably being taught.  It may seem that it is common sense, but many people are non-effective communicators.  One reason is that they are not articulate to say what they mean.  Second, they are not good listeners who hear what the other person is saying.  Third, formal communication (syntax, grammar and meaning) is becoming a lost art with the surgance and acceptance of slang, whether in the form of verbal or written.

   replyreport
4. 67

   Paradise7posted 15 years ago

   NO .....communication will never be a lost art, so long as there is art...

   replyreport
5. 0

   pinkyleeposted 15 years ago

   Unfortunately i think it is a lost cause ... if common sense were taught in school then I know quite a few people that need to take their butts back to school

   replyreport
   1. 67

      Paradise7posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Good one!!!

      replyreport
      1. 0

         pinkyleeposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         thanks

         replyreport
6. 61

   Ohmaposted 15 years ago

   I was thinking about this on my drive home today and the one thing that kept popping into my head is that in the next 20 years we will start to see documents coming out of the white house that start something like: "OMG Im LMAO. R U jking?"
   I hope that writing that here gets it out of my brain.

   replyreport
   1. 70

      Beth100posted 15 years agoin reply to this

        2 funny u r !! 

      replyreport
   2. 0

      pinkyleeposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      

      replyreport
   3. 77

      mythbusterposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I love this point - but it still frightens me - could happen?

      replyreport
   4. 60

      EyesAndEarsposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      
      
      now that's a point and  a half!
      
      the highly educated people of the US don't know how to communicate....sad if you thinkn about it. 
      
      
      

      replyreport
7. 61

   Ohmaposted 15 years ago

   My drive home was about 6 hours and with no one to talk to. That rattled around in my brain all that time. It was only funny for the first hour!

   replyreport
   1. 0

      pinkyleeposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      yeah i bet

      replyreport
8. 84

   donotfearposted 15 years ago

   I had over 25 years sales/customer service experience before transitioning to the field of mental health. I've learned that you can never get ENOUGH training in communication. True, it's common sense, respect and courtesy, but some don't impement the traits in all situations. I'm all for the training. It can do nothing but help.

   replyreport
9. 59

   logic,commonsenseposted 15 years ago

   Many people today want others to listen to them instead of listening to others!  You can not communicate nor can you learn unless you can listen.  We see an example of that in Washington everyday!

   replyreport
   1. 84

      donotfearposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      
      You got that right, logic! Learning to listen is a skill as well.

      replyreport
      1. 59

         logic,commonsenseposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         What???

         replyreport
         1. 84

            donotfearposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            
            What you said .....  that "people today want others to listen to them instead of listening to others".  People are hungry for folks to listen to them without bothering to listen to what others have to say first.  That's why listening is a learned skill as well.

            replyreport
            1. 59

               logic,commonsenseposted 15 years agoin reply to this

               Sorry, I was just being a smart ass! 

               replyreport
               1. 84

                  donotfearposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                  
                  Not you!!!!

                  replyreport
                  1. 59

                     logic,commonsenseposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                     Okay, it was the first time!

                     replyreport
10. 81

    timorousposted 15 years ago

    Perhaps natural, effective communication is a lost art.  I've read in a number of places that high school teachers and university professors are becoming alarmed at the essays that young people write which contain bits of internet shorthand in an otherwise serious piece of writing.
    
    The training you speak of is maybe too little too late.  We all should have picked up proper language syntax, good grammar and common sense either from our parents (if they themselves exercised such habits), or from public school, and elsewhere.
    
    I find a curious, unnatural disconnect (communication-wise) by many younger people working in a service occupation, such as cashiers, telephone soliciting, or any store environment.  They seem to have been trained to understand only their particular, narrowly focused job, at the exclusion of the bigger picture of how the rest of the company operates.  If you ask them anything outside of their sphere of trained knowledge they seem clueless.  No more thinking on your feet.  Just do your job.
    
    The most important thing however, is really learning to listen and understand, and having a truly open mind.

    replyreport
11. 61

    Ohmaposted 15 years ago

    Timorous,
    I tend to agree that effective communication is valuable for everyone. I think the point I was trying to make is that; After all these years in retail why should this company assume that this is a skill that I do not posses, and why spend so much money to teach\train this skill when the people who they have hired to do fill these positions are people whose resumes are very similar to mine?
    Meaning people who have also worked in this field and have years of experience in customer relations and team leadership. Wouldn't it be more productive to teach me the nuts and bolts of the daily operations in their particular company?

    replyreport
    1. 69

       alternate poetposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       The reason for the one course fits all is that the company wants everyone singing the same song in the same way of which they approve.  Frustrating if it is old hat but I am sure you know as many 'old hands' as I do that are appalling at their job and just there because they have always done it, they have apparent experience.

       replyreport
       1. 61

          Ohmaposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          Another very good point that we can agree on. Just because it is the way a person has always done it does not necessarily make it the most effective way.
          This course however was not a one course fits all. It's sole focus was on the "art" of effective communication. A good subject and in some cases likely to be to little to late as Timorous suggested, but I am still no closer to understanding this companies particular requirements for day to day operations and to put me in the position of responsibility for managing one of their stores at this point I feel would be setting up a grand failure for both me and the company.

          replyreport
          1. 69

             alternate poetposted 15 years agoin reply to this

             just wing it - everyone else knows what they are doing , just watch today and tell them to do the same tomorrow !! 

             replyreport
12. 0

    Miss Takeposted 15 years ago

    long  live hub pages where to communicate is an art...... and art is communication...... long live our own point of view..... and the willingness to disagree without  being disagreeable.

    replyreport
    1. 61

       Ohmaposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       well said.

       replyreport
13. 61

    Amber Allenposted 15 years ago

    Perhaps the company was looking to assess you in some way?
    
    Amber:)

    replyreport
    1. 61

       Ohmaposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Possibly but a lot of time and money spent for what seems little reward to me.

       replyreport
14. 60

    ScientificGearposted 15 years ago

    We just need to be reminded that constant communication is crucial. This works in any industry and most especially in developing your character.

    replyreport
15. 82

    Rafiniposted 15 years ago

    What I'm wondering, Ohma, is if the company only 'taught' communication or if the 'communication' taught was how to communicate with all different levels of humanity.  For example:
    
    Immigrants with limited English skills
    A college professor
    A minimum wage earner
    A high school dropout
    An underprivileged single mother from the inner city of Chicago
    A mentally unstable Psychopath who was recently released from the Mental Hospital
    
    
    Because, honestly, it does take different communication tactics for each group.

    replyreport
16. 61

    Ohmaposted 15 years ago

    Everyone I appreciate your input. I really just do not know what to make of this company at all.
    Rafini to answer you, no, one size fit all communication same for every customer and yes I agree that is not only not possible but from my experience not a very good idea even if it was.

    replyreport
17. 76

    Shadesbreathposted 15 years ago

    The problem is that we keep training people in "communication" and we don't train anyone in "listening."

    replyreport
    1. 79

       Elena.posted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Hear, hear! The key part in any exchange is listening (understanding what we're being told) so that one can form an appropriate response, one that is adjusted to the individual's message. 
       
       The most common mistake (or habit, I no longer know how to call it) is delivering an answer that fits you but shows you didn't listen to a word the person said, for example:
       "I can't find any red shirts" and you respond with "but we have all other colors".  Who cares how many colors you have, this person is certainly not thrilled with all the colors, they just miss red!  'course, it's hardly ever the case that anybody listends to THAT message.
       
       I mean, you HEARD you're outta red, but you didn't really ANSWER to this individual's concern, if you had then the response would have been "you're right, let me check for you when we're getting fresh supplies" or some such.

       replyreport
       1. 76

          Shadesbreathposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          That answer, at the end, about checking for when re-stock happens, does not serve the immediacy that rules (and ruins) American business.
          
          Dumb marketers keep trying to come up with the "next greatest thing."
          
          Smart marketers add some retarded story to their products (like drinking Corona beer somehow puts you on a beach with a hot chick... or driving a crappy Prius makes you kind to the Earth)...
          
          Communication is about truth or the hiding of it.  I know I always bring up PLato and Aristotle... but, so many of those old, great minds... Cicero, Demosthenes... so many of them understood the difference between manipulation and communication.  Tried to tell us so long ago.
          
          It's so lost now.  If you even try to bring it up, the very victims of the ruse are the first to rise up and tell you to shut up.. tell you that you are "talking gay" ... which they showed in the movie Idiocracy, which I also keep bringing up.
          
          The damage is being done.  Idiocracy, Wall-E, The Incredibles, Team America: World Police, ... so many others.  Our artists are trying to warn us.  But, as usual, we aren't listening.

          replyreport
          1. 77

             mythbusterposted 15 years agoin reply to this

             I do so like this reply. Thanks Shadesbreath. I also believe in the points you have made and value the personalities you have mentioned. I particularly like some of the works attributed to Cicero that I have been able to read. Also, Aurelius...I have found very few things that the old philosophers were teaching that would be harmful to follow as guidelines for reasonable living today. I have more works to read, of course, but I have trouble understanding why so many others feel these ancient philosophers and their messages are OUT OF DATE or useless today.

             replyreport
18. 79

    Elena.posted 15 years ago

    Yes, it's all but lost Shades, but it's the right thing and I stick to it. I'll rather heed the likes o Aristotle than the likes of your fave Corona marketer any day
    
    And I guess you're right, sometimes the affected party will problably not like a balanced, adequate answer to their issue, they want their issue fixed NOW, which is often as unreasonable as not listening to their issue in the first place. Wow, what a mouthful!

    replyreport