Communication is an interesting thing. We all have perspectives to share and voices to share them with, but what influences what we say and how we say it? While experience and knowledge may drive us in one direction, does convention pin us down in another? As my formal training as an OpenThinker comes to a close, I have been reflecting on how the way I think about communication has evolved in terms of my perceptions about its power and potential to share knowledge. In this final blog post, I humbly offer some of my own learnings and invite you to reflect on, and perhaps even challenge, how you think about communication, especially when it comes to sharing evidence.
It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it
The majority of readers will have heard this phrase before. It typically insinuates that people should be conscientious of their tone and language when speaking to someone. The same should be considered when we communicate about our knowledge. When sharing knowledge, one must think carefully about what it is they want to say, who they want to say it to, and what approach will help the message be received most effectively and clearly. Is it possible to integrate empathy into your tone and language? Is there jargon you can eliminate (or perhaps even add) that will resonate with your audience? Is your message best communicated factually, or would a story or metaphor engage your audience more meaningfully? Thoughtfully approaching communication with considerations such as these would likely not change your message, but can have the power to enhance how it is heard.
Pushing the envelope on what is worth communicating
As someone trained in academic writing, I would be lying if I said the idea of writing outside of the confines of academic convention did not initially make me anxious. Academia is full of formal writing, providing a formula through which we share positive results and findings. There are standards and expectations about what types of information to share and how to share them. The opportunity to share ideas does not need to be a prescriptive process, however. Communicating about ideas, reflections and processes are important contributions to our fields, just as much as our confirmed hypotheses. In other words, what we learned along the way counts. Sharing these ideas in informal ways, such as blogging, has been an exciting opportunity to develop new ideas and has even led to concepts that have fed back into my academic work.
Stepping outside of your comfort zone
As I mentioned, scientific writing is often a prescriptive process. Breaking away from the formality of that style of writing was not easy and I was nervous to embrace the challenge of new forms of communication. The leap of faith into new platforms through which I could share my ideas was an exciting one, however. The opportunity to write in mainstream media showed me the value of communicating evidence with a clear connection to current events and concerns. Blogging allowed me to bring a reflective voice to my writing. Participating in media interviews taught me how to share big ideas in short periods of time. None of these experiences felt comfortable, initially. It is true, though, that growth only happens when we make ourselves uncomfortable. Not only were each of these experiences valuable learning opportunities on their own, but they provided invaluable lessons on how I could improve my communication in other areas and through other mediums. The snappy one-liner in a television interview? A great heading for my next article. And that reflection I wrote about in a blog post? The perfect discussion point for my next presentation. My learnings all fed into each other and enriched my communication skills in dynamic ways, none of which would have happened if I did not step outside of my comfort zone.
As someone who studies knowledge sharing, communication is truly at the heart of my work; however, that has not always meant that I have had the perfect toolkit to share knowledge. Sharing our own messages and perspectives means having the confidence to share them, and I have come to realize that great communication involves the capacity to be reflective. When we can consider the perspectives of those with whom we wish to communicate, and embrace new ways to say what we wish to say, we can enhance the way we share knowledge.
Image by Mudassar Iqbal from Pixabay
