A Communique on Communication

This week's conversation is all about communication. A new voice has been added to the mix, so I invite you to follow along with the conversation by taking a look at each of the following blogs:

• Debbie Axiak - @DebbieAxiak - http://debbieaxiak.blogspot.ca/ 

• Matthew Oldridge - @matthewoldridge - http://matthewoldridge.blogspot.ca/ 

• Tina Zita - @tina_zita - http://misszita.wordpress.com/ 

• Magdelina Front - @techmagfront - http://upfrontandcentre.wordpress.com/

Here is what the team came up with this week (Again, I've left mine own until the end):

• Debbie Axiak - Communication = Giving and/or receiving information

• Matthew Oldridge - Communication = making your voice heard

•  Tina Zita - Communication = clear message, deep toolbox, understanding audience

• Magdelina Front - Communication = Conveying relevant messages that inspire others

And my thoughts regarding Communication:

Communication, like each of the other 6 C’s, receives a lot of dialogue & discussion amongst academic professionals. We often hear in our staff rooms complaints regarding the delivery of messages by our students through their written and oral work. I find myself in these discussions quite a bit, and am constantly reminded at all the different ways messages are communicated.

These ways may have never been so numerous than they are now. And these messages conveyed in all sorts of different languages - and I’m not talking about foreign languages, but the modifications we’ve made to English/other native languages (U know? lol). I think this is a challenge for many teachers to accept and acknowledge that it’s not about the spelling, but about the message. That’s what communication is really about, is it not? Believe me, I’m not about to say that spelling & grammar does not matter; but does it matter as much as it once did?

In a world where we are bombarded by hundreds of messages each minute, it’s the message that stands out, which receives our attention. When we are in our classrooms, it’s the message that provokes thought, dialogue, discussion, critique, and our collective attention that is effective communication. Whether this is lengthy verbal conversation, or a brief 140 character message conveyed in a Twitter chat, it doesn’t really matter, so long as the results are what was originally intended.

In the 21st century, it is so important that we teach our students how to access the media necessary to convey their message. How to convey their message in a way that grabs others attention. And how to use the conventions of the chosen media to do this effectively.  We live in a world now where social media is King, and the communication that we receive revolves around this media. As Clay Shirky once said, “The Internet is the first medium in history that has native support for groups and conversation at the same time. The Internet gives us the many-to-many pattern. For the first time, media is natively good at supporting these kinds of conversations.”

Therefore, unlike definitions of the past, where communication is all about imparting or exchanging information between a few, 21st century communication is all about conveying your message in a way that captures the attention of hundreds (or thousands if you are Taylor Swift). Because if you want to stand out in today’s age, and have your voice heard, you are going to have to scream it from the top of the Twitter/Snapchat/YouTube/Facebook/Tumblr/etc.  mountain.

Communication = Capturing the Attention of the Masses