communicating efficiently and effectively

[Grayscale]

i have noticed a lack of smart communication in several sub-forums... im not going to name any names, but... politics and philosophy.

the problem im seeing is that people expound on an idea to unnecessary and distracting lengths... then, over the course of the discussion the topic loses focus almost entirely because maintaining clear understanding requires painstaking amounts of interpretation. worst yet, not only do a lot of posters get into the gritty details and never give context or summarize what the hell they're talking about in the first place, they often leave out large chunks of details because maintaining the integrity of the idea with so many intricacies is difficult. this means that even if i wanted to read 2 pages of drivel, i still would have an unclear understanding... which is awesome

keep it simple and straightforward. if that is insufficient, you can always expand on something SPECIFIC to clarify that point. this keeps the topic focused because there isn't bucket loads of information that could be perceived one way or another.

long story short, this style isnt "deep" or intelligent, it's just poor communication skills. if you just want to seem smart, go get a degree at an ivy league school. of all places, your reputation is especially inconsequential here on the internet, and some of us actually get something out of effective communication so please take that into consideration.

 

[Lateralus]

Sorry

 

[Night]

No.

 

[Mycroft]

I seem to recall something about hurling stones and houses made of glass...

 

[prplchknz]

hmm *rubs chin inquistivley* interesting.


(Like this?)

 

[INTJMom]

Reminds me of a certain type which finds "beauty" in following intricate thought processes.

I'm like you. I prefer concise communication.

 

[ygolo]

Well, Grayscale (and others). I admittedly have poor communication skills.

I never learned a single language well (strange school situation). I also hated English in high-school, and only took one semester in college. So I wouldn't mind some help improving my communication.

However, there are a couple of stipulations:

1. Preservation of voice. I don't want to end up only communicating the way Grayscale would like me too. I also don't want to post in a "business" tone. I get sick of that from work.
2. Preservation of content. Sometimes I want to communicate a nuanced idea. Often, I want to give links/keywords for people to explore if they chose to do so.

So that leaves many things open for suggestion...
Including (but not limited to):

1. Diction-How do I make sure my tone is not misinterpreted?
2. Brevity-A shorter post is a more readable post, imo.
3. Completeness-As a balance for brevity, I want to make sure readers have enough information to make sense of what I said.
4. Flow-General readability. Not monotonous. Not rambling.
5. Grammar, spelling, punctuation-I'm not a stickler, and I make a lot of typos. But if the mistakes make the post hard to read, then I would appreciate them being pointed out.
6. Word Usage-I don't know the definitions of all the words I am "know." I use the words that come into my head, but they may not be used properly.
7. Redundant modifiers-Sometimes I use, "true", "actually," "really," and other words for emphasis. Other times, I use them out of habit. While preserving voice.

Some posts of mine to critique (though there are plenty to choose form, if you prefer others--please choose more recent ones):

1. This one
2. Long post on Objectivity vs. Relativism
3. A political post
4. Future posts that you think exhibit poor communication (I may regret this)

 

[INTJMom]

Well, Grayscale (and others). I admittedly have poor communication skills.

I never learned a single language well (strange school situation). I also hated English in high-school, and only took one semester in college. So I wouldn't mind some help improving my communication.
...

English is not your first language??!! I would NEVER have guessed!

For what it's worth, I think you have good communication skills.

 

[heart]

Sounds like you don't like Ne, Gray. Pity.

I seriously doubt the motivation to engage in the type of communication you are complaining about is coming from any desire to seem "deep" or whatever. It is just the way the people like to think and they find others who enjoy this as well and not have to stop every five seconds and justify their fine points to the other person is a real freedom and pleasure not often afforded out in the world. To be able to just let the free flow of abstract ideas come and discuss is a true pleasure.

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I think Ygolo communicates just fine and has many interesting ideas.

 

[ygolo]

English is not your first language??!! I would NEVER have guessed!

For what it's worth, I think you have good communication skills.

I think Ygolo communicates just fine and has many interesting ideas.

Aaww shucks

 

[swordpath]

This forum shouldn't be exclusive only to people who are geniuses and excellent with communication skills. Just like in real life (physically speaking with someone/people), some people are good speakers, some are not. What can you do?

 

[Zergling]

worst yet, not only do a lot of posters get into the gritty details and never give context or summarize what the hell they're talking about in the first place, they often leave out large chunks of details because maintaining the integrity of the idea with so many intricacies is difficult. this means that even if i wanted to read 2 pages of drivel, i still would have an unclear understanding... which is awesome.

Some of this might come from people trying to translate into writing an idea that makes sense in their head, but has not had all its finer points thought through, so comes off in writing as imcomplete or confusing. (It happens all the time that I have an idea that has a web of connections, which does not translate into writing well, or that as I write the idea changes around a bit with new information or just by thinking about it more.)

The biggest problems here seem to come more from content than from writing issues, and the simplest ideas that are most clearly written out often are pretty poorly considered or thought out ones. (See the politics forum for lots of examples.)

 

[FallsPioneer]

I have a multitude of thoughts on the topic creator's post.









My main one being: don't read it if you don't want to.