Effects Of Miscommunication

As we embark on this 2025 journey in its early hours, I’d like to bring up this underrated yet important topic, which I assume should suffice for a better experience this year. There’s no doubt that many of us already made/are making our New Year resolutions. Of course, a lot of people want to make money willy-nilly; legally or illegally. But that is not the focus of this treatise. Before I move further, I’d like to wish my beautiful audience a Happy New Year. I wish us all a blissful experience therein. Amen!

Now, to the focus of this piece. I took a quick review of the previous year, 2024, and while reminiscing about all that transpired in that year, a particular topic caught my interest, hence the reason for this piece. And this topic of interest is Communication.

As stated earlier, in 2024, the rate of death and relationship breakdown was extremely high due to miscommunication. Sequel to the aforementioned, what is communication per se? Communication is the actionable transfer of information from one person, group, or place to another by writing, speaking, or using a medium that provides a means of communication. In other words, every communication consists of a minimum of one sender, a receiver, a message, and feedback, which can also be referred to as feedback (https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-communication-definition-importance.html)

Now, it’s quite important to also note that the transmission of a message from a sender to a recipient risks being affected by many things because communication impacts how people interact. This involves the location, medium of communication, cultural situation, and emotions (emphasis on ‘emotions’). Communication, however, helps people to interact and share various aspects of life.

All of this and more are the sole strength a good communication requires. Unfortunately, this generation seems to be ignorant of this fact, and this is why problems won’t stop emanating. To them, communication is just texting “Hello” and “Hi”. I have come to realize that many people have bad communication skills, and that is not even the problem. The problem lies in the fact that they are not willing to work or improve it. Moreover, communication doesn’t have to be online alone; it can also be done via sight, texting, or dialogue. You can not just afford to be bad at both. Understanding, feedback, and emotion are essential in every communication.

Moving on, as earlier mentioned communication is one of the reasons for relationships breakdown in 2024, this is the fact. If some broken relationships are interviewed, we will realize that communication is indeed part of it. There are many partners out there who have no in-depth knowledge about each other, yet they go about flaunting their ‘lovers’ tag all over. I sometimes find it funny when some people claim to love each other but lack clear interaction between themselves. You may want to know that love communicates and understands. So, if this element is missing in a so‐called relationship, then there is no doubt that the ship will eventually capsize.

It is no surprise also to see that the ‘GenZs’ do not care about each partner’s communication and comprehension skills. Inasmuch as he commands money, they believe that’s all. Whereas the consequence of such a decision does not happen in a jiffy; it comes unexpectedly, most times, on the day or era of one’s joy— it might even come in one’s old age. The Issue of genotype would be the perfect instance for this category. In a relationship, communication is important, starting from the point where you both meet and it should even continue when you are committed, this time stronger. Do not hide under the disguise of ‘I don’t know how to hold a conversation or speak to people’. You can learn to do it. And when you do, you will see the improvement, gradually. You should try it, if not for anything, for the sake of your relationship/marriage. Besides, your partner is a part of you and not just a ‘people.’ This is a new year, another opportunity to improve your communication skills: be a good listener, pay attention more, and speak the right words at the right time. Also, be patient and psychologically active —communication doesn’t have to do with speaking alone, you also need to be sensitive about your environment. You don’t need to blame the terrestrial powers of your villages for your mistakes and misfortunes all the time, sometimes, all you need to do is observe yourself and make the necessary amendments. Well, this is a new year; if you fail to improve, there are people outside your relationship who are willing to help you communicate with your partner better.

The next category is death. You may be surprised at how miscommunication could be a reason for one’s death. Well, let’s see. Obviously, there are many ways to die, as well as many causes for people’s death. This category, however, will focus on one of the few underrated causes of death, these days. Which is communication.

If the last minutes of some deceased are reviewed, we would see that many of them wish a particular person was beside them or a particular person responded to their long-time texts or calls. But unfortunately, they couldn’t get it. Hypothetically, I think some Nigerians have failed when it comes to ‘Standing in brotherhood ‘ —according to the nation’s anthem. Back in 2024, some youths suffered heartbreak in silence due to the sudden change in their interaction with those they refer to as brothers on the street. The moment one starts winning more than the rest, he disconnects from the previous clique and goes for a new one, forgetting their long-time relationship together. The GenZ communication, then, was based on ‘wins’ or material things. Our generation has been hypnotized by money talks so much that they care less about each other’s well-being. According to them, ‘If you are not talking money, then you are talking gibberish’ (Any interaction that is not about money is referred to as nonsense). There was a popular saying then that, ‘The care of a poor man na disturbance’(Any form of care from a poor person is seen as disturbance). These and many more show how this generation has demeaned communication. It’s sad to see that we’ve sold our conscience. What is more, another concerning point of view is people’s emotions. Let’s learn to respect people’s sentiments. Sometimes, your sincere ‘Hello, how are you doing?’, ‘Are you doing fine?’, ‘Just checking on you,’ they are enough to save one’s life or put a smile on a person’s face. At the same time, a polite response to such pleasantries is essential. It must be vice-versa. You should understand that there are people who love you enough to not lose you to your silent pains, sickness, or problems. Deem it fit to communicate with someone. Don’t wait until it’s late before you open up. There are cases of people who bottle up deadly sicknesses inside of them, yet they smile with their loved ones, hiding it from them until it gets to the point where no solution can be applied. In such situations, death is the only option.

Dear readers, as we come to the end of this piece, which I believe has exposed you to a lot as regards effective communication among humans, give it your best to improve your communication with your partners, friends, and relatives. In addition to that, let the five magic words be at your disposal: “Please,’ ‘Thank you,’ ‘Sorry,’ Excuse me,’ and ‘You are welcome’. Put them into practice and implement them at the necessary time. Let’s stop the habit of expressing our emotions and gratitude only after the demise of a loved one. Show them the love they deserve when they are still alive. To those who deserve their flowers, give it to them before it’s too late. Finally, this goes to those who don’t value people’s care; this is a new year; change that mentality. Checking on you does not mean they are beggars, all the time. They might also have what they are going through as well; it only shows how much respect and care they have for you. If there would be good communication, there must be the speaker/sender and of course, a good listener/receiver with the same range of emotion as the senders. With this, we come to the end of this piece. Once again, Happy New Year, dear audience!

Victor Afolabi is a student at Lagos State University, currently studying English Education