Communication Can Change the World

By Brenda Rivas, Communications Manager

“Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity. We can choose to use this force constructively with words of encouragement, or destructively using words of despair. Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate and to humble.”  

  -Yehuda Berg

  Communication, the way we share information and connect with others, is one of the most important parts of our everyday lives. The words we choose, the messages we send, the stories we share, not only tell others who we are, but can affect others in both positive and negative ways. The childhood saying of sticks and stones couldn’t be more incorrect. Words carry a great weight. There is power in the messages we send that can influence others and impact the lives of those who receive them.

  Think of the times in your life when someone made it a point to use words against you. They discovered your deepest insecurities and shared them with your peers. Or they knew you were struggling with pain in your life and they chose to use words associated with that pain to further hurt you. Those interactions stay with you, they are burned in your memory.

  On the other hand, consider the times when you were suffering and someone shared a kind word or you read a message of hope. What about when you worked hard to accomplish a goal and you thought no one noticed, but someone you respect suddenly shows you recognition and praise. Those interactions, those connections made a positive impact in your life and maybe even helped you to become a better person.

  Today, with all the ways to communicate and the thousands of messages we come across, we can feel overwhelmed and forget how much communication influences us and affects our decisions. With the millions of people on the internet, specifically on social media, and the volume of movies, television, and other media we consume, we have completely saturated every aspect of our lives with communication. Yet when you stop and think about the interactions, the messages you see on a daily basis, it almost seems that we have forgotten how powerful words can be.

  This oversaturation, this focus on quantity over quality can take away from the intention of communication, which is to make productive and meaningful connections with others. When communication loses its intention, its meaning, talk can become cheap, and often we stop paying attention. And if we stop paying attention, then we run the risk of not growing, of not changing for the better.

  Communication, if done carelessly or rushed can give the impression we are careless, distracted, or consumed with the media itself. It can have negative consequences on individuals, relationships, and communities. But if done thoughtfully, with the intent of good communication leading to good relationships, then it can inspire positive change. Communication can overcome barriers and unite people if we focus our efforts on choosing words that inform, encourage, and challenge the audience to consider something new or to be open to healthy changes.

  In a world where we have such little control over what happens around us, remember we still have control over what we say and share. During a time when communication seems to be taking over our lives, and we are tempted to simply ignore it all- think about how important some messages are to enriching our lives. Communication can change the world, for better or worse, that depends on us all.