If people had the right skills and intention to communicate well, there would be no conflict. The better we are at communicating, the better our lives will be.
Yama Mubtaker
This quote from Yama Mubtaker, a former United Nations officer, is a favorite of mine. Communication is my passion. And, really, I think it should be an essential part of everyone’s lives because humans need other humans. Communication is the key to interacting productively with others, and without it, our society and way of living fall apart.
Context for my Communication Passion
My passion for communication began with listening and reading. From the second I could comprehend the English language, I loved listening to stories—a children’s book, an animated movie, or the conversations adults were having around me. I like to say I was always an observant child (my mom, Kelly Jo, would probably agree). Once I got decent at listening, I moved on to reading anything I could find—which was a lot because my mom was an elementary teacher. I probably spent more than 70 percent of my childhood reading; it was all I ever did in my free time. (My all-time favorite YA series is Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan.) Between my habit of listening closely and my frenzy for reading, I was a decent communicator throughout primary and secondary school.
Writing was the subsequent (obvious) tool that grew my passion for communication. I consider writing to be my expertise in the communication skillset. As a high school student, my writing mainly consisted of essays, book reports, and research papers. But, because I couldn’t get enough writing, I also began dabbling in creative writing like short stories and poetry. Basically, if I wasn’t reading, I was writing. So, when I began higher education at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, everyone assumed I would major in English. Guess what—they were wrong.
Photo Courtesy of Vanessa Eveleth
My (in-progress) Experience
My passion for communication is recent realization. With the risk of running the “you find yourself in college” cliché, I learned that I had a penchant for the skills in the communication field during my first year at Westminster. My listening, reading, and writing skills were all precious commodities as a communication major. I also dived into a new writing genre—journalistic writing—and I learned that I was pretty good at that too. Recently, I’ve found myself developing my editing skills as well in my position as the managing editor for the Honorable Mention, the Westminster Honors College’s bi-annual newsletter, and my role as the editorial assistant for the college’s Office of Marketing, Events, and Communication.
I’m still working to build my experience in the professional communication world. But, my passion for communication is only growing. That’s why I’ve agreed to collaborate with my mom, Kelly Jo, in constructing and managing KJs Connections. Our mission to create, grow, and sustain the valuables of life requires excellent communication—the communication we have with ourselves and the communication we have with those close to us.
Find out what I do as Creative Project Manager for KJs Connections. Reach out to me through my LinkedIn. You may also email me at vanessaeveleth@kjsconnections.com.