Why Do We Communicate? Top Life Skills Explained For Kids

Communication has no bounds and can be carried out through verbal conversations, written messages, body language, and various visual cues.

The way we communicate is quite complex, but keeping that aside, you will notice that almost every living organisms communicate to build relationships with others. With speaking and listening or vice versa, we are using an essential tool to express what we feel which plays an important role to maintain and bridge the gap between yourself and a social setting.

Considering communications are so versatile it can be quite difficult to explain their exact origin and progress. However, the present way of communicating has given us many clues about why our community would not be able to develop if we could not understand each other. Effective communication is among the important skills we have to develop to be able to successfully make our way through the world. If you're a new parent, you ought to explain the importance of communicating to your kid and help them develop basic related skills such as particular social conversations, clearly speaking a language, and forms of gestures. Keep reading if you're seeking the true reason behind our modern-day communication system.

If you want to learn more from interesting fun facts, check out why do we fall and why do our ears pop.

What is the importance of communication?

Whether it is a verbal conversation with family or a business email message, communication skills are essential in life, even more, to get your point across effectively. For centuries we have used our ability to communicate as a medium of imparting knowledge through history, especially in the form of written material. Any human interaction and flow of ideas from one group to another would be impossible if we did not possess the ability to communicate.

Communication does not only involve talking several non-verbal aspects like body language and gestures accompanied with speaking adds to being able to communicate effectively. Let us start with how important communication is to keep avoid conflicts between spouses, friends, families, and colleagues. Without a means to communicate, business, as well as personal relationships, would be in a mess caused by misunderstandings and differences, leading to frustrations and fallout. Communication allows you to listen to each others' opinions, instead of overreacting and causing conflicts, especially in a social setting where different people with several opinions exist. In case of a disagreement, you can always use verbal communication to reason out a solution and come to a conclusion that will avoid any bad blood. Doing so helps even more if you use a positive and respectful tone or gestures instead of accusing or being defensive. This proves that communication also controls whether we want a conversation to go nicely or turn into a heated argument.

Communication also allows you to stay updated in life. Considering the modern world we live in, our life depends on listening and learning from different sources, which provide us with important information about day-to-day events. This ability to access information and keep up with the times is possible only because we have clearly developed effective communication skills. As mentioned earlier, how we communicate also play a huge role in whether others' perception of us is positive or negative. If we communicate our ideas or express our feelings through a kind and welcoming approach we can build trust and have long-lasting social relationships. Whether in a business setting or a normal supermarket, the way you speak or listen to others goes a long way when effective communication is involved. For example, when a teacher communicates with a student or a leader to a team of members, if they use a calm and composed approach, the criticism on the receiving end is taken in a positive form rather than rebellion. Even when communicating with customers, your business is more likely to achieve success if you can make them understand particular concepts politely.

A highly important feature enabled because of communication skills is the spread of ideas which eventually leads to innovation. The present-day development is related to communication because it has been allowing different people to build progressive relationships by sharing professional skills and listening to unique ideas in different regions all over the world. Further distribution of information takes place through social media, written material, group meetings, and every other form of human interaction. Apart from the spread of information from person to person, others also get a chance to learn and educate themselves such that they build a versatile skill set. Lastly, sharing information or opinions is also one reason why we talk, listen or respond to others. Anything that involves answering questions, telling about an event, giving directions, making a comment, or even noticing people, is when we use verbal communication as a means of sharing intended forms of knowledge with others.

If these are the reasons why people use communication skills, then what would happen if they could share their thoughts? Although the examples are intended for all cases, some would include throwing tantrums by crying, screaming, or being irritable. This behavior is commonly observed among children which also proves the point because their communication skills are not entirely developed. Not being able to ask, reject, or share thoughts could also create anxiety especially when you want to share about a like or dislike. Therefore, the human race depends significantly on its communication, and the world would be catastrophic without it.

What are the reasons to communicate?

There are innumerable reasons why we communicate but based on what the person's feelings or intention are in the moment you can categorize verbal communication as requesting, rejecting, social connection, and sharing information, skills, or opinions. Accompanied with the talking and listening aspect, the way we express ourselves through our tone, gesture, and different physical cues also reciprocate based on the reason behind the communication. For example, if you're mad at someone, apart from the aggressive talk (sharing opinions), your body will tighten and your face may express irritation or disappointment.

When we request something from others, it usually involves telling others that we need something or need help in performing a task. Even when making choices, oftentimes people may pose a request to negotiate a more suitable option for themselves. Requesting also includes when we ask someone to change something in the physical environment, especially if it makes us uncomfortable. In this case, our body language will also display an easy posture with a vulnerable facial expression to point out that you are requesting some help. In contrast, when people ask us something, it is a choice whether to accept or reject the statement which is usually displayed with a 'no'. This means communication is used to make decisions and inform other people when we are not up for it. You can keep certain things at bay, especially if you're avoiding something you do not like. Being able to express disapproval is quite important because it can avoid a biased situation or obeying a ridiculous demand.

One key aspect of life for which we use communication is to build social connections. It is obvious that humans are social beings and what facilitates these connections, be it professional or personal, is our communication skills. We need communication to interact with others which is the only way we can learn and grow. Apart from simply learning, sharing your feelings is clearly essential as well, and this is enabled when you can share what you're thinking with others and their care or support, which is also delivered through communication, will help you meet your emotional needs. Starting a conversation, a written message, to form friendships, tell jokes, or just greet people, communication is involved in everything.

Different Ways Of Communicating

When considering signs, languages, recordings, or books, the means of communication are almost innumerable. However, to understand all these example types better they can be categorized into verbal, non-verbal, written, visual communication, and also listening. Sometimes, people who have certain disabilities use other means of communication to help us understand each other which include braille, sign language, facial expression, touch, or paralanguage.

Verbal communication is when you speak to another person either face-to-face or via phone or video calls. Communication between family, friends, or spouses would be considered informal and do not require a specific tone, posture, or gestures. However, when you're a student, teacher, or in a professional meeting, you must use formal communication skills and speak according to the situation. When framing sentences in such situations people often pay attention to details to give the speech a professional complexity, especially to convey a message effectively as well as confidently.

Although articulate communication skills are required to have an impressive conversation, it is never complete without accurate non-verbal communication. After all, actions do speak louder than words, and the composition of our body, while we speak, says a lot about how we feel. Facial expressions, hand movements, posture, touch, and eye contact are all cues of non-verbal communication. For example, you're in a situation where you have gotten into an altercation of a missing item. When speaking to your suspects, also watch out for telltales about whether they are telling the truth in their physical changes. If you notice them avoiding eye contact, sweat on their face, biting or licking lips, and gulping, chances are they are the culprit.

From emails, text messages, memos, articles, and reports to Facebook statuses, tweets, contracts, and direct messages, they are all forms of written communication. The purpose of using written media is to convey information for people to read or learn systematically and concisely. As a result, writers need to be clear in the written form to avoid confusing the people who read their material. Another aspect of written material in this digital age is that these copies will last forever and can be accessed by others all over the world, therefore if you're a writer, make sure you construct sensible and good quality written material. Visual communication is another type that includes, televisions, videos, memes, images, or any post on social media. This form of communication is also considered quite effective because humans are highly visual beings and perceive or learn the information better when we see it. Although these are the main types of communication, without listening the whole point of speaking with each other is redundant. The act of listening is what allows a conversation to proceed and adds meaning to it. Therefore, hearing someone out will not only make them feel respected but may also give you some new knowledge!

Benefits Of Communication

In any professional or personal setting, communication plays a vital role in demonstrating what is in your mind effectively to another person or group of people. It allows the exchange of feedback, emotions, productivity, confidence, and skills. Without communication, the world we know today would not exist, especially considering the mental, technological, and even lifestyle complexities. Along with simply conveying a message, your actions can help solidify your words if you maintain an accurate posture, facial expressions, or eye contact for the proper situation.

Being able to communicate has allowed human beings to gain trust and build relationships. When we ask and answer questions it speaks volumes about our attentiveness, listening skills, decision-making ability, and overall perspective which will not only extend your trust in private situations but also at your workplace. Similarly, problem-solving or taking preventive measures is only possible because communication exists. Without interacting we would never be able to resolve a conflict or remain calm and ensure that everyone's point of view is taken into consideration. That being said, life without communication would be complete chaos. You can also clarify doubts and offer solutions that will help the other person understand what your expecting and offer a sense of direction. This is how we understand our responsibilities, work in teams, and avoid confusion. Clarity because of communication is also how you can build healthy relationships with almost everyone. Once the concept is understood the people are encouraged to work or perform in tandem and more confidently which in return increases engagement and facilitates team building, consoling, or even showing empathy. Lastly, the confidence imparted knowledge, trust, team-building, engagement, clarity or sense of direction, and problem-solving abilities conveyed because of proper communication motivates individuals to acknowledge their roles in society and increases the productivity of the whole world.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for why do we communicate, then why not take a look at why do we fast, or why do people dance?