por The communication between people It is important for multiple reasons: because it is the basis of a good understanding, because it allows us to express what we feel, because it prevents us from falling into misunderstandings, for example.
Communication is the exchange of information, ideas, emotions or opinions that can occur between two or more human beings. Se are social beings and we need the closeness of other human beings.
This communication can occur in various ways: written, oral or gestural, each of these having different and pre-established codes. In order for it to take place effectively, the actors in the communicative act (that is, the people involved in the communication) must know and share said codes.
The transmission and learning of these codes occurs from the very birth, where the communication between the mother and the child begins by being visual and gestural, then the first words begin to be understood and, above all, their intonation, which carry a big load implicit of meanings.
importance of communication
1. It is the main linking element
The human being is the only animal that has been able to develop language at a level of specialization that has allowed the exponential evolution of the species.
Verbal communication has made us gregarious, social and sociable. We need communication to be able to live with others. It is the element that binds us as a society.
2. Promotes the development of human potential
Empathy, positive acceptance of the other and congruence are vitally important factors for good communication, which results in a propitious ground for changes and improvements in all areas.
Empathy is the ability of a human being to put himself in another’s place, or as it is colloquially said, “put himself in their shoes”.
This ability allows you to share feelings and understand the reasons for the behavior of others. This broadens our knowledge and our perception of reality, understanding that there is no single truth or single point of view.
3. Facilitates the development of societies
Having shared communication codes allows you to act in favor of having common objectives and goals. Working together to achieve these objectives is essential to develop and strengthen ourselves as a society.
4. It allows expressing feelings, ideas, sensations, needs and other intangibles
The existence of communication has forced us to find codes to transmit with words or gestures the ideas or thoughts that are in our brain and that are intangible, impalpable.
If these verbal or gestural channels did not exist, we would not be able to share them and, by not sharing them, in practice they would not exist.
The idea and thought exist as long as they can be expressed. Without communication we would be beings without intellect.
5. Organize ideas and expand knowledge thanks to feedback
These ideas that were mentioned in the previous point become tangible by being able to be expressed and understood by our interlocutor who, in turn, will express their own ideas that we will interpret and assimilate.
In this way, knowledge grows, feeding and feedback with the knowledge of others.
6. Promotes human relationships
All this, of course, with the understanding that communication is effective. If there is noise in the communication, if the same codes are not shared to decipher and understand the message, it is very likely that the communication will achieve the diametrically opposite effect.
Proof of this is the fact that the bloodiest wars in history have been caused by communication failures.
7. Promotes affirmation and adaptation
When a person makes a decision and communicates it to another, this helps to confirm it, if the response he receives is one of acceptance. Otherwise, the communication of the idea will serve to adapt it to what the other or others consider the most appropriate.
8. Facilitates the grouping and regrouping of people on the basis of common interests
People tend to group with others who share their ideals, desires, and interests. To do so, prior communication was necessary that helped them identify those common interests.
This makes forces and wills come together around a common purpose, and this is how great ideas are developed and how complete self-realization is achieved.
9. Shapes the personality and strengthens the psyche
Listening and sharing information with others enriches the intellect and helps us to know more about ourselves.
Little by little we are forging a personality that will be the one that defines us as individuals, but that is fed by the collective input.
10. Helps foster tolerance and respect
The acceptance of the other implies appreciating, valuing and receiving the individual without prejudice, without assessments determined by our previous experience.
All effective and positive communication has to assume that we are not all the same or think the same. Accepting differences will enrich communication, always based on respect.
11. Expand our general culture
Communicating can be easy if our interlocutor knows and shares our own cultural codes.
But communication can be unsuccessful and even disastrous if the receiver is a person who does not have the same codes, either because they speak another language or because they belong to another culture in which, for example, certain gestures can mean very different things.
This means that in order to have effective and successful communication it is necessary to have a broad cultural background.
The higher our cultural level, the better the communication will be and it will have a greater reach.
References
Importance of communication in interpersonal relationships. Recovered from gestiopolis.com.
Interpersonal communication. Recovered from rhetorics.com.