Everyone knows what communication is but what is good communication? I think good communication is when two or more parties are able to interact with each other with as little effort as possible without omitting crucial information in the process.
How do you then gauge if someone is a good communicator or not? Someone with good communication skills is able to clearly and effectively answer direct questions and explain complex topics. Good communication is also the ability to provide information at the expected time that the information should be given or received.
Sometimes communicated messages are delayed or are otherwise unavailable to be delivered which is only natural. What makes someone a better communicator is the ability to inform the other party or parties that the messages have now been delayed and to establish a new expectation for when the original message will be received. Following this method allows for much less confusion or guessing for the parties involved or relying on possibly critical information. Even if a message is delayed, the parties involved are now able to plan accordingly and are able to adapt by simply knowing that the timeline has changed.
There is no need to communicate if the information communicated doesn’t effect the other parties involved. If you find yourself or someone else doing this then you might have the case of someone overly communicating. This is a separate form of bad communication from the previously mentioned but it is similar in the sense of attempting to not waist valuable time and effort. I personally prefer someone that overly communicates as oppose to someone that doesn’t communicate messages of delay or change.
Communication can be very hard for some people and very easy for others. Following these simple rules is what I try to stick to as much as possible. Although something might be simple that doesn’t mean it’s easy. If someone has bad communication try to be patient or better yet, communicate to them your thoughts in an appropriate manner.