Communication. One word with such a complex meaning.

Communication is the base for everything. Since the beginning of the known to us history, people had the need to find –and they did find- common code for communication. In our times, with the rapid changes on a daily basis, a difficulty in the communication occurs. It becomes harder for people to communicate, and that leads to a confusion. Communication consists of a sender, the receivers, the message from the sender to the receivers and the feedback towards the sender. In theory it sounds easy, however when it comes down to action it becomes more complex.

Among the aforementioned people there are various barriers in their communication. The most obvious is the perception, meaning that each one during the communication process filters the message through their own mindset and perspective. Another very important element that may be either a barrier or an assistance to the communication is the interpersonal relationship among the people. Moreover, barrier may be the present moment itself due to either physical barriers such as space, time, physical needs or emotional barriers such as the feelings of each person involved at the present moment. In a more general level, the cultural differences, the language and/or  dialect as well as the gender of each person may play the role of barrier in the effective communication among the people.

In the case of coaching, let’s assume that the sender is the coachee and the receiver is the coach. The coach, having this prior knowledge, has to be very careful on the communication, not only as a sender but also as a receiver inside a coaching session. From the non-verbal communication, such as the body language, to the verbal communication, such as what he is going to say, the tone, the pace, everything may affect the interaction with the coachee. It is matter of importance, the coach to exercise and develop their active listening skills, in order to listen to the coachee with empathy and not to listen with the purpose to solve the problem. The coach should be able to “read” behind the words of the coachee and reflect to them the content, the experience and the emotions that the coachee is sharing. The coach should have the ability to distinct when the coachee needs to take their time. The effective communication as a skill is not something that you have, is something that you should constantly develop, and that is applicable especially to a coach. That’s why the communication is so masterfully contradictory the problem and the solution of everything.

Sources:

1. Πίντερης Γ. PhD (2014), “Μήνυμα εστάλη. Όμως ελήφθη;”, Εκδ. Ψυχογιός

2. Stanton N. (2004), “Mastering Communication” 4th edition, Palgrave Macmillan

Image by Freepik