Communication is Key by Cameron

Communication is Key by Cameron - October 2016 Scholarship Essay

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, heart is heavy,
Feels he’s going to vomit already, cupid’s confetti,
He’s nervous but on the surface he looks calm and ready
For pick-up lines, but he keeps on forgettin’
What he rehearsed now, the whole class hushes down
He opens his mouth, but the words wont flow out.
He’s chokin’, how, all her friends are jokin now
The clocks run out, strike out, over, blaow!

From the verse and into the course. This new millennial generation is often referred to as the Silent Generation. Not because of the lack of noise we create but because the lack of face to face interactions we effectively develop. In doing so our personal communication skills are hindered. Why voice our opinions when we can tweet, share, post, and like? The extensive outcome of substituting face to face interaction with media mediums can cause arrested social development, social isolation, and not learning from the common lot of other’s experiences and mistakes. All of which could stifle a person in various ways and potentially become a barrier to rewarding careers and the full enjoyment of relationships.

We all learn in high school how to calculate the Pythagorean theorem, about George Washington’s favorite cherry tree, and the time you need to speed walk the mile so you are considered healthy by America’s PE standards. However, we don’t learn how to work through a conflict, be a good listener or how to express empathy. As an engineering student I can calculate the second derivative of an inverse cubic function, the number of hydrogen atoms in a drop of water and the frequency the windows of your car vibrates when you blow out your speakers to Chain Smoker’s “Closer." However, for the longest time I couldn’t tell you whether you should shake an interviewer’s hand before or after you sit, where to look when you are giving a speech in front of an audience or even a good line to introduce yourself to your crush. Learning years of history and complex calculus is great. However, unless you intend to become a historian or an engineer these subjects will be applied very little (if at all) over your lifetime. Yet, you communicate every single day.

If the roles were reversed I would teach communication skills and the importance of relationships established through communications. Every day we communicate with coworkers, bosses, loved ones, dates, friends, spouses, neighbors, acquaintances, etc. All require mutual give-and-take verbal interactions and common communication skills that have been overlooked in general education and today’s technological society. Teaching communications early on will not only decrease social anxiety and nervousness caused by public speaking but allow students to become more cohesive. Communication skills won’t avoid conflicts but instead endow people with the ability to talk through conflict. Especially on trivial issues such as presidential elections and climate change.

Snap back to reality, oh the verbal casualty
Oh, there goes cupid, he choked.
He’s tongue tied, but he won’t give up that easily? No