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The whole point of communication is to inform other people. We may want to tell a friend or partner about our day, what we are thinking, our views on certain issues or our plans for the future. That is all fine and a normal part of being a human. But there are sometimes snags and these can lead to breakdown in relationships in severe cases.

The basis for good communication is honesty. If you know that the person talking to you always tells the truth, then you are going to believe everything they say to you. If, on the contrary, you have caught them out telling you a lie - however small or insignificant it may be in itself - then you will begin to doubt what they say. Every time they open their mouth, you will have a nagging feeling that they may be lying to you.

Some people are deceitful. They will intentionally try to mislead you, either for personal gain or to hide a guilty secret. You may well be truthful to them, but they most certainly are not to you. This leads to an imbalanced relationship.

There are also times when what appears truthful to one person may not seem so to another. Although you have tried to express what you have seen or believe correctly, someone else may see things differently, leading to a breakdown in communication and accusations against each other.

The words we use in communication are important. If we are not very careful, there can be a misunderstanding. We might be trying to be complimentary, but the recipient of our comments could take what we are saying as derogatory.

We do not all agree on every single issue. Differences of opinion are bound to exist at all levels of society. When we express these views, we must be careful that we communicate them diplomatically. If we try to tell someone who holds a different opinion that they are wrong, period, we can end up sounding offensive. The art of communication is at its most important when we do not agree with someone.

Communication is of huge importance in every walk of life. Between family, friends, colleagues, councils, governments and different countries. Immense problems and wars have resulted from poor communication over the years. We should all take seriously proper communication.

Learn more about this author, Phil Hill.
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