Communication

While reading a section of Dona J. Young's book "Business English" I came across the article concerning communication.
I wanted to add a few notes about communicating.

Communication involves both speaking and listening.
Sometimes, people tend to forget the balance. When one person speaks constantly without breaking to allow others to input ideas, there is no true communication.
He or she is delivering a speech instead of practising effective communication.
(There are times when this is appropriate, of course - but it isn't effective communication. Even the best professors or teachers know that after the lecture there should be time for questions, discussion, and true communication.)

Of course, if one is silent - there is no real communication either.

There are components of communication that don't involve speaking; however, they tend to add or detract from the actual spoken communication rather than "be" the communication.
Gestures, for example, can mean many things - and can be easily misinterpreted.
They can, however, add emphasis to a verbal point or help one become less (or more) intimidated.

I agree with the point that communicating is an art rather than a science. Simply learning rules and trying to apply them "blindly" will create an automaton like delivery. Also, we might spend so much time trying to generate our next speaking point that we forget to listen well enough to comprehend others.

Also, we communicate differently depending on the group and situation, and we have to be ready to adjust our approach. As Young points out, communication is a live process - meaning we must monitor and adjust our approach as we proceed in any given situation.

Just a few thoughts.