What is Communication Mindfulness?
Course | Introductory | Module | 1
“Communication is a skill that you can learn. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life.”
~ Brian Tracey, Motivational Speaker & Author
Introduction: Communication as a Skill
Whether with family, friends, colleagues, or strangers, we rely on our ability to communicate with others on a day-to-day basis. From ordering a coffee to sending out an email, communication also allows us to complete the personal and work-related tasks that shape our weekly routines. In fact, communication is such a common part of our everyday lives that we rarely give it a second thought – and why should we?
A simple reason would be that without communication (be it spoken, written, non-verbal, face-to-face or online), we would not be able to express our thoughts or feelings effectively. This means that we would lose one of the main ways we can form connections with others.
Another important reason would be that without communication, we would not be able to share important information with one another. Nor would we be able to complete any of the routine tasks that would usually require us to interact with other individuals.
As a result, communication is viewed as one of the key skills of the 21st century by organisations such as the World Economic Forum. This is an important idea, because when we look at Merriam-Webster’s definition of what a skill is, we can see that it is described as “a developed aptitude or ability”. What this means is that communication, like any other skill, is something we can improve through practice. For example, nobody is born with the ability to read, paint or ride a bicycle: these are all skills that we can learn and develop over time.
The same concept applies to our day-to-day communication. Learning to communicate our thoughts effectively, as well as being able to interpret the communication of others, are both key skills that we can develop and improve. We also need to be able to change how we communicate in different situations. This is because how we choose to communicate can influence the way that we interact with one another. It can also shape how we see the world around us.
This is no different when we look at how we communicate online. Sending text messages, reading emails, or doing a simple Google search all involve some form of communication. The way that we ask questions online and the resources we choose to consume can also influence the information we receive from algorithms and AI platforms, such as ChatGPT.
For these reasons, our attitude towards online communication is very important. By treating communication as a skill, we can start to question the information we receive online. By recognising how this information can influence us, we can take steps to improve our online safety. Finally, by improving our own communication, we can also learn to share our thoughts with others more effectively.
Communication Mindfulness:
Now that we have looked at why communication is such an important skill, we can address the main concept behind the Communication Mindfulness project: the idea of communication mindfulness itself.
To do this, we first need to understand what mindfulness means when it comes to our daily activities. As Ellen Langer – a world-renowned psychology professor – has explained, mindfulness is “the process of actively noticing new things”. At its simplest, this means that mindfulness is a way of keeping ourselves aware of and engaged with our surroundings, even when they seem routine or boring.
So, how should we think about communication mindfulness?
We can define it as the process of actively noticing how we and others communicate online. This includes being aware of how language, psychology and technology are influencing our online activity, either for better or for worse. At Communication Mindfulness, we believe that by practicing this awareness, we can all become masters of the art of thinking before clicking!
Conclusion:
Over the course of this article, we have developed our understanding of what communication is, including why it should be treated as a key skill. We have also defined communication mindfulness as the active awareness of how we communicate online. This is an important concept that we will continue to develop as we learn more about digital literacy and global digital citizenship in the next article.