Communication Skills:
How We Express Ourselves
As human beings we have a wondrous variety of ways to express ourselves and to communicate with others—through our spoken and written word, through art of all kinds, and through incredible inventions. Modern technology continues to develop ways to multiply, diffuse, and increase the effect of our expressions by means of computers, the Internet, iPods, digital TV, mobile phones, and so on.

But the basic personal means we possess of expressing ourselves remain the same: our speech, our tone of voice, our body language, our eyes, and our facial expressions. Yet at times, perhaps without our willing it or even being aware of it, these means of expression, these different “languages,” conflict with one another. For example, if persons are asked to do something they really don’t want to do but feel obligated to do, they may say “yes” with their voice and may even conjure up a smile. Meanwhile, their posture, eyes, tone of voice, and the rest of their body may be saying “NO.”

This apparent conflict in messages that we send one another can cause difficulties, misunderstanding, and even a breakdown in group communication. Instead, if we are aware of what we are saying not only verbally but also non-verbally, then what we say and the way we act are consistent, and we communicate one message.

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