Commentary>>Importance of communication

By Master Sgt. Alisha Rowland
19th Comptroller Squadron superintendent

Communication is one of the most important and beneficial skills an individual can have. It is valuable for personal and professional development. Unfortunately, many individuals do not practice or understand the significance of the ability to communicate effectively. It does not matter if the individual is quiet, outspoken, eloquent or not; the ability to effectively express oneself should be an ability one strives to strengthen or improve upon.

Have you ever felt frustrated because you didn’t get information that would have been useful; or you would have wanted to know? Surely you can think of a few examples that pertain to you professionally, personally or both. An example of a communication breakdown can be related to the recent ROCKEX. The last ROCKEX ended on a Saturday evening; and a telephone recall was initiated to relay the information to all exercise players. Unfortunately, some people did not get the information; therefore, they stayed at home on Sunday, thinking they were on standby, and reported to work earlier than normal and out of uniform for a normal Monday morning duty day. That is a small example of why communication is important. Now, imagine how important communication is regarding critical medical information, explaining exactly what problems need to be fixed on a plane before its next mission or the precision needed for providing coordinates for military targets.

Effective communication consists of being truthful, thorough and tactful. One does not have to be eloquent to get a point across. In addition, an individual should not be elusive or harsh when communicating. Using complicated words, beating around the bush and being abrasive is less effective than constructive expression. No one wants to listen to 20 minutes of rambling, then hear the statement “to make a long story short, you need to follow checklist” or “you better follow the checklist!” Furthermore, no one desires to be disrespected; therefore one should talk to people in a manner they would want to be talked to.

Some reasons people do not communicate include being shy or introverted. They may feel that their ideas and opinions are insignificant, or they will not be heard or taken seriously. Sometimes people fear conflict, being incorrect or misunderstood. To those individuals, I say think about the next person. Consider the outcome of not communicating. Someone else could benefit from your information. Your input can generate creative or constructive ideas, it can correct something that was wrong or encourage something being accomplished right; and it can help another person in some form or fashion.

Effective communication not only contributes to working relationships, but it impacts our contributions to the mission.