Page 247 - Learning to Learn

LEARNING TO LEARN: BECOMING A SELF -GROWER 247
EXPERIENCE 9: PERFORMING WHEN BEING EVALUATED READING
Communication as Performance
Constantly risking absurdity and death
whenever he performs above the heads of his audience
the poet like an acrobat climbs on rime
to a high wire of his own making. . .
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, from “Constantly Risking Absurdity,” A Coney Island of the Mind
In this poem, Ferlinghetti uses humor to imply that communication is essentially an agreement between
performer and audience. In this case, the performer, the poet, is responsible for using his or her skills
(“rime”) to create original art. The audience also has a responsibility, Ferlinghetti insists, to be educated
and open-minded so that the poet’s art, or communication, isn’t dismissed as “above their heads.”
Communication is a process by which information is exchanged between individuals (a source and an
audience) using a common system of words, symbols, signs, or behaviors. If we use Ferlinghetti’s handy
metaphor of the communicator as a circus performer, think about how many “death-defying acts” of
communication you perform every day. For instance, explaining why your paper is late in the face of your
professor’s raised eyebrow might feel a little like riding a tottering unicycle across a tightrope without a net.
Despite the difficulties we all face communicating, human beings are truly “social creatures.” In fact,
employers highly value and seek out people with strong communication and teamwork skills. In many
cases, these skills are essential for acquiring and keeping a job as well as being promoted within one. A
1991 report issued by the U.S. Secretary of Labor entitled What Work Requires of Schools highlights the
importance of communication and interpersonal skills and outlines the skills necessary for success in the
workplace that young people should develop while in school. And in today’s economy, with an increasing
emphasis on “global teams,” effective communication is more critical than ever.
A great number of the skills required to relate to and work with others are from the social domain in the
Classification of Learning Skills. Two processes from the social domain (communication and teamwork)
will be the main focus of this chapter. The topics of appreciating diversity and service learning are also
addressed in this chapter as they pertain directly to relating to and working with others.
Communication Skills
“There is more than a verbal tie between the words common, community,
and communication.... Try the experiment of communicating, with fullness and
accuracy, some experience to another, especially if it be somewhat complicated,
and you will find your own attitude toward your experience changing.”
—John Dewey
Recall that the communication process involves transmitting information between a source and an audi-
ence something we all do regularly as part of our everyday lives. Yet for as much as we communicate, poor
skills and ineffective use of the communication process contribute significantly to the problems that occur
in professional as well as personal relationships.
In other words, it’s wrong to assume that just because we communicate so regularly, we have all developed
into skilled communicators. Growth of a set of skills associated with a process such as communication is
minimal without critical thought, a good model or a methodology to follow, and assessment.