TEDtalk1

While watching the Ted talk “Talk Nerdy to Me” I immediately thought of the show Grey’s Anatomy, or really any type of medical field. Although the Ted talk was specifically addressing the communication skills of engineers, I think the general concept can be applied to multiple circumstances. In the show Grey’s Anatomy when the interns are explaining the patients condition to the doctor to show their knowledge it is phrased totally differently then when the doctor is sharing with the patient their condition or disease. I think that the ability to communicate effectively, just as Melissa Marshal explained, is important throughout every field of science and every aspect of life. Another example of the ability to communicate effectively would be teachers. The language and vocabulary that a first grade teacher would use to explain a concept to her students contrasts greatly with the language and vocabulary used to interact with fellow teachers. If highly educated individuals were not able to explain to others with any level of intelligence the concepts that they are researching or have proven it would be very difficult for our society to progress. I had to take a general communications course last semester, which is a graduation requirement for all majors. Throughout the course my professor made many references to other more specific communication courses she instructed. She taught a communication class just for architects that emphasized on how to communicate effectively to every type of person that they would encounter in their profession. I think this course is a great comparison to Marshal’s ideas because it is allowing the students who will someday be in a very specific field to be able to share their knowledge with everyone. Further than being able to explain what they do, they will also be able to explain the relevance of their field to the lives of everyone.