The OSI model for effective communication

Communication (pertaining to communication among humans), is as important in the day-to-day world, as any other skill. Many people, with otherwise excellent skills, do not seem to succeed in their endeavors owing to their handicapped communication skills. Much of this can be attributed to a lack of proper understanding of the basic tenets of effective communication.

Humans have evolved complex communication capabilities compared to any other living being on the face of the earth, yet we find that communication is a growing challenge. What are the factors that make effective communication so difficult? Here are a few important ones:
1. Disparity of cultures
2. Multitude of languages and the need to communicate in a foreign language
3. Insufficient exposure during the formative years
4. Lack of understanding of the shortcomings and how to correct them.

A good place to start addressing these points is to look for examples around us.

Looking back, not so far in history, computers had very similar problems when they evolved as 'thinking machines'. Computers, even today, are from such varied origins that the only thing common among them is the fact that they are electronic machines. And yet they are able to communicate quite effectively. You could connect your linux-based Sony laptop onto your Broadband service provider's Solaris-based Sun microsystems server to access a webpage that probably resides on a Windows enabled Dell web-server (just to name a few). How is this possible?

The key work here is Standardization. And this has been made possible by the OSI (Open Systems Interconnect) model which many of you might already be aware of. If you are not, you can look up "OSI model" on wikipedia before continuing.

Lets now take a look at how this model can be applied to communication amongst humans.
The simplified OSI model provides five layers for a network protocol.

Physical layer - The vocals, tone, pitch, octave, tempo etc...
The channel (telephone, in-person discussion etc...)
- As in the OSI model, the emphasis here is on the physical transmission of signals (your voice) through an error-free channel with minimal loss of signal and no loss of information. It is very important to develop a good voice and maintain the right pitch and tempo in any discussion. If you cant be heard clearly, then you will never be understood correctly.

Datalink layer - Words: your vocabulary, semantics, grammar
- In the OSI model, this layer enables two nodes to address each other correctly and understand each other's 'commands. This, for humans, comes from language (English, Hindi, Tamil etc...). Language presents the biggest challenge to most people. When entering into a dialogue, it is very important to understand what languages the other person can speak and find a common language which both of you are comfortable with. The semantics and grammer are very important in ensuring that you avoid miscommunication.

Network layer - Group Discussion skills
- This layer in the OSI model takes care of setting up communication between a group of nodes. Which node transmits to which other node and how to reach to another node in the same group or even outside the group. When in a group discussion, it is very important to understand your role in the group and be able to communicate by following the group's unsaid rules of communication. One erratic communicator can easily hijack the entire discussion spoiling the agenda of all the people present, including his own.

Transport layer - Leadership/moderator skills
- The transport layer of the OSI takes up responsibility in setting up routes/ channels for effective information flow in a large network of nodes. Similarly, the moderator of a group, shall be capable of channelizing the flow of information. In most discussions, there is no clear moderator defined. In such cases, it is imperative that all the members in the discussion have a common understanding of the channels for information flow during the course of the discussion.

Application layer - A good IQ and good analytical skills!
- The Application layer in the OSI model provides the right interface to the end-user (YOU) so the layers below can interpret the information correctly during any communication. A good IQ level can provide a person with the right set of information that can guide a person's thoughts and good analytical skills can provide him with the ability to interpret the information effectively.


As can be seen from the above comparison, it is important that a person is able to match with the other people in all of the above layers so he can be recognized as an effective communicator.
It is therefore important to grow your skills in each of the above layers, not just by learning a language, so you can match with the group that you are in, and not be left out in a discussion. Just as your computer, if you cannot connect to the network, you are a stand-alone and of not much use to anybody in today's world. So don't just learn a new language, but grow your skills in all the layers.

**This thought occurred to me on a fine Sunday morning as i was lazily shaving my stubble off! Comments and discussions welcome :)