We have all heard people talk about the importance of communication. Counselors discuss this with couples struggling in marriage, motivational gurus lecture about communication in their seminars, coaches discuss this with their teams, business owners express this need to their employees, and friendships are often forged based on communication nuances. The ability to transmit and receive certain messages is not only fundamental to our human society, but it is one of the keys to personal and career success.

Some of us struggle with certain articulation styles, more so than others, and for some, it seems to come so easy. We all know that person with the silver tongue who effortlessly performs their oral opportunities in a manner that is so fluid, it's almost painful to those us who are more linguistically challenged. Then there are those who speak more comfortably while camouflaged behind pen and paper, and can craft messages that are virtually poetic. Others speak with their hands, through disciplined work ethic, and as many will agree, "Action speaks louder than words." Point is, we all have our own knack or comfort zones on how we express ourselves and our messages to others. Isn't that a neat thing? Variety is the spice of life, and our vast communication styles certainly tend to spice things up a bit, wouldn't you say?

Good communication goes well beyond projecting a message, and some folks will contend that good communication starts with listening; perhaps that's why God gave us two ears, but only one mouth! Wow, could you imagine what it be like if we had a mouth on both sides of our face? It would probably resemble Yogi Berra's observation in "It was impossible to get a conversation going because everybody was too busy talking!"

These days, technology has morphed communication options into something that even Thomas Edison would likely never envisioned. We've gone from smoke signals to telegrams, landline phones to bag phones, small cell phones to smart phones, internet to texting, and tweeting, and Facebook and YouTube. I'm sure I left something out. Some may ponder that this entrée of electronic communication devices has actually diminished our communication relationships. Face to face discussions are generally accepted as the most effective way to establish communication traction, while building personal relationship integrity, and the sound and inflection of one's voice over the phone provides some degree of communication quality that may be lost through an email. Has our society lost some of its warm, personal touch by relying too much on social media? Perhaps, but electronic communication does indeed create tremendous expediency and efficiency in reaching groups of people in a convenient and affordable manner. Even Boy Scouts of America is looking at integrating social media into their scouting repertoire in order to cultivate relevancy within today's young generation and will use this technology adaptation as a platform for teaching the importance of responsible communication style. Maybe we'd all be well advised to have pause before we push the "Send" button!

According to Webster, there are many different definitions of "communication," most of which are pretty similar. The one that I like the most is simple; "Personal rapport." To me that sums up much of what we can accomplish through good communication. This analysis is congruent with the late psychologist, Rollo May's philosophy of "Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing." Bingo, now we are getting somewhere.

WSI's ability to function effectively and efficiently is largely predicated on our ability to communicate well at all levels. It begins with appropriate information exchange prior to the hunt being booked, office coordination to help with our clients' preparation, in the field between the hunter and guide, in camp with the cook and camp manager, and after completion of the hunt to ensure appropriate handling of taxidermy and any loose ends that often need to be sorted out.

Our WSI communication is important between all of our staffers, with our landowners we work with who graciously open their gates to us and our clients, and even with folks who we interface with such as state wildlife agency personnel. And this WSI related communication should be a two-way street, meaning our clients should always feel welcome to ask questions or inquire about concerns or interests. We welcome your input. We need your input. Your communication within our WSI circle speaks to May's sentiment of communication leading to community.....our WSI community; Your WSI community.

And speaking of communication, we have a great WSI ENews lined up for you right here, so please click on the link below. Thanks for taking the time to peruse this, and we'll look forward to catching next time.

Click here to download our March 23, 2012 ENews Letter.

Cheers,