Published on January 12, 2014

It's a new year! Why not create communication resolutions for 2014?
It’s a new year! Why not create communication resolutions for 2014?

We are 11 days into the new year, and a few days after the Polar Vortex, so it seems like a good time to think about communication resolutions for 2014.  Communication resolutions, you ask?  Aren’t resolutions just for reducing food intake and getting more exercise?  Absolutely not!  Like maintaining a healthy weight and working out regularly, your communication skills also need attention, perhaps even a kickstart toward improvement.  Your own resolutions may vary, but here are mine as a way to get you started on your own.

1.  I resolve to get up from my desk and communicate in person, rather than rely solely on email, chat, or other electronic media.  Too many of us are too reliant on electronic media to communicate with others.  I am as guilty as the next person with regard to sending a chat message to a co-worker who is just a few doors away.  So this year I resolve to get up and get out of my workspace in an effort to conduct communication face-to-face.  I believe this will help me avoid miscommunication that is often the hallmark of mediated communication.

2.  I resolve to learn new communication skills and employ them effectively.  The field of communication changes so rapidly, and I have to admit that I don’t keep up with new strategies and technologies as consistently as I should.  So I am going to learn some new skills this year.  One way I can do that is to attend conference sessions at IPCC 2014 (on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University) on topics that I am unfamiliar with.  Since the conference won’t begin until October, I’ll keep my eye on developments in my field through the various listservs that I subscribe to.

3.  I resolve to finally learn the difference between a gerund and a participle.  Okay, this last one is just something that has haunted me most of my English major life.  So this is the year that I crush it, once and for all!

Those are my 2014 Communication Resolutions.  I hope you will share yours with me!