Taking courses in basic communication may be degree requirements for many students, but they are usually crash courses experienced outside the classroom.
Brittany Peterson, assistant professor of communications, said that although communication is an innate part of everyday life, its nuances are not easily understood.
Communication constitutes the way we live and exist - it defines all we know. It's communication that regulates our interactions
she said
A study recently published by the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology shows how brief lapses in communication illicit feeling or rejection and low self-esteem.
Jamie Zipfel, a junior studying English and communication studies, said that possessing the ability to portray your thoughts accurately with words is a skill that comes with confidence.
When you feel like your thoughts are being expressed how you want them to be it helps you feel more confident about your ideas and about yourself she said.
Kori Zanin, a junior studying communication disorders, said that a breakdown of communication occurs when the flow is interrupted by pause or confusion.
In a professional or academic setting
lapse of dialogue can cause the argument to drop or cause a feeling of awkwardness between speakers. It's like there is nothing more to add to the conversation
Zanin said.
Zipfel, who has been a member of the Forensics team for two years, said poor communication can lead to a breakdown of a relationship.
Something that shouldn't have caused a fight
or tension will end up causing problems because no one was able to say it the right way
or say it without being offensive
she said.
Zanin, who has been competing in public speaking for six years, said the informal ways students address one another has positives as well as negatives.
Whether it's inside jokes or Internet lingo ... it shortens conversation and completely changes the atmosphere of communication
she said.
Peterson said understanding the basics of communication can benefit people in many different ways.
It's through communication that we make sense of our surroundings and our relationships
she said.
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