![](https://addisfortune.news/wp-content/themes/addis-fortune/images/defaultPhots/commentary.jpg)
Commentaries | Feb 01,2019
Jan 23 , 2021
By Kidist Yidnekachew
It is not a new term. It is actually a quite common one, especially to those who have the experience of job hunting. Every "We are hiring" notice comes with “good communication and interpersonal skills.” Indeed, such skills are not easy to come by. They require practice and patience. It is understandable to see why they need them.
Communication has two elements. One is speaking and expressing ourselves lucidly. The other is listening and comprehending what our conversational counterpart is communicating. The latter does not mean waiting for the speaker to finish talking and responding immediately. An effective form of communication requires listening to understand, empathise and be open to change one’s mind.
Considering behaviours on social media today, it is obvious why companies insist on such skills. Communication on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube is too confrontational and does not lend itself to teamwork. If this is how people behave when they are given the freedom, then it is unlikely that firms want to hire.
But my recent experiences pertain to comments on instructional videos. I like handicrafts, and there are a great deal of these videos on YouTube. With the time for reflection the COVID-19 pandemic has afforded most of us, I have even gotten into cooking videos.
A lot of these channels are Ethiopian, and the comment section actually helps develop some of the ideas and methods shown in the instructional videos. It helps find answers to what has already not been addressed.
Instead, what I often come across are comments that are redundant. Some people just do not get it. Whoever it is that posted the video would reply to them, repeating part of what they have already explained in the content. Sometimes, even this does not help the misunderstanding. Some go on to duplicate. Others are liberal with their outbursts.
It is dumbfounding how a conversation can turn out this way. I have often just brushed this off as poor understanding of the platform until I noticed that we do it in person.
I have noticed we have a habit of cutting someone short in the midst of explaining something or answering a question. Even though the three sentences they said before they were interrupted did not seem like the answer we expected, it does not mean the person who asked the question should stop listening and interrupt the speaker. This kills the conversation and frustrates the speaker. This is Communication 101.
This shows our lack of patience. Had we listened for another minute we would have found our answer, but because we have a short attention span, listening to someone talk for more than five minutes seems like a waste of time. Of course, there are times where the questions asked and the answers given are completely different. A combination of these stunts communication.
Can a society survive on one-way dialogue?
I seriously doubt that we will have the capacity to fix many of the current and future problems we face if we cannot listen. I have witnessed this in real-time.
Recently, on Al Jazeera, a panel of stakeholders representing ideas on different sides of the aisle discussed Ethiopian politics. Did they reach consensus or get one another to at least empathise with each other’s views?
Not at all. They were not letting each other express a view before interrupting and wanting to respond to the current sentence. They had come with the desire to be the loudest. No one was interested in listening.
Why are we like this?
Human nature surely has something to do with it. But there is also the lack of awareness that, as long as this is the case, it is impossible for us to get along. Awareness of this, hopefully, should bring down the heat.
PUBLISHED ON
Jan 23,2021 [ VOL
21 , NO
1082]
Commentaries | Feb 01,2019
Viewpoints | Aug 16,2020
My Opinion | Jul 27,2019
Commentaries | Jun 01,2019
Editorial | Feb 13,2021
Sunday with Eden | Oct 23,2021
Editorial | Jun 05,2021
View From Arada | Apr 11,2020
Viewpoints | Oct 03,2020
Viewpoints | May 11,2019
My Opinion | 108821 Views | Aug 14,2021
My Opinion | 105219 Views | Aug 21,2021
My Opinion | 104030 Views | Sep 10,2021
My Opinion | 103320 Views | Aug 07,2021
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transportin...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By MUNIR SHEMSU
The cracks in Ethiopia's higher education system were laid bare during a synthesis re...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Construction authorities have unveiled a price adjustment implementation manual for s...
Jul 13 , 2024
The banking industry is experiencing a transformative period under the oversight of N...
Jul 20 , 2024
In a volatile economic environment, sudden policy reversals leave businesses reeling...
Jul 13 , 2024
Policymakers are walking a tightrope, struggling to generate growth and create millio...
Jul 7 , 2024
The federal budget has crossed a symbolic threshold, approaching the one trillion Bir...
Jun 29 , 2024
In a spirited bid for autonomy, the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), under its younge...
Jul 21 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Mayor Adanech Abebie's Administration faced an audit report that unveiled a startling...
Jul 21 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Brook Taye (PhD), director general of the Ethiopian Capital Market Authority, has tak...
Jul 21 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Ethiopia's horticulture, a major source of foreign currency and employment, is facing...
Jul 21 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Commercial banks are now permitted to acquire equity shares in capital market service...