My first academic love was linguistics, and I am still very interested in language. Besides philosophy, I spend a lot of time researching, reviewing,…
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What is more important for speaking and communicating: clarity or fluidity?
Just in writing that sentence I noticed a tremendous amount of opacity.
Speaking has something to do with communicating, but one’s clarity in speaking I think does not necessarily denote greater communication.
Sometimes the very fluidity and, in a way, murkiness of a manner of speaking might be communicating something very intentionally and clearly, though not succinctly.
It seems this woman in the short video is speaking more about being able to communicate succinctly, which I do appreciate, being someone who, through most of my life, would hear comments from friends and acquaintances that I should get to the point quicker in What I’m saying.
Back in high school, a friend even told me that my style is to speak my thoughts, the process of my thinking about something, so the listener gets to experience what’s actually going on in my mind, the processing, the working out of contradiction, the pondering of options, and then they hear my conclusion at the end. His suggestion was that I should just stay quiet until I have the conclusion and then just tell people the conclusion.
Oddly enough, My colorful fluidity caught up with me in my training as a counselor. One of the basic skills that I was pointed to specifically was to listen, to formulate my thought, deliver the thought, and then wait.
That was so great to hear to clearly, the steps. I must’ve learned it pretty well. I think the skill has extended over even to my writing.
I feel this woman is really talking about an ability of a human being to be intentional with how they present themselves in the world.
What do you think?
The Veritable Counsel 
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