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Effectively communicating is a skill all students need to enter the workforce. But it’s not just about talking, it’s about being present, about listening, and about avoiding roadblocks that hinder shared understanding. But how can Golden Flashes go about doing this?

“Dialogue and Difference: A New Understanding” is a new initiative from the Division of People, Culture and Belonging, the School of Peace and Conflict Studies and the Division of Student Life, providing support for each 911�Թ� student’s success.

Jacquelyn Bleak, associate lecturer in the School of Peace and Conflict Studies, kicked off the series by hosting a “Communication Dos and Don’ts” session on Sept. 12 in the Kent Student Center. The workshop focused on how to communicate more effectively with your peers and learning what your communication roadblocks are.

911�Թ� Today attended the session that began with Bleak expanding on topics related to communication and listening.

Bleak said it’s important to have “psychological presence” or be present when listening to those around you. This means putting your phone down and maintaining eye contact with the speaker.

“The idea of being psychologically present isn’t something we’re necessarily used to,” Bleak said. “But this lays the foundation for the work we do in communication.”  

The work Bleak is referring to is analyzing if we’re in “judger” or “learner” mode, as these essentially are the two different listening styles.

“If I’m stuck in traffic somewhere, I would ask why this is happening to me, and that’s judger mode,” Bleak said. “If you’re able to switch from judger to learner, the world opens more possibilities and allows you to be present.”

If we’re present in the conversation, we can also realize what roadblocks to communication there are.

Have you ever had a conversation, and then after the fact you feel worse than before the conversation happened? That’s because there was a roadblock in your communication, Bleak said.

Roadblocks include criticizing, which looks like making a negative evaluation of a person and their attitude or actions.  

As part of her presentation, Bleak broke attendees up into small groups for people to share their roadblocks of communication.

The attendees were excited to break into small group discussions. Communication was alive and well in this room. Instead of awkward silences, attendees jumped into talking and sharing their feelings.

Kelsey Tomlinson, assistant director of employee engagement and outreach with the Division of People, Culture and Belonging, spoke about her feelings on roadblocks.

“If somebody comes to me on an issue, I really try to get into my system to ask if they want comfort or solutions right now,” she said.

Roadblocks to communication can also be a misunderstanding of nonverbal cues. Just as language is crucial to communication, it can distract us from the messages of non-verbal cues.  

“Poor listening is an epidemic in this country and probably around the world,” Bleak said. “I think there are many people who go their whole lives without truly feeling heard.

Learn more about the Dialogue and Difference: A New Understanding series.

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