Chapter 1: Defining Communication and Communication Study
1.3 Communication Study and You
Intro
Communication Study Now: Organizational Leadership: 73 Tips from Aristotle
Does Aristotle’s work still apply today outside of college classrooms? Of course, it does. In his book “Organizational Leadership: 73 Tips from Aristotle,” Tyme takes Aristotle’s work and applies it to leadership in organizational contexts. The book description on Amazon.com reads:”… is the third in a series of three short and effective Kindle books written for the next generation of leaders (and reminders for current ones) in business and organizations on this important topic. Some advice and quotes are timeless and provide a refreshing spin from a legendary figure. At a very young age of 7, Aristotle started a 20-year journey as a student of Plato the Philosopher. Aristotle learned and contributed to all disciplines within sciences and the arts. Similar to his philosophical lineage, he believed education was valuable and should be sought out to improve one’s life. When Aristotle was not crowned as the successor to lead Plato’s Academy upon Plato’s death, Aristotle did not reject and refute the decision. He reflected on the decision and chose a road to make his mark on society. Aristotle opened his own school and continued to impart the basis of generational and organizational leadership similar to Socrates and Plato with his own great student who went by the name of Alexander the Great.
This third book should provide the following benefits:
- 73 philosophical quotes and interpretations related to business and organizational leadership
- The role that communication plays in achieving the organization’s objective
- When to speak up and provide feedback to the organization and HOW to do it
- How veteran team members provide solid wisdom to the next generation
- Methods for subordinates to interact with upper management
- The benefits of recruiting talent to continually advance the organization
- Explains why leaders don’t need to know everything but need to perform one function really well”
If you think about Smith, Lasswell, and Casey’s statement that those of us who study communication investigate, “who says what, through what channels (media) of communication, to whom, [and] what will be the results” you should realize how truly complex a task we perform. While we’ll explore many examples later in the book, we want to briefly highlight a few examples of what you might study if you are interested in Communication as a field of study.
Studying communication is exciting because there are so many possibilities on which to focus. For example, you might study elements of the history and use of YouTube (Soukup, 2014); the use of deception in texting (Wise & Rodriguez, 2013); college students’ “guilty pleasure” media use (Panek, 2014); how sons and daughters communicate disappointment (Miller-Day & Lee, 2001); an examination of motherhood in lesbian-headed households (Koenig Kellas & Suter, 2012); or daughters’ perceptions of communication with their fathers (Dunleavy, Wanzer, Krezmien, Ruppel, 2011).
Communication Helps with Diplomacy
The above examples demonstrate just a small taste of what we can examine through the lens of communication. In reality, studying communication has almost limitless possibilities. That’s what makes this field so dynamic and exciting! When you think about the infinite number of variables we can study, as well as the infinite number of communication contexts, the task of studying “who says what, through what channels (media) of communication, to whom, [and] what will be the results?” is open to countless possibilities. The study of communication has proven helpful to us as social beings as we work to better understand the complexities of our interactions and relationships.
As an Indiana State University student taking an introductory Communication course, you might be thinking, “Why does this matter to me?” One reason it is important for you to study and know communication is that these skills will help you succeed in personal, social, and professional situations. A survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that “College students who wish to separate themselves from the competition during their job search would be wise to develop proficiencies most sought by employers, such as communication, interpersonal, and teamwork skills.” The more you understand communication, the greater potential you have to succeed in all aspects of your life.
Careers with a Communication Degree
The kind of skills developed by Communication majors is highly valued by all kinds of employers. Courses and activities in Communication departments both teach and make use of the skills ranked consistently high by employers. Students with a degree in Communication are ready to excel in a wide variety of careers. Forbes listed “The 10 Skills Employers Want in 20-Something Employees.” Look to see how many relate directly to what you would learn as a Communication major.
- Ability to work in a team
- Ability to make decisions and solve problems
- Ability to plan, organize and prioritize work
- Ability to communicate verbally with people inside and outside an organization
- Ability to obtain and process information
- Ability to analyze quantitative data
- Technical knowledge related to the job
- Proficiency with computer software programs
- Ability to create and/or edit written reports
- Ability to sell and influence others
Excerpt from: Adams, S. (2013, October 11). The 10 skills employers most want in 20-something employees. Forbes.
