Isn’t it maddening how some people never respond? And even when they do grace you with an answer, it seems canned – as if they never glanced at the mail or listened to the message you sent them?
So, what’s up with this anyway? With more forms of communication available to us than at any time in history it seems like this wouldn’t be a problem . . . but it is and it’s getting worse!
Some people seem to think that a communication is complete when they’ve read or heard what you sent and that it requires nothing further from them. All too often, the acknowledgements that issue from some people are as unsatisfying as they are inadequate.
It’s my opinion that some small amount of attention is stuck on any unanswered communication. It’s like a post-it note on your mental bulletin board reminding you that it is still incomplete. It becomes a hidden attention magnet that tends to grab more attention each time you think about it.
The punch line is that the unanswered communication is only a symptom of a much larger and far more serious problem.
Given that communication is the exchange of information between individuals resulting in a sense of mutual understanding and shared feeling, then it is obvious that an acknowledgment of some kind is required for any communication to be complete.
You need some sign or indication showing that you’ve been heard, a response that indicates you’re sensing, feeling or seeing the same thing at the same time. It could be sometime as subtle as a knowing nod, a smile, and a pat on the back, anything that lets the other person know he or she exists and has been heard.
The underlying problem is this: When you eliminate humanity from the equation you don’t have communication and you don’t have life.
The lack of an acknowledgment is basically the visible warning sign of a world growing more and more out of communication . . . not a happy circumstance for the future.
Perhaps drawing some attention to the area, as the recognition that a problem exists, is necessary before any change is possible.
daniel w. jacobs
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