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下のスクリプトは事前提出されたものですので、ビデオの音声とは一部異なる場合があります。 |
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The Key to Effective Communication
IWAMOTO, Asumi (Kagoshima National College of Technology)
Do you know where the English word communication comes from? It comes from a Latin word communicatio. It means to relay or exchange thoughts, opinions, or information by letters or spoken words. Then what is the main communication activity? Speaking, listening, reading and writing? The other day I asked my friends what kind of persons are good communicators. All of them said good speakers are good communicators.What do you think about it? Do you agree with my friends’ opinions? I can’t agree with them. I think good listeners are good communicators. Today I’ll tell you why I think so on the basis of my experience and the book on speech communication and I want you to reconsider what effective communication is
In my class I have a boy student who never listens to others carefully, in particular, the teachers’ directions during class. As soon as the teacher’s directions are finished, we start doing exercises, but we are always annoyed by his usual question, ‘What should I do?’ He is very talkative, but doesn’t seem to be interested in what others are saying. He is always scolded for making mistakes by his teachers. When I speak with him, he speaks and speaks without letting me speak, so I don’t feel comfortable. I wonder if he will be able to follow the directions of his boss when he starts working in a company in the future. What do you think? Of course speaking is an important activity in communication. But don’t you think listening to others is more important than speaking in our daily communication? According to a speech communication book, the average student spends 9 percent of his communication time on writing, 16 percent on reading, 30 percent on speaking, and 45 percent on listening. As the actual data shows, about half of his communication is spent on listening. So we have to master how to listen to others carefully for better communication.
The other day I reconfirmed that listening was very important when I visited two teachers to ask for their advice on human relations problems in my club. The first teacher started speaking rapidly and told me about his opinion and advice without listening to me carefully. He gave me advice, but it seemed to be his own idea and opinion on this kind of problem. Then I visited the second teacher. He listened to what I say very carefully. After I said everything I had to say, he started speaking for the first time and gave me advice suitable for my problem. I felt refreshed because I was able to spit out my problem completely. Which teacher is a good communicator? I think the second teacher is. Though the first teacher was more eloquent than the second teacher, the second teacher actually helped me to solve the problem by listening to me carefully.
The speech communication book says communicating with open ears, open eyes and open mind is very effective. To communicate with open ears means we must really listen to what the other person is saying. To communicate with open eyes means we must watch carefully the face expressions and gestures of the other person. To communicate with an open mind means we must forget ourselves for a moment and try to think as the other person does.
In our daily life we have various kinds of communication. Speaking, reading and writing are as important as listening. But I think listening to others very carefully first is the key to effective communication. Don’t you think so? Careful listening to others with open ears, open eyes and open mind will make others comfortable and happy and we can speak with each other comfortably for the first time.
I hope all of you listened to my speech carefully and understood what I wanted to say today. If not, why not master how to listen first? Then you too will become a good communicator.
