communication is about connecting

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.  - George Bernard Shaw

The quote above provides the example that it is possible to communicate with someone without connecting. If communication requires connecting, it is important that we define connecting. Connecting is the ability to identify and relate to people in a way that it increases our influence with them.

Jorge Rodriguez “The Bank Robber” story:

Jorge Rodriguez was an Old West bank robber from Mexico who operated along the Texas border around 1900. Rodriguez was so successful that the Texas Rangers established a special force to try and stop him. Late one afternoon, one of these special rangers saw Rodriguez slipping across the border back into Mexico and trailed him at a discreet distance. He watched as the outlaw returned to his home village and mingled with the people in the square. When Rodriquez went into his favorite cantina to relax, the Ranger slipped in and managed to get the drop on him. With a pistol to the bank robber’s head, the law man said, “Jorge Rodriguez, I know who you are. I’ve come to get back all the money that you have stolen from the banks in Texas.

Unless you give it to me, I am going to blow your brains out.” Rodriguez could see the man’s badge, and he could discern his hostile intent. But there was a problem. He didn’t speak English. He began speaking rapidly in Spanish. But the ranger couldn’t understand what he said, because he didn’t speak Spanish. Just then a young boy came up and said in English, “I can help. I speak English and Spanish. Do you want me to be your translator?” The ranger nodded. The boy quickly explained everything the ranger had said. Nervously, Rodriguez answered, “Tell the big Texas ranger that I have not spent a cent of the money. If he will go to the town well, face north, count down five stones, he will find a loose one there. Pull it out and all the money is behind there. Please tell him quickly.”

The boy looked back at the ranger and said, “Señor, Jorge Rodriguez is a brave man. He says he is ready to die.”

The #1 criteria for advancement and promotion for professionals is an ability to communicate effectively. - Ralph G. Nichols

If you have the ability to connect with people, it provides a definite advantage over others. In order to connect with people you have to forget about yourself. Many people struggle in the area of public speaking because connecting with others is not their primary goal. However, connecting with people goes way beyond words.

In person, or face to face communication can be broken down into 3 parts: words, tone of voice, and body language.

• What we say accounts for only 7% of what is believed
• How we say it accounts for 38%
• What others see accounts for 58%

This means more than 90% of the message people receive has very little to do with what we say. It is one thing to understand the importance of communication and connecting. It is another to communicate the message effectively. The message must be communicated in a language the audience understands. Quite often some of the most powerful messages are delivered using allegory, symbols, and stories.

Two of today’s passages in the scripture reading for Tuesday in the first week of Lent focus on these ideas of communication. (Isaiah 55:10-11, Matthew 6:7-15) Isaiah 55 shares the words of a Great Communicator. God invites everyone to participate in his offer to “quench their thirst” in the first part of the chapter. Verses 10-12 contain a beautiful promise. God says, “Just as the rain and snow fall from the sky and do not return without watering the earth, so His word will also accomplish the goals He sets for it.” God is sharing the idea that His word will bear fruit. In these verses it is worth noting how God evaluates good communication:

1. His word will get results (v.10)
2. His word will furnish tools and resources (v.10)
3. His word will meet needs (v.10)
4. His word will perform His will (v. 11)

Today’s Gospel reading (Matthew 6:7-15) is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In this part of the gospel Jesus knew the importance of emphasizing a set of core values for the people to follow. Two things stand out in Chapter 6:

1. Do the right things for the right reasons – It is very easy to get caught up in doing things for image sake, and He warns about facades and hypocrisy. He tells them to be cautious about doing things for men to see, rather than doing things that please God. He wants to produce God pleasers, not people pleasers.
2. Pray God’s agenda, not your own – He gives very specific instruction here on how to pray, and stresses the importance of not praying like the hypocrites who stand and pray for all to see. He also shares the importance of not babbling in prayer like the pagans, and then gives us the example of The Lord’s Prayer.

Each of today’s passages remind me of the importance of communication and connecting. Each of these messages were communicated in a language the audience could understand, which provides the listener with a chance to connect to the message.

Author: Royce Slechta, Social Studies/Athletics