Purpose

While driving around town one afternoon, I noticed the prevalence of gated communities, homes and establishments. It is common practice in this day to have a gate, whether a cute, white picket fence, or practical metal interlinks, or thick, high walls. Even building doors act as gates – if you don’t have your ID or electronic pass you can’t get through.

Which led me to ask: Are gates meant to keep people in, or to keep them out?

Much later, someone remarked why I asked, and where did I get the question from? My response was, I formulated the question and that it came to be because of what I saw. But does that matter, I asked again, since I believed the answer is more important than the question itself.

So what is the answer?

The answer is both! Its job is to allow limited passage; its purpose, to demarcate the land. Those who are inside are meant to be inside and should stay inside, while those who are outside are not meant to be inside and should not come in. And the gate tells us where “inside” begins and “outside” ends. That is why a gate exists.

More often than not people take for granted the things that they see and use in their daily lives, not realising the impact that those things have on their person. Frequently the whys and wherefores escape us, and over time the compounded incomprehension rears its ugly head and confronts us.

Take, for example, the lowly jeep. What is the jeep’s purpose? To move people or goods from one point to another. It can also generate income for its operator and/or driver. But it is a conveyance; that it can also be a source of income is an added benefit, and not its primary purpose. Put simply: Will the jeep create income if it does not fulfil its purpose of transporting you to your destination? It can’t, because it’s not designed to make money in the first place. People pay for the ability to reach their destination, regardless of vehicle. If it is, in fact, costing more to maintain and run a jeep then it isn’t a cost efficient means of transport, even more so as a means of income.

Purpose is not readily seen nor understood. Purpose is that “hidden agenda” that requires some questioning on one’s part in order to surface. Ask yourself, without prejudice and presumption, why something is the way it is. You’ll be surprised at the answer.

Just Like Us

If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh?

Shylock, Act 3 Scene 1,

Merchant of Venice

The night blanketed the sky in silky darkness, and prompted the insects to sing their vesper song. Chinks of warm yellow light seeped through the slats in the walls of neighbouring homes, casting golden slivers against the dark ground. Children have since been herded in, and the carabaos have come home.

Smells permeated the air: the chickens in their roosts, the unwashed dog, and the night’s dinner sitting over the roaring fire in the wood stove. Smoke clung to everything, and it gave everyone a musky scent. Otherwise everything is clean.

It was a typical night in the sitio; the evening repast common rustic fare. The advent of stable electricity led to later bedtimes for all, after watching TV. Doors are simply closed when people go to bed; there are no locks, not even a latch, on anything. But each household sleeps peacefully and deeply, assured and comforted by its community.

In the morning soft daylight broke over the ridge, and gently teased the slumber from the fields. People went about their daily routines, sweeping their homes and making breakfasts, feeding chickens and leading cattle to pasture. Far off a woman readies her laundry basket for the day’s wash, the freshly laundered clothes to dry on the wire fence later on. An easy morning.

Our household ran a small stall of halo-halo and banana cue. A pabunot board hung on a branch nearby. Clean calico sheets were strung on a line to keep out the sun while resident men folk sat on rough benches, idly watching the world go by – waiting for the next exciting event to happen.

In the hot noonday sun the warm wind made the bougainvilleas dance, the red flowers simultaneously hypnotising you and lulling you to sleep.

How simple the good life is in Sitio Maalyabon!

Yet exists the other side of “easy livin’” urbanite dreams.

In Sitio Maalyabon you need to be up early and beat others to the nearest spring – or else end up trekking much further to get the day’s water ration for the household. Just like any urban employee who fears being late and leaves early for work.

You need to work hard to make a living: You need to be in the fields at daybreak to pick vegetables, or to be by the marsh to gather snails. You need to go to the mountains to gather banana hearts and then sell them by the sack to the middleman for a piddling price. Just like the city salaryman who toils hard for his pay.

You need to prioritise and budget your resources carefully. Just like the urban mother worried for her brood.

You need to learn your lessons and study and become a productive member of your community. You need to find your own way and pick yourself up when you fall down. Just like any youth the world over.

And in their hardship there is pride, pride in being who they are. Joy in the simple life they live. And in each gleaming face lie great hopes, and plans, and dreams for the days to come.

Just like us.

*-*-*

Sitio Maalyabon sits on a hillock in Crow Valley (in Capas, Tarlac), at the base of which lies Sta. Juliana. Sitio Maalyabon is also referred to as Sitio Ye Young, after the most significant structure that is currently standing there.

Although Sitio Maalyabon existed (albeit sparsely) before Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991, many of the present residents settled there after the eruption. The community is now comprised of Ungey and Abilin Aeta subtribes, and lowlanders.

Currently the beneficiary of the Caravan Mission to Indigenous Peoples program, the residents look forward to assisted long-term development and self-sufficiency.

Forms and Dehumanisation

A common practice nowadays is filling out a form for just about anything you can think of. Schools, banks, contests, potential employers – just about anything will require you to complete a form. Even in emergency rooms everywhere, if you are lucid and able you most definitely will be filling out a form before you can continue with your treatment.

Understandably, you want to know more about the person in front you hence the need to fill in a form. The fields in forms typically request your usual personal information: Your name, gender, residence, date and place of birth are just some of the few facts one has to provide. Sometimes recent medical history is included (have you been hospitalised in the last six months? If yes, why?), and some companies ask outright about your criminal life (have you been apprehended for any crime in the past? If yes, please explain why in detail). Forms standardise data, telling us who you are, and who you’ve become. And, according to behavioural psychology, where you’re potentially going.

Yet at the same time it is a depersonalisation process. Your life and experience becomes merely a stat in someone’s demographics file. Sad, isn’t it? Your lifetime of efforts and joys and tears condensed into Please tick the appropriate box.

Then is the form truly objective in its assessment of who you are, being as it is dependent on tables and questions that are designed to place you in your particular box. What happens if you don’t fit their mould?

The far end of this adherence to forms would be the movie “Gattaca”. The protagonist begins life as a naturally-created being in an age where genetic perfection (through manipulation) has become the norm. As he does not fit the genetic bill he is deemed as a lesser member of society, worthy only of subservience to the genetically pure.

This scenario isn’t too far off. To a lesser extent it is already happening today. In many places paper meritocracy is in play, and in the struggle for commensurate livelihood many are left by the wayside. Many are found wanting if they do not fit the form perfectly – simplistic as that sounds.

Since we are using forms to measure one’s merit, would it be fair to state that a clear, standardised definition of true meritocracy is lacking? As objective and just meritocracy wishes to make itself it is still subject to who is deciding what is meritorious and what is not. If merit is subject to the interpretation of any one person, then culture also plays a big role in the constitution of merit.

Granting that there is a valid need to level the proverbial playing field, over-dependence on one aspect does not paint a fair assessment of any individual. More importantly, the assumption that stellar paper merit will limit your risks is false: Personal qualities will still dictate the long-term suitability of this candidate for the position at hand.

I don’t disagree with the basis for forms, but where are we taking it to? And where is it taking us?

Communication Skills

In today’s workforce, Soft Skills and Communication Skills are but some of the aces that a worker must have on his hand. Many believe that these 2 qualities are one and the same, while others think that they are interchangeable. So before we begin, let’s define some terms.

What it is and what it isn’t

Soft Skills can be defined as the context-based balance of communication skills, some technical skills, and personal qualities.

Our key phrase: context-based. This means that the composition of soft skills will change – depending on the needs of a particular situation or environment. For example, the soft skills requirement for a technical writer will be very different from a receptionist. Not only will the technical writer be expected to write well, he or she should also be conscientious because of the nature of his or her subject matter. The output must be highly accurate. Although everybody should be conscientious, the personal quality most required of a receptionist is amiability, a prerequisite second only to language fluency. He or she will be the public face of the group that he or she represents, and first impressions can make or break a deal – no matter how fluent the person is in French and Japanese.

According to dictionary.com, communication is the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs. Or simply, the purpose of communication is to be understood and to understand, regardless of language or medium.

So! Communication, by itself, is integral to one’s soft skill set but skilled communication alone is not soft skills.

Which then brings us to…

Major Components of Communication

One would think that talking is all there is to communicating, but you can actually break communication down to 2 major components: Verbal, and Non-Verbal or Physical.

The Verbal category refers mainly to speech. Voice quality, clarity, intonation, etc. are some aspects of good verbal communication. By the way, the art of writing falls under this category, being as it were a symbolic representation of speech on a medium.

The word “propriety” is no longer fashionable but it is still a very good description for what is required. Appropriate vocabulary is determined by who the receiving end is, and modulation (voice quality, volume, speed, pitch and/or intonation) makes it more pleasant for the recipient. Surely you can appreciate that yelling technical terms at a newbie listener will not be met positively.

Concision is key. “Say what you mean, and mean what you say” used to be a popular adage. No one likes to listen to long-winded passages, especially if the speaker reiterates his position several times needlessly. Put yourself in your listeners’ proverbial shoes: If it makes you yawn, it needs trimming.

Clarity of speech is yet another important aspect. Some speakers string their words together, creating a strain on the part of the listener. Again, the purpose of communication is to be understood, and to understand. You don’t have to be extra careful when enunciating – that makes you sound silly – but do take the time to say it right.

The physical facet of communication is a bit trickier. Although much of our communication is non-verbal, few of us pay it ample attention. One’s physical condition can and does affect how we communicate. For example, orientation will immediately denote if you are paying attention or not. By simply looking away from the speaker you are communicating your disinterest in him. One’s facial expression (like a blank stare) can have the same effect.

Posture typically affects how one’s body produces sound. The difference in sound may be imperceptible to the layman, but a head held high will sound brighter and cheerier than when the speaker is hunched over.

Of course, human nature being what it is, personal appearance unfortunately counts for a lot. Various studies have shown that people pay more attention to those who look confident and affluent. Hence sales seminars have been encouraging trainees to “dress for success” and make that sale. Listeners find it easier to trust someone who appears trustworthy; whether he is in fact truthful or not is beside the point.

Now, everybody talks, but that does not necessarily mean they are good at it. Nor does someone who speaks very well necessarily have the talent to write, or vice versa. But terrific communicators connect to their audience regardless of grammar or medium. They have become adept at balancing the different aspects of communication.

Which now leads us to…

Improving on what’s already there

On top of everything that’s already been said, here are a few more pointers on effective communication.

Active listening. Being aware of what is one is saying creates an impact on the speaker. You are inferring that what this person is saying is important to you, and is worthy of your time. This relieves a great burden on the part of the speaker, the fear of rejection.

Paraphrasing. Or, repeating in your own words what has just been said. Many people take to this technique; by relating the thought to their person it becomes a part of them (internalized). In this manner the subject becomes easier to understand and relay to other listeners.

Use constructive language. Simply, nobody likes to be on the receiving end of anything negative. Applying appropriate humour, producing constructive feedback, and using suitable terms make the listener more responsive. Even bad news will not be as bad when viewed in a more positive light.

To wit:

Communication is really the transference of ideas by establishing a relationship between speaker and listener. Its purpose of two-way comprehension will not be possible without the creation of rapport. Whether speaker or listener, these pointers should clarify the murky concept we term Communication Skills.