The Art of Communication

The art of communication has been a vital topic throughout the history of mankind. Of course this art to a considerable extent depends on the timing in history, the cultural background, the position in a society, the level of education, the profession or industry, the age group involved, etc.

It is very obvious that the rules for communication were very much different in ancient China, in medieval Europe or perhaps ancient Egypt. In each time and place the rules of communication vary depending on the personal background of the people involved. Communication patterns are very subtle systems and violating these systems creates uneasiness, estrangement or perhaps offense, it may make you an outcast, stranger or intruder, although lots of the people involved will not be able to put their finger on the "why".

At the courts in Europe it was unspoken etiquette at a time that a foreign guest had to be treated according to his rules. There is a story, that a glamorous member of oriental nobility was a guest at a dinner of the Royals in Austria. Part of the served dishes was roast chicken and all of a sudden the noble guest started throwing the bones with his hand behind his back. The other guests froze, yet within a split second the emperor himself started to fling the chicken bones behind his back - a gesture in honor of his guest who should not be made ashamed.

In our days the art of communication seems to have been lost in a way or at least people tend to think so. Yet when you start looking closer it becomes very obvious that communication still is a major factor in determining success or failure. Most people will agree that in diplomacy this is recognized. Some are even aware of the fact that it is a major factor in business behavior. Here again the rules are pretty clear when it comes to hierarchy structures and the rules of common courtesy.

However, let's look at the world of Network Marketing - MLM. Network marketing is a business of people joining people, that is, interaction between people is THE factor in this industry. It surprises me again and again, that education is not a general must for this industry - at least for those who want to achieve success.

Most people don't consider communication a topic which requires education, yet some people do.

Watching what is going on you see quickly that it is those who accept the necessity for education who are the top earners in this business.

So what is this education all about: first of all you surely know the 3 monkeys - one covering the mouth, one covering the ears and one covering the eyes - an ancient symbol! It signifies that listening, speaking and looking at something is important and attached with know-how. Common sense should tell us that we have 2 ears and only one mouth - an indication that we have to listen twice as much as we speak and we have to listen to what is being said and not what we think is being said! Next we have to look with intent (2 eyes) at what we learned, to in the end give a well tempered reply (1 mouth). And this is only a small percentage of what is required. There are different types of people who need to be dealt with in different ways and of course well proven routines as to how to give a conversation/communication direction.