Life is really about perception.  There is no color, really.  It’s how our eyes tell our brain to perceive the light reflecting off objects that we see.  That’s why there can be disagreement on something that seems as true as the color of an object.  Our brains translate what our eyes see and at times, the truth can be lost in translation.

The same process happens when we perceive people.  Our eyes send signals to our brain and our brain interprets the symbols and actions provided by the eyes.  The brain then refers to its massive data-banks to make a translation.  We’re talking billions of information being processed in moments of time.  No computer can compare to what the brain has to process at any given time.  Given all the data it pulls is it any wonder there are times it translates incorrectly?   Its findings are quickly submitted to the judgement department so that a reaction can be provided. I’ve witnessed offense taken when none was intended.

The thing is, our judgments of other people usually have less to do with them but more about us.  About how we perceive them.  How we translate their actions in our database.

It’s not easy to give someone the benefit of the doubt but we can see why communication is so important.  Those that can communicate until there is an understanding can be quite important in life.  If we lose our communicators we will get lost in translation.  The skill of communication needs to be developed and taught or else we will be in trouble.

What are some communication skills you have developed along the way?