People communicate poorly and excessively when they exchange for the sake of communicating. This is the thesis of a new book, "Arrêter de communiquer: vous en faites trop!," co-authored by André-A. Lafrance, a communications professor at the Université de Montréal, and François Lambotte of the Université libre de Bruxelles.
Technology has greatly facilitated communication. But there's a hitch: the communication networks are often used simply because they are available and not to satisfy a need or to communicate a pertinent message. It is communication for the sake of communication. This observation applies to both technological tools and traditional ones such as group meetings.
"There is a lot of information but very little communication," says Lafrance. "Communication requires interaction between the communicator and the receiver, and the message must be tailored to the reaction of the other."
The book, written for communication students with an eye to the general public, has three premises. All communication aims to bring about change in the receiver: change in knowledge, attitudes or practices. All change comprises a risk to the person concerned: lack of expertise, an unreasonable amount of effort required or a questioning. The communicator must have more power than the receiver in order to convince him or her of any change.
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