Do You Have What It Takes To Be Competent?

Grunts, groans, sighs, beautiful speeches and drunken slurs may all be forms of competent communication. Every situation is different and calls for a different type of communication style in order to be successful. Every person has the ability to improve as a competent communicator.

A competent communication, as stated in the book Understanding Human Communication in Chapter 1, “involves achieving one’s goals in a manner that, ideally maintains or enhances the relationship in which it occurs.” My interpretation of competent communication is that it involves a certain level of skill to adapt to the wide varieties of situations you account in everyday living in order to effectively live.

Communication competence also plays a large role in daily living. If you could not communicate to your family your feelings or deal with an upset friend, what kind of turmoil would exist in your life? Competent communication is very important for being able to function in society. For example, walking through the mall and being approached by a salesperson at a kiosk. The salesperson is trying to persuade you to purchase their merchandise. In this situation the salesperson must be competent in order to adapt their sales pitch to a unique individual. Also they must sound competent to be a credible communicator or else you will be turned off from buying the product. You, as the possible customer, must prevent yourself from being persuaded by a salesperson and think critically as an individual.

http://changingminds.org/

There are multiple strategies to prevent people from being persuaded. The “Changing Minds” website lists multiple strategies to prevent other people’s power of persuasion. These strategies vary widely from attacking the individual to simply saying no. At first glance verbal aggression or stonewalling the individual may seem ridiculous, and not something a competent communicator would do. On this note take a second to think about the wide variety of people and situations you may find yourself in. The more strategies you can draw from and adapt to meet your needs in that situation will help you to be a more skillful competent communicator.

Below is a video of Barack Obama using his competent communication skills in a persuasive speech.

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