How Do Humans Communicate?
In the movie "Cool Hand Luke," the Southern prison boss states to a group of prisoners his perception of the rebellious Luke: "What we have here is failure to communicate." This scene speaks to the difficulty and complexity inherent in genuine communication to bring about understanding (though not necessarily agreement) between people. In basic terms, however, academicians generally posit that communication is something humans do daily, a process that involves three human activities.
Other People Are Reading
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Verbal
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The first or primary dynamic of human communication is its verbal form. That is, people tangibly engage in the art of communication at the moment they are born. The cry of a newborn, albeit a very guttural language, still communicates a message to the world: "I'm alive!" Or, as Julia T. Wood in "Communication in Our Lives" puts it, "The human world is one of words and meaning." Of course, as time goes by, and the newborn grows and matures, the crying will develop into speech that employs more intelligible words with more profound meanings.
Nonverbal
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The second form of human communication is nonverbal. An Ohio State University fact sheet by Cynthia Burggraf Torppa, "Nonverbal Communication: Teaching Your Child the Skills of Social Success," illustrates well the importance of nonverbal communication to human development in the art of social interaction. In fact, Torppa goes so far as to say that "it's important to understand that nonverbal communication is the language of relationships." Popular examples of nonverbal communication are gestures or what is commonly called body language and the emotional tone of a person's voice.
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Symbols
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Humans communicate both verbally and nonverbally by means of symbols. Julia T. Wood defines symbols in the sense of being abstractions or pointing beyond themselves to some reality. According to this understanding, a verbal communication in the form of, say, a word or sentences is a representation of a state of affairs. Thus, symbols are open to interpretation. Or in the case of Luke and the prison boss, misinterpretation. In the case of misinterpretation of a symbolic message; however, the blame does not lie solely with the messenger. Another dynamic must be considered in the human communication process.
Listening
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Workers in helping professions, such as mental health and pastoral counseling, place a high premium on listening skills as a means of bonding with the counseled. Listening is the third part of the human communication equation. If we take the word of the Student Counseling Service of Texas A&M University, it is a sorely neglected part of this equation in that "although we use listening skills more than any other communication skill, listening is rarely taught (in the classroom)." Therefore, human communication is a two-way street. Verbalized and non-verbalized symbols must find a receptive audience.
Understanding
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The aim of human communication is for two human beings to come to an understanding rather than to win a debate or persuade another person to give in to your demands or adopt your point of view. The Texas A&M web site emphasizes "active, critical listening" as key to accomplishing this aim. This can involve pushing aside your self-interests or suppressing your anger at the other. But, if real human communication takes place, the end will be to come to an understanding of sorts. And sometimes, agreement can occur as well.
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