Fulfilled Promise
Published review on LDS BC's Communication Class
I will be honest. On my first day in communications class, the instructor promised it would change how we communicate with others, would benefit every aspect of our lives, and would boost relationships between husbands and wives, employees and employers, siblings, and children and parents.
I didn’t believe him. I wanted to, but I didn’t believe him. I was under the impression that I was just there to get a grade and move on. I didn’t think that a course on communication, or any subject for that matter, would be so enthralling as to actually make the principles applicable. With nine years of professional customer service experience, I thought I would know everything I needed for the class already. Twice I was wrong. And I’m glad. This class taught me more about communicating with others than 9 years of customer service, 15 years of schooling, 25 years of children/community theatre, and the grand total of my 37 years of socializing on this earth. This class taught me how to communicate effectively. |
I learned that listening is more than just shutting up and letting the other person babble. It’s acknowledging them on an emotional level as a person so they know they are understood. When you speak to their heart, they are more willing to listen to yours.
I learned that I do not need to live in fear; everyone has their own personal pain, trials, and heartaches. These personal trials make us all similar to each other, not different. I learned that in the right setting, it’s okay to talk about personal conflicts and trials. Not only are people not as judgmental as I may have thought, but sharing those experiences can actually give others hope, help to clean my own personal closet, and show others the amount of courage I’ve developed. Sharing difficult experiences shows to others that I am a brave hero, not a helpless, self-inflicted victim. I learned there are other people in this world who are different just because of who they are; not because they grew up differently or because of their upbringing but because that is the way Heavenly Father made them. The most important lesson was to communicate effectively with them and why. |
Everyone is different; there is no doubt about that. But how to talk to them on their level so that they understand has always been a mystery to me. The answer to that question was worth its weight in gold.
I learned that we need the differences in others to help build ourselves up. The synergy created from others is powered by our differences, not our similarities. With the combined energy, effort, and abilities of those differences we can create something powerful, harmonious, special, and wonderful… as a unified team. And that can be much more powerful than what we could create as individuals. I have been tired of not being able to explain myself rationally, being misunderstood, and being frustrated in certain social situations while excelling in others. And I have been tired of not knowing why. This to this class I now feel stronger, more confident, and happier about verbally conversing with others than I ever have before because now I know why. I feel the scriptural promise has been fulfilled in that my weakness has become my strength. Did I benefit from this class? The instructor kept his promise. I have become a better employee at work, a better son to my parents, a better father to our son, and a better husband to my wife. In the end, isn’t that what we take with us? |
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