Might I be stupid because I can't make people understand?

[Ghost of the dead horse]

I can't make people understand some things so I can't be sure if I have any clue in the first place.
It's been said that intelligent people might not understand what someone else is telling about, because it is below their communication range. So, if I am telling stuff and people do not understand, am I below their comminucation range? In other words, I'm too stupid to be understood.
How would I tell that from the opöosite situation where I have it covered but the other party isn't equipped to understand it?

 

[Maou]

You can be below, or above their range. Some people are abstract others concrete. Some people don't want to understand either. Do not blame yourself for not always succeeding at communication.

There really is no definate truth, so often times smart people can believe in dumb things. Just as dumb people can believe in something really smart. So it doesn't matter anyways at the end of the day. You do you.

Its the average person that succeeds the most in life usually, because intelligence isnt universal, its specialized.

 

[prplchknz]

or you could be above their communication range

 

[RadicalDoubt]

I can't make people understand some things so I can't be sure if I have any clue in the first place.
It's been said that intelligent people might not understand what someone else is telling about, because it is below their communication range. So, if I am telling stuff and people do not understand, am I below their comminucation range? In other words, I'm too stupid to be understood.
How would I tell that from the opöosite situation where I have it covered but the other party isn't equipped to understand it?

Communication not an automatic skill for everyone, there's a lot of very intelligent people who struggle with wording or communicating their thoughts externally, regardless of how correct or tangible they may be (personally, despite being called intelligent often, I am told that my means of expression are very convoluted or don't always express what I'm trying to express as just a singular example). Not being as talented at communication as others has no bearing on your intelligence.

 

[Earl Grey]

You seem to be mentioning 'communication range' in the context of intelligence, so I am taking it to mean the intellectual capacity for meaningful conversation.

There are many aspects of this, not just the individuals' intelligence. The skill and capacity of understanding and being understood is a spectrum of traits with each traits having their own varying strength. One may very well be intelligent but lacking the knowledge or expertise in certain areas or certain methods/forms of thinking. It sounds like an error for it to be summed up as; 'intelligent people might not understand what is below their communication range'; being intelligent in something implies an understanding of at least the basics of that something, just like if you could do calculus, you can certainly do algebra, or simple addition and multiplication- there is more to it than just the overall levels of intelligence being different.

How can you tell you have it covered? Test yourself. If you can explain what you want to in a consistent way that makes sense and can be proven, then you have your stuff down. Communicating that is another thing in entirely, unrelated to how much you know, or how well you know it. Likewise, you can test others to know what skill / knowledge level they are at.





This is so much easier with stuff like Maths.

 

[Lark]

I can't make people understand some things so I can't be sure if I have any clue in the first place.
It's been said that intelligent people might not understand what someone else is telling about, because it is below their communication range. So, if I am telling stuff and people do not understand, am I below their comminucation range? In other words, I'm too stupid to be understood.
How would I tell that from the opöosite situation where I have it covered but the other party isn't equipped to understand it?

I just want to check at the out set, when you say understand do you mean agree?

I have encountered lots of people before now who can not tell those things apart.

 

[Ghost of the dead horse]

I'm equipped to mostly tell when those two are different. For example on a simple matter, I might tell some grandmother to look on her volume settings on the computer to find why her voice isn't been heard in our meeting. I tell her that the Windows settings are such and such. She might communicate that she doesn't understand anything that I tell. Then I resume to my teacher voice and tell extra simply: there are buttons and buttons all over the computer. Each of them makes what we hear. You might not know which those buttons are, but I will tell you. And when we've gone through every one of them, everyone can hear what you say.

In this case I got understood. But there are cases where understanding didn't come.

 

[noname3788]

I can't make people understand some things so I can't be sure if I have any clue in the first place.
It's been said that intelligent people might not understand what someone else is telling about, because it is below their communication range. So, if I am telling stuff and people do not understand, am I below their comminucation range? In other words, I'm too stupid to be understood.
How would I tell that from the opöosite situation where I have it covered but the other party isn't equipped to understand it?

The trick is to adjust your way of speaking to the audience. If you think someone will have trouble understanding something, then it's a good idea to speak slowly and to use concrete examples, maybe a few analogies as well. Something that the other person will understand for use. About the other case, it's usually fairly easy to see when you bore someone by being too slow, so... just do the opposite then.

 

[Coriolis]

I can't make people understand some things so I can't be sure if I have any clue in the first place.
It's been said that intelligent people might not understand what someone else is telling about, because it is below their communication range. So, if I am telling stuff and people do not understand, am I below their comminucation range? In other words, I'm too stupid to be understood.
How would I tell that from the opöosite situation where I have it covered but the other party isn't equipped to understand it?

Communication is a two-way street, depending on both your ability to "transmit" and the other person's ability to "receive". This is related to intelligence, but that is hardly the whole story. Imagine, for instance, that you speak Polish and I speak Portugese, and we do not share any common language. I can talk to you all I want, and the fact that you don't understand me has nothing to do with the intelligence of either of us.

Even with a common language, you could have trouble making yourself understood for a number of reasons. You could be not very verbally articulate, or perhaps simply nervous when you have to explain things. Perhaps you don't have a good grasp of what you are trying to explain yourself. Even this last might have more to do with lack of education (you never learned it properly) rather than lack of intelligence. In any case, perhaps you are articulate and have a good working knowledge of your subject. There are some people who still won't understand, which will be due to their own limitations.

If you are consistently unable to make yourself understood, no matter the subject or the audience, it still doesn't mean you are stupid. Perhaps you are just not that articulate, or need to put more effort into organizing your thoughts before sharing them. If you find you can make yourself more easily understood in some situations than others, considering the differences between the two can help you see where the problem is. Sometimes, though, the problem lies with the other person and there is just no getting through to them.

 

[???]

Might I be stupid because I can't make people understand?

I don't know, but if you replace "stupid" with "ignorant", I'd say yes, you "might" be, as we all "might" be.

I can't make people understand some things so I can't be sure if I have any clue in the first place.
It's been said that intelligent people might not understand what someone else is telling about, because it is below their communication range. So, if I am telling stuff and people do not understand, am I below their comminucation range? In other words, I'm too stupid to be understood.

I don't know, but it's funny to me that from "It's been said that intelligent people might not understand what someone else is telling about, because it is below their communication range." you inferred it could mean you are below their communication range, while I immediately inferred it could mean you are above their communication range...which actually might be the problem to begin with.

How would I tell that from the opöosite situation where I have it covered but the other party isn't equipped to understand it?

Well, I don't think you can ever know for sure. Most communication is trial and error because we don't all hold the same meaning or understanding behind things to begin with. And we all perceive things differently, if even only slightly sometimes. I think we all have to come up with our own criteria and intuitions about these things and accept that it will never be perfect and there will always be misunderstanding and/or conflict, regardless of how hard we try to avoid that. Maybe. Hell I'm not even sure I understand my own thinking sometimes, let alone expect someone else will or even can, if I don't.

 

[Pionart]

I don't know, but if you replace "stupid" with "ignorant", I'd say yes, you "might" be, as we all "might" be.



I don't know, but it's funny to me that from "It's been said that intelligent people might not understand what someone else is telling about, because it is below their communication range." you inferred it could mean you are below their communication range, while I immediately inferred it could mean you are above their communication range...which actually might be the problem to begin with.



Well, I don't think you can ever know for sure. Most communication is trial and error because we don't all hold the same meaning or understanding behind things to begin with. And we all perceive things differently, if even only slightly sometimes. I think we all have to come up with our own criteria and intuitions about these things and accept that it will never be perfect and there will always be misunderstanding and/or conflict, regardless of how hard we try to avoid that. Maybe. Hell I'm not even sure I understand my own thinking sometimes, let alone expect someone else will or even can, if I don't.

This was post 90666 of this subforum, posted at 6.16 New South Wales time.


Back to the topic, it may be that you're intelligent but not a strong communicator.

 

[Luminous]

Like Cor said, there are many possible reasons and many of them don't mean you're stupid. One of the most useful things I've learned from studying MBTI is about communication differences among types. (See A Quick Guide To Double-Checking Your Type). Maybe you communicate in an indirect manner, but you're talking to people who prefer a direct approach. Or maybe you're trying to communicate something to others that is difficult for them to understand due to any number of things that only reflect on them and not you.

 

[Sacrophagus]

I can't make people understand some things so I can't be sure if I have any clue in the first place.
It's been said that intelligent people might not understand what someone else is telling about, because it is below their communication range. So, if I am telling stuff and people do not understand, am I below their comminucation range? In other words, I'm too stupid to be understood.
How would I tell that from the opöosite situation where I have it covered but the other party isn't equipped to understand it?

I need context.

Are those people working with you and it is your responsibility to convey your ideas to them in order to serve a purpose? If so, whatever efficient way that will make them understand, use it. If they still can't understand, they have no business being there. Thankfully there's preselection, though.

In another more social context, I really couldn't care less if someone did not understand or not. I simply move on.

Its the average person that succeeds the most in life usually, because intelligence isnt universal, its specialized.

Exactly. It should be used in its place. Use it in some other place and you might look like a fool.

 

[FemMecha]

I can't make people understand some things so I can't be sure if I have any clue in the first place.
It's been said that intelligent people might not understand what someone else is telling about, because it is below their communication range. So, if I am telling stuff and people do not understand, am I below their comminucation range? In other words, I'm too stupid to be understood.
How would I tell that from the opöosite situation where I have it covered but the other party isn't equipped to understand it?

Explaining ideas and teaching requires the process of breaking down a concept into its foundational principles and then adding elaboration in a logical manner. There are people who are brilliant and understanding came to them so easily that they never needed to have it broken down. This can make it difficult for highly intelligent people in some cases to break down information for others. The ability to break ideas down into simpler building blocks can be its own kind of intelligence.

What adds complexity to this is that each individual processes information differently, so what works for one person may not work for the next. There isn't always just one way to break down a concept to make it understood.

There is also an added issue of motivation to learn. If you are communicating with someone who does not want to listen, learn, or understand what you are saying, then they won't. There can be emotional components to stubbornness to incorporate new information. I would say if you are having trouble explaining emotionally driven topics like religion or politics or relationships, then the lack of communication might have nothing to do with varying degrees of intelligence, but motivation and assumptions that people have.