Knowing yourself to understand others

During an event, especially under pressure, in order to promote efficiency and thus the smooth running of the event itself, it is very important to always maintain, both with co-workers and among them, a calm relationship, otherwise ineffective communication and damaging stress are generated. 

Communication is a chain of impulses and responses. There must be correspondence between the content and the relationship, between the text and the way it is said. A negative relationship also adversely affects communication. In fact, if the relationship has a negative connotation, the content loses importance.

Already in ancient Greece, Socrates (philosopher, 470-399 BC) took the inscription “Know yourself” on the pediment of Apollo’s temple at Delphi as the motto of his thought: it is precisely knowledge, that allows man to know himself and therefore to know what the most suitable way to live happily is.

It is useful to know ourselves in depth (temperament, behavior, personality, way of communicating, interacting, feeling emotions, etc.) because who we are affects our actions, our lives both personally and professionally. For a good relationship to happen, it is essential to start from yourself, from the awareness of your own self, the so-called intra-personal communication.

I am aware of how crucial it is then to act on interpersonal communication, to try to understand co-workers and their individuality, in order to treat them correctly, thus avoiding unnecessary conflicts, and to achieve consensus and greater adherence to the project more easily, to better recognise what can be expected of each person and what to avoid asking for.

In conclusion, the process from intrapersonal to interpersonal communication leads to personal growth through awareness, self-consciousness, acceptance and development of responsibility, as well as clearer and more comprehensible communication.

There must always be a good relationship between the speaker and the listener!