Knudsen - Symbols: The Art of Communication

Symbols

The Art of Communication

Dr. Joyce Knudsen, Ph.D.

The ImageMaker Inc. Presents

Symbols: The Art of Communication

Copyright 2014 by Joyce Knudsen, Ph.D.

This is a work of non-fiction. All rights remain reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

124 pg.

ISBN: 1500486709

ISBN-13: 978-1500486709

1-Non-fiction, 2-General, 3-Self-Help, 4-Communication,

5-Education, 6-Relationships, 7-Language, 8-Communication,

9-Business, 10-Other.

FIRST EDITON

Cover Art 2014 Brent Meske (brentmeske.com)

Acknowledgements

For the wonderful Foreword, I would like to thank my friend Todd Hewitt, who has always been there for me. A special thank you to Sherre Bishop, for taking the time to look at this book through her eyes, as an English major and writer. I am honored she took her valuable time to accommodate me.

For all of his work with this book, I would like to thank my friend Brent Meske, who helped me make sure that this book was done well and ended up on Amazon.

I cannot forget my husband of over 45 years, who has been my soul mate and support system through the writing of all of my books.

CONTENTS

Foreword

It is my privilege to introduce you to a marvelous book that has been instrumental in my own personal and professional success as an author and activist for PML, HIV, and AIDS. I am founder of the first non-profit organization for the sole purpose of raising global awareness of a rare viral disease called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Due to the friendship I share with Dr. Joyce Knudsen through my writings and speaking as I travel around the country ministering to PML patients and family members, I say thank you for supporting and believing in my cause.

Having met her through social networking, I soon learned of her driven passion and caring for others, which alone impacted my life after sharing the story of the loss of my daughter with her.

Through my connection with this author, my world of knowledge has expanded, by educating and continuously connecting with people around the world as I too fulfill my destiny by preserving a legacy of someone I loved and lost.

After you have had the opportunity to curl up in your favorite chair and read this inspiring and motivational piece, you will uncover the essential tools for which you have long yearned. Drink it all in, as I did, as it allows you to maximize your participation in this great big world that we all call home. Many believe our future successes and our past, along with our still-future failures, are driven largely by our capability to better understand and implement the nuances of the complex communication process. We all have skills

there is no doubt about this.

When we are afforded the opportunity to reach out and to interact with others, doors to a rewarding life will either be opened or closed to each of us. Often times, those doors are seemingly slammed, deafening to our ears and piercing to our hearts.

Look around you, and you will realize that we yes, you and I live in a world with no boundaries. This humongous community we call earth a small and often thought of as an insignificant part of our universe is surely filled with diversity, which assures us that we are indeed a multi-cultural society and most definitely placed here for a reason.

I have found, since having the esteemed pleasure of getting to know Dr. Joyce, that one of the key elements I was lacking was the ability to expand every opportunity presented to me. Even before I retired, in my work environment and through social networking as a favorite past time, I have now come to realize and learned to enjoy with greater understanding that we are all different in so many ways.

Dr. Knudsens book delves deep and allows the reader, to explore the unique differences of our fellow homo sapiens, enabling you also to better understand, not just a handful of people you surround yourself with on a daily basis, but others whom you are still destined to cross paths with.

Wouldnt it be wonderful if they were able to process what you say or do through the signals that you consciously or unconsciously project every waking moment of your life?

Her gift of enlightening others to become optimal communicators has been the focus of her professional life for the past twenty-five years, and it gives us all an opportunity to partake in the vast knowledge she possesses. Reading about symbols will help you better express your own thoughts and actions in order to communicate more effectively, while you grasp the absolute importance of doing so to the best of your learned ability.

In closing, my wish for you now is to better prepare yourselves in order to minimize those misinterpretations of your message and your signals, whether it be your body language or the mere tone of your voice.

Reginald Todd Hewitt

Executive Director

The Courtney Project 501c3

117 North Kirkman Road

Orlando, Florida 32811

407-291-8658

321-388-1952

Fax: 407-291-8890

INTROD UCTION

Signs of communication are everywhere. Look around you! Once you get started, you will have a heightened sense of the varied and inescapable ways that encompass modes of communication in our world. If you see a stop light, you know to stop and when to go. If you see a McDonalds sign, you recognize their symbol. We work on our computers, smart phones, and use the pound sign for a hashtag. These signs and symbols are so common we just accept them as thats the way it is.

Symbols, the Art of Communication is about hearing a word, seeing a sign, looking at an image, and reacting emotionally. A symbol holds meaning for us. Symbols work by the power of suggestion. Symbols do not have a specific meaning or moral, but they do help to point to an abstraction. In Edgar Allan Poes The Raven , death wasnt the symbol; the bird was the symbol. In Cranes The Red Badge of Courage , courage wasnt the symbol; blood was the symbol.

So much is lost in our communications, especially with so many nonverbal messages, which comprise more than 90% of the message being sent. In our social networking world of texts, tweets, and posts, there are many nuances to consider. The electronic forms of communication offer great value in the communication process. What first comes to mind is the immediate gratification of sending and receiving messages. When people used to write letters, they had to wait for a response, and now, you can reach the world in seconds. Real time electronic communication is the world in which we live the real world.

In the book, Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner, he suggests that we have the opportunity to go beyond stated expectations and explore specific interests. Getting a message immediately can be great; however, we seem to have lost our communication skills in real life. No longer do your children call every week; they text.

Everything has moved in a direction of I need information right now . It concerns me that we are losing our opportunity to communicate on the telephone and in-person in lieu of these electronic advances in technology. The majority of the population is born with the ability to hear but not to listen.

There are several reasons that people do not or cannot listen or remember, ranging from physical conditions to cultural beliefs. In one of my classes while working on my Ph.D., an instructor gave his view on the word understand. In his words, The word understand is just a clever reversal of stand under and has been suggested to mean just that: to stand under. If you stand under someone and look up to them, you will better understand what they are going through and why your communication may not be getting across. What does it mean to understand? The word understand is often considered the same as an agreement of some sort.