Something that I found interesting in this book immediately was its seamless explanation about how even the mundane communication in our lives matter. The connections that we make through communication help shape our identities. It has an influence on the things we like, choices we make, and the way we think. One example for this that I think about is the idea of peer pressure. We are letting someone’s (in some instances) use of good communication encourage and/or push us to make bad choices. The impact that communication can have on the human mind is intense. I find this book’s description of it to be interesting and I was able to make further connections into my own life that communication relates to. There is also a part to this that I enjoy reading; how even the mundane and little small talk we make has an impact. It evokes emotions of peace and consciousness in me to know that what I say matters, but that I should be aware of what I am saying.
Relationships and communication go hand in hand. We build the relationships around us with communication, and every time we are communicating it forms a relationship. You form relationships with the woman at the grocery store, your next door neighbor, a significant other, and of course your family/friends. As a relationship is built, it determines the ways of communication and what the contents of the conversation is. The word that we use to define the connection between relationships and communication is relational perspective.
There are several characteristics to communicating discussed in the book. I want to include them in my journal as almost a reflection for myself; something to look back upon when in need. The several elements (or ways to think) of communication is symbolism, meaning, culture, relational, a transaction, presentational and representational, and involves frames. My question is posed in the elements of communication. What does the text mean by communication, “involving frames”? Trying to understand with some critical thinking, I think of the example of a server and customer. There is a certain frame of communication that both the server and customer follow. Already knowing what is to be expected and how to communicate it efficiently.
