Definition of Communication

What's the best definition of communication?

Transfer of an idea or thought from one being to another, when the recipient's comprehension / understanding of the idea / thought is the same as or similar to the transmitter.

The mode or medium isn't important, but the effectiveness transmission & reception is.

Imagine listening to Einstein speaking about relativity. At the end of the session, if you've a reasonable understanding of the amazing idea (it obviously can't be the same as his understanding, but can be close to it), then communication has happened effectively.

Scientific communication can be tested & verified with tangible outcomes, most of the time. Spiritual communication, especially that of a Realised Master, too can be verified through diligent practices known as sAdhanA. Lives are saved or lost in the medical profession, solely based on effective communication.

Effective communication has two parts - transmission & reception.

The reception part requires keen & active listening. Unfortunately, humans aren't trained in that critical aspect, even in the so-called ‘advanced’ communication programs, which focus more on how to convey the message, i.e. the transmission.

That's why even avid TV viewers find most anchors - news or otherwise - annoying, because their communication is always a narrow one-way lane, accompanied by a generous helping of high decibel noise. Sadly, communication at education & work spaces too nowadays have chosen this disastrous one-way path.

Very successful politicians are also very effective communicators, with the primary difference being, most of them will simply stop with making you believe in their great ideas and conveniently not show up for actually making those ideas happen, through purposeful action. It's an accepted norm worldwide that political communication is just rhetoric and not much of action is expected to?follow.

Religious (not to be confused with Spiritual) communication too falls under this category, as it is typically entirely based on the scriptures or holy books, which the preachers don't bother to verify through practice, personal experience and most importantly, common sense!

Great communication effortlessly blends enchanting content with specific context.

That's why, the enchanting tales of purANas & ithihAsas are still captivating to listen, even though they are usually made to sound a bit preachy, with dollops of moral messages added by the storytellers.

Close your eyes and imagine the magnificent Bhagavad Gita flowing from Lord KrishNA to ArjunA in the middle of the Kurukshetra battlefield, cleansing the cobwebs of doubts clouding his mind and stirring him into decisive action. Just listening to it from a capable communicator may result in goosebumps or even tears of joy rolling down the cheeks. That's an eternal example of effective communication!

Note: The original QuorAnswer to this question has got 32K views, so far. Let’s see how this one does here!

~Swamy | @PrakashSwamy