One of my international students wrote the following line:
Communication is something more than a business tool, is a bond; a bond that brings closer, people with the same interests and goals (such as - but not limited to - a business transactions.)
She has provided an interesting perspective which I think should color the way we communicate. Tolkien, one of my favorite writers, forms a bond with me through his writing. The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance does not.
I advise my students and others to try to put themselves in the mindset of the reader. To read what they write to see whether the reaction of the reader is what the writer intends. It seems to me that we can write what we want to write, but not communicate what we intend to communicate.
Perhaps this is all old hat to you Writing Fellows, but my 40 plus years of business experience suggests that those of us not in academia need to be reminded from time to time of this notion of communications as a bond.
Hi Jim,
I really like that.
It says a lot more than the old “communication is a two-way street” chestnut; you can drive on a two-way street and have nothing to do with your fellow travelers!
You can also interact with others on a two-way street, but without any significant communication, or any bond at all.
Most advertising tries to reach me on this level and fails; I do, however, feel a definite bond with the new Apple commercials. You know, with the kid who looks like a funner, younger Steve Jobs type and the other who looks like Bill Gates and keeps “crashing.”
Kate
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