Metacognition And Communication

Written By Colēgia

Expressing ourselves is necessary when it comes to interacting with others. Finding ways to improve our communication skills can be useful as there are many moments where we need to work with different people. One way to do this is to incorporate metacognition. Today we want to cover the dynamic between metacognition and communication.

Think Before You Speak

One common phrase we may encounter is “think before you speak”, but what does that entail? The general idea behind this is that we want to make sure that we say the right thing in a conversation. This is important because there are many social situations where we need to be mindful of what we say. For example, the same type of language and choice used when spending time with friends is different compared to how we would interact with people during a professional meeting. This can be something as simple as the tone we use in some settings along with word choice. Thinking before speaking is a subtle aspect of metacognition that lets us re-evaluate our speech patterns in a holistic manner. It lets us see whether what we are saying is constructive toward the situation we are in.

“For example, the same type of language and choice used when spending time with friends is different compared to how we would interact with people during a professional meeting.”

Research And Interaction

A helpful way to integrate metacognition with communication can be done with proper research about the topic. It's easy for us to assume we are knowledgeable about a topic instead of doing the footwork and seeing what we truly know. Research allows us to back up our claims in a positive manner so we can have an engaging conversation or even demonstrating our knowledge about a subject. Taking time to think about why we jump to conclusions with limited information is one way metacognition can steer us in the right direction. Do we do this in an act to seem appealing or to find value? Or do we do this because it is expected to know about everything given that we live in the digital age? Being educated is a good thing and thinking about how we present information is good as it can help us truly learn.

“ Research allows us to back up our claims in a positive manner so we can have an engaging conversation or even demonstrating our knowledge about a subject.”

Your Feelings And Communication

We've talked about the the importance of what to say and how to find research this but there is one other element that affects this, and that is our feelings. Thinking about how our emotions impact our day to day conversations is one way that metacognition can affect us. Asking why we feel one way toward someone versus a different way toward someone else can give us insight into our mind. Do we feel like our history with someone can make us feel differently? Or could it be that we may feel more reserved toward meeting someone new? These are relevant to ask since they both consider our emotional state and feelings toward someone in tangible ways. Questioning our feelings is good as it can help us see biases and try to treat others with mutual respect and understanding despite not quite knowing them closely. It takes courage to question our thoughts which is all the more reason why we need to use metacognition to talk to others with ease.

Colēgia

Colēgia

Previous

The Benefits of Being Process-Oriented
Next

3 Ways to Practice Tolerance