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Communication is a tool with which we exercise our influence on others, bring out changes in our and others’ attitudes, motivate the people around us and establish and maintain relationships with them.

why do we communicate

Source: bokan/Adobe Stock

Communication makes a major part of our active life and is a social activity. This social activity is pursued verbally through speech, reading and writing or non-verbally through body language.

Factors That Condition Communication Skills

Communication skill is not language specific. It is not as though speakers of a particular language have refined communication skills whereas, the speakers of some other language have unrefined communication skills.

But communication skill is related to the culture of the group to which the individual belongs.

All messages that we send or receive are processed by a mental-filter. This mental-filter or the mindset is forged by our family, friends, neighbourhood, the school and society.

In most of the developing and under-developed countries, even caste and community contribute to the making of this mental-filter. This mental-filter or mindset makes us understand each other better or even leads to misunderstanding.

Unless, we understand the attitude, the mindset and background of the person with whom we interact, our communication skill would be imperfect and ineffective.

Complex Nature of Human Communication

Though communication exists even among some species of animals, birds and insects, it is limited to certain noises like chirping and crying, or movements and is related to their instinctive needs like hunting, preying and mating.

Being human communication is more complex, varied and has several objectives. It is complex because of the use of language, a repertoire (Store-house) of previously accepted and agreed oral and written codes. It is varied because it ranges from simple gestures or facial expressions to the most advanced  e-mail technologies.

Related: Facial Expressions

General Objectives of Communication

Why do we communicate at all? In general terms they are as follows:

1. We communicate to persuade:

It means that we want someone to do something and this desire of ours is communicated. The mother patting the child to stop crying, the advertiser displaying a model in a new T-Shirt and the politician haranguing (urging) his audience to vote for him are all having the same objective of persuading, while communicating it differently.

2. We communicate in order to give or provide information:

The science teacher demonstrating an experiment, the bank announcing a reduction in interest rates and the finance minister, presenting the budget are all communicating to provide information.

3. We communicate seeking information:

A passer by asking you the way to the post-office, the student asking the teacher for some clarification or the investigating policeman making discreet enquiries are all seeking information by using this communication skill.

4. We communicate to express our emotions:

To express our emotions like courage or fear, joy or sorrow, satisfaction or disappointment with appropriate gestures and words. Some people have unlimited skill to emote, (i.e., to display excessive emotion) to suit the occasion. Our politicians are capable of emoting well, which by itself is a communication skill.

{ 58 comments… add one }
  • Ayuen John Augustino Makuei April 8, 2011, 9:27 pm

    I am very new in this page, and has completely drawn in my interest for my Research at “Dr.John Garang Memorial University of Sciences and Technology; The faculty of Economics and Management Sciences.”

  • Ayuen John Augustino Makuei April 8, 2011, 9:32 pm

    The effective living with friends is through effective Communication Skills, with out it you travel alone!

  • Astudent in the college of computing and information science/csc makere university

  • Tommy October 3, 2011, 3:05 pm

    its a good page anyway just keep posting those knowlegable quotes love it

  • Odibo Elegant Ovo November 10, 2011, 5:09 pm

    Without communication,the misteries of life would be hard to unravel.In reality,communication is what makes the world go round.a kind of life giving elixir and it means to give life to symbols,words and relationships

  • Safwan Isah Suleima February 27, 2012, 4:28 pm

    this is my first time I visited these side.And is very nice side.

  • Said Masoud February 28, 2012, 10:26 pm

    Ohoo my god without communication I cant imagine how people could live so commnication is very importants to the darly living.

  • Tsitsi Bindura March 1, 2012, 8:51 am

    This is my first time, your contribution is nice.

  • Gayatri April 5, 2012, 3:31 pm

    Content is very nice. thanks

  • Scaver April 29, 2012, 12:22 am

    Kip on guyz! Ur intelectualship haz help me alot! Fro Malawi Polytechnic

  • Rupali prabhakar kawale May 6, 2012, 12:06 pm

    very nice easy to understand…..

  • mis josephine okoko May 9, 2012, 2:27 am

    communication is life

  • DELALI May 17, 2012, 3:58 am

    communication indeed is super-structure on which all other facets of attributes will situate…

  • steve June 15, 2012, 4:31 am

    Communication is what seperates the brave and intelligent… from the rest .
    There is no need for a great dissertation…. just an ability to verbalise what you feel inside you…. by the oldest and simplest of communication……………. speech

  • Abdullahi August 7, 2012, 1:35 am

    communication is some thing which is born. with humunbeing.

    that means when the infant is born and get out from worm of mam he is crying.this is the staring point of human communication.more over communication is a sympol. meaning is added.that means when hear crying we add different meanings ,some one says he is hungry,the other says he. has pain,etc

  • Gratitude September 26, 2012, 8:49 pm

    I am so impressed by your guys.keep it up. It really helped me as a youth development student

  • Ali Akbar October 9, 2012, 8:48 pm

    One of the most inspiring aspects of life is communication. Therefore, in order for a society to exist there must a form of communication. Communication comes in many different forms. Each form of communication can be verbal or non-verbal.

  • Masautso Zulu February 3, 2013, 3:22 pm

    Am a student at Luanshya Technical And Business College. I would like to learn more about communication skills.

  • kyomuhangi mackline March 21, 2013, 12:32 pm

    we control what happens around us in communication like in prayers

  • Francisca Gloria Bowora March 27, 2013, 8:41 pm

    Thank you very much for the information about communication as a whole, I managed to do my assignment and I got the information to be fruitful in my studies. By reading this information about communication, it is communication. God bless.

  • Agnes Okine April 28, 2013, 8:18 pm

    Yes indeed, without effective communication, we can not live peacefully with our neighbours.

  • Nyakno adetayo July 12, 2013, 8:17 pm

    Wao!!!! That was a good lecture on communication. It really helps me to do my assignment. Thanks and God bless.

  • sanjay kumar August 29, 2013, 12:55 pm

    my self sanjay kumar studying in techincal college…i need of professional and effective english.so,plz help me

  • Tsongo Dominic September 3, 2013, 11:25 am

    Am Tsongo Dominic from Kabale Universiy.
    Communiction actually is very importan in ou daily life.
    Check if you ae aby passer and you neve asked then you ge problems
    in a place you don’ know ver well.

  • peter November 6, 2013, 6:15 am

    I love this website because it has helped me understand why we communicate.

  • Rebecca Pratt Smith November 8, 2013, 12:30 am

    Hello – I am working for Oxford University Press and would like your permission to reprint a short extract from this article in a forthcoming educational course book. I would be very grateful if you would get in touch with me by email and I will send on further information to you. Kind regards, Rebecca (rebecca.pratt-smith (at) outlook.com)

  • Erick Magali November 14, 2013, 11:51 am

    i do like to learn more about communication

  • umaima December 2, 2013, 11:09 pm

    communication is so important in daily life coz it brings a good relationship and exchange ideas between people example through facebook ,viber and others

  • badru leke olarewaju March 26, 2014, 1:49 am

    i really appreciate the litlle information from you i think i have something to deliver to my lecturer at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ogun Nigeria

  • kampani perez May 27, 2014, 12:43 pm

    Indeed communication is vital in our daily living that is for making relationships ,thoughts ,persuading ,information and entertainment

  • sanusi damilola September 11, 2014, 4:15 am

    nice one keep it up

  • Tintine Rodney September 18, 2014, 2:50 pm

    Thanks for this piece of information it was great, it has helped me to complete my assignment successfully. Indeed communication is vital.

  • mwijuka simpson Ankole Western University September 19, 2014, 4:05 pm

    Easy to be understood and the course work was on my neck thank you.

  • SABAKAKI BENON September 20, 2014, 10:46 am

    we need to commucate

  • Daanyaal February 19, 2015, 1:58 am

    thanks this helped alot to complete my assessment 100%

  • Stan Moddejonge August 24, 2015, 12:34 pm

    Certainly with your thoughts here and that i love your blog! Ie bookmarked it making sure that I can come back & read more in the foreseeable future.

  • joedan 123456 October 21, 2015, 2:07 am

    cooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool

  • Sophie McGlade November 10, 2015, 9:53 pm

    we use commuincation to talk and send information to people. we can use instagram,facebook,twitter,phone,email,sign lanuage and all those things to communicate.

    THANKS FOR READING BYE HOPE U GOT UR ANSWERS

  • CLOSTARICH TSIGO April 2, 2016, 3:53 am

    I like this site too coz we are communicating,,,,,,,,,,,,anx a lot we now understand yat communication z lyk,,,

  • kasavaga, Fahamu October 13, 2016, 11:02 am

    i enjoyed reading this straight foward to the truth piece of information! well done.

  • taiwo November 15, 2016, 11:00 pm

    I love this piece. its educative

  • CHARLES A.MSUMULE December 18, 2016, 12:18 am

    Very esucative materials that have satisfield.to my requirement! I deeply appreciate! Keep on posting….

  • Agwu Gift September 24, 2017, 4:34 pm

    Wao!!! Keep it up guys, dis article gave me all i needed for my assignment

  • Communication January 20, 2019, 6:57 pm

    Interesting article.

    I would also add that people communicate for social reasons e.g. a chat with friends can relieve a lot of bottled up tension.

    And communication is also useful for reassuring others by showing compassion and empathy.

  • Siddharth Sonar July 15, 2019, 2:30 pm

    Wao!!
    Communication is very useful in our day to day life. Without communication our life is end.
    when the child born they comes crying and it’s a starting point to communicate in there life.

  • kisitu August 29, 2019, 1:12 pm

    thank you guys

  • MM January 13, 2020, 10:42 am

    COMMUNICATE – understood(empathy) > satisfied(connect) we enjoy company? — emotional

    SOCIALIZE – convey our thoughts(opinions) >> looking for their thoughts about them(our opinion) and changing ideas/ — rational

    WANT – realize our objectives(selfish needs) — depends on (how? and why?)

  • tinashe zimirenyika February 7, 2020, 1:21 pm

    this page has done a great job for to understand communication skills

  • Sarah November 7, 2020, 9:04 am

    “It was very helpful and provided lot’s of helpful and it had a nice layout.”

  • Dylan January 30, 2021, 8:47 pm

    Multiple questions arise from this report that also must be answered if one is trying to explain the so-called need for communication.

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