Blogging About Communication

Communication in Your Life

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  • THE WORD IS NOT THE THING

    The Department of Defense. The Department of War. The Department of Peace. Secretary of Defense. Secretary of War. Secretary of Peace. How do the changes in wording affect what the words represent? What do the changes in terminology signal? Implications of Changes in Terminology President Trump wanted to change the name of the Department of…

  • HOW DO YOU USE AI?

    You’re conducting research online for a project.  Maybe you’re writing an article. Maybe you’re going to issue a report. Or perhaps you’re creating a novel or screenplay. Whatever your subject and purpose, it’s common for an AI bot to respond to your search prompts with a narrative summary of the information it finds. You marvel…

  • THE COMMUNICATION MIX

    Is there a difference in how you process communication experiences in the physical world and online? This question leads to so many questions. We focus on five. FIVE BIG QUESTIONS Begin by asking yourself how you’re really doing when you move between the real world and the world of social networking. Take a few moments…

  • IS DISINFORMATION A SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY?

    If information is power, how does it differ from misinformation and disinformation? INFORMATION Information is an assemblage of data about someone or something. Information has the power to inform and persuade. We obtain it from investigation, study, and learning. We share it by communicating. The sharing of information that is valid and accurate enhances knowledge,…

  • HOW IMPORTANT IS EMPATHY? WHAT IF IT’S MISSING?

    Do you consider yourself an empathetic person? Do you possess the ability to understand and share another’s feelings? Are you able to feel the same emotions as they do? What happens when you lack empathy? When empathy is absent, we find it difficult to understand and share what another person is experiencing. As a result,…

  • THE CONVERSATIONALIST

    A recent New Yorker cartoon presented two partners preparing to go out. One partner requested the other partner not to speak to them at home because they wanted to be sure they had plenty to talk about when they got to dinner. The partner was insecure about their conversational abilities. What kind of conversationalist are…

  • DO YOU SPEAK EMOJI?

    Emoji is a word derived from the Japanese for picture and written character.  These characters add gestures to the conversations we have online, particularly when we text. But here’s the dilemma: What purpose does adding an emoji serve? Does the emoji make a message clearer, or does it help mask the message’s real meaning?  …

  • WHAT KIND OF SELF-TALK PARTNER ARE YOU?

    When conversing with another person, we often think about what to say and how to say it. Do we do the same when we speak with ourselves? How much do you enjoy and profit from self-talk conversations? What kind of self-talk speaker and listener are you? WHAT SELF-TALK IS Self-talk is that inner voice that…

  • DO YOU HAVE SUFFICIENT THINKING SPACE?

    Does the urgency of what you need to accomplish get in your way? Before you work a plan, do you give yourself the time you need to plan the work?  Giving yourself thinking space can improve relationships, help you acknowledge your interdependence with others, and free you to raise big-picture questions that bring unexplored options…

  • CAN A BOT REPLACE YOUR FRIEND OR LOVE INTEREST?

    AI is changing the scope and nature of our interpersonal relationships. It is also altering what we consider human communication to be. HUMAN-AI RELATIONSHIPS Can you imagine having a friendly or romantic relationship with an AI bot? Some researchers contend that developing a relationship with a bot can provide lonely individuals much needed companionship. Indeed,…