Communication Pertaining to Journalism

Why is communication important? Well, simply calling communication "important" would be an extreme understatement. "Vital" or "essential" would be more appropriate. Effectively communicating with your team allows a line of communication to form, which then becomes the backbone of an organization. Without verbalizing your concerns, questions, or ideas, how can a team function well? "Communication is a vital management component to any organization. Whether the purpose is to update employees on new policies, to prepare for a weather disaster, to ensure safety throughout the organization or to listen to the attitudes of employees, effective communication is an integral issue in effective management" according to shrm.org. Being a leader is about inspiring others to succeed, not doing the work for everyone. That won't teach people to grow or allow them to accomplish anything on their own. To be a good leader, I believe you must first be a good teacher, and that starts with communication. Show your team the right way to do something, answer their questions, and articulate your expectations for them. Only then will your organization function like a well-oiled machine. The Center for Creative Leadership says, "Communication is a core leadership function and a key characteristic of a good leader... You need to think with clarity, express ideas, and share information with a multitude of audiences. You must learn to handle the rapid flows of information within the organization, and among customers, partners, and other stakeholders and influencers." So, this of course begs the question, how is communication important in journalism? In order to be a successful, well-rounded journalism, it's important to know how to communicate. By using communication skills to your advantage, it becomes much easier to interview people, create impactful writing, and get important information for an article. "It goes without saying that language and communication are among the most essential skills for journalists in gathering and delivering information across platforms. Successful communication depends not only on what is said, but also how it is said. The ability to convey your message concisely and assertively while also listening to others can have a tremendous influence on how your story could develop" according to kiniacademy.com. Learning to communicate with everyday people can help get them to open up, understanding how to get your message across to the public in a influential, persuasive way can drastically improve ones writing technique, and studying effective communication can convey important messages and make you an even better journalist who can get through to the people. All it takes is a little effort to learn how important communication really is.