Not All Talk is Communication!
Communication is the lifeline or the blood of every relationship, be it husband and wife. Be it friendships, be it children and parents, boss and employee. Whatever it may be, wherever there are people involved the life of the relationship is communication. If communication is crucial in all relationships, It means then that it is important that we all learn to communicate. Let us check what the Bible has to say about this subject. Ephesians 4:29 (KJV) reads, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace to the hearers”. Let us take it from the message bible version, it reads, “watch the way you talk let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps each other. Each word as a gift”. We are being warned from this passage of scripture by apostle Paul that we have to watch the way we talk.
Our communication should not have dirty, foul, and unwholesome language but rather it must be intended to minister grace to the one who hears. Our words should be intended to help or to profit in some way the people that hear us. We have to understand then, that it's not all talking that is communication. Many people think that just by talking they are communicating but it is not so. Communication is motivated by the hearer, the recipient, or the listener. So when you are communicating you will take note of what you are saying whether it will help, minister, or will it reach the intended recipients in the right way. We should therefore answer a few questions before uttering anything if we desire to communicate. We should ask ourselves; How are they going to hear? How will they understand? How will they possibly respond to that which l am saying?
It is a different story from just saying your mind or mere talking. When you say what you want it's all motivated by you the speaker. The speaker says what they think or feel in a way they want to present it. This is not communication. Many people do this and expect a certain response from their listeners but end up disappointed because there will be a communication breakdown. This is quite common in relationships people think they are communicating when they speak their minds. Yet they do not take note of the recipient’s ability or probability to understand the words spoken and the gestures or actions portrayed. Do they understand them?
Communication calls for you to take note of how what you are saying will be understood by the listener. Let us conclude it this way, in communication, it is all about the hearer, the recipient, and the listener but in talking it's all about the speaker. In talking, we say our minds, and we speak our feelings regardless but in communication, we harness everything else and package it in a way that will minister or will be understood or will be decoded the right way by the person who is listening. So talking is all about me whilst communication is about the listener. The scripture we read earlier has said to make sure when you speak, the words you speak are intended to minister grace to the hearer. The motivation of communication is the listener, not the speaker, therefore let us learn to communicate.
