The Ape in my Communications

Just recently I saw two individuals in an argument on the road, the argument started over something very trivial (according to me) but in no time escalated to a point of physical violence. What went wrong? 

You see communications has a funny side … When one communicates the same is received back with the same amount of energy. Just like… the saying… “Monkey Do what Monkey Sees”.

Think about it… 

The leader does not follow this process, then no one will…

If I raise my voice, the person in front too will do that.

If you laugh, the person sitting next to you too will laugh

If you say good morning with high energy (especially in conferences), you will get a corresponding reply

If you did this, I did this more

Communication experiences we all encounter in our daily lives… 

In every way or form of communication the Ape (monkey) has a huge role to play, irrespective of the channel you use, our Ape can be highly productive and detrimental at the same time. Depends on which receiving end you are standing on.

Not sure if you have, but try this today … put a mirror in front of another mirror. What you will get is in infinite reflection, and any object placed in between the too will become infinite. And The only way to avoid this infinite reflection, Change the way the mirror works… but can we do that? Not for mirrors – no, but for us as individuals yes, we can.  

Humans have a tendency to Ape things, just like mirrors, and aping will do nothing more than just fuel the conversation… and not the outcome. However, as individuals, we can we can change the outcome, by identifying the Ape within us.  

So next time when someone comes up to you in a flavored behavior, you can choose to let your Ape loose or let go of your Ape, depending on the outcome you foresee.  

A new year Resolution? Add this to your list. 

Ankush Malhotra
Ankush is an adventurist by passion and a Communicator by profession. He specialises in Employee Engagement and Gamification techniques to build and drive organisation culture. With over 20 years of premeditated experience he has emerged as a thought leader canalising & creating path-breaking communications strategies.

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