Analog television is no more! Stations are now digital broadcasters. If you have an analog television you can no longer receive programming without a digital converter box, changing your television, or ordering a paid programming service. Most of you reading this are of an age where you probably had no analog television to begin with! Yet, you understand that you cannot communicate on a digital channel with an analog signal. You must communicate using the same channel—the same send-and-receive technology—whether you are electronic devices or human beings.
Electronic devices communicate using specific communications protocols. The sending (transmitting) device must use the same communications protocol as the receiving (listening) device in order for messages to get through and be interpreted correctly. (And that is as detailed as I get with technology in this column.) People also use communications protocols. The message sender (you) must use the same communications protocol (language) as that which I use in order for me to receive and interpret your messages correctly. Language, however, is more complicated than electronic protocols. Many variables come into play when it comes to “speaking the same language”.
The language to which I refer in this article involves the way we use our senses to process messages. Our senses are our communications channels. Each of us has our own primary channel through which we best receive and internalize messages. In various contexts these channels are referred to as learning styles, sensory receptors, neurolinguistic programming, or multiple intelligences. To communicate more clearly, determine the primary channel – visual (sight; eyes), auditory (sound; ears), or kinesthetic (touch; motion) – through which your message receiver processes messages. You can then transmit your message on that same channel to ensure the best reception.
