Communication:- Murmuring, Whispering, Voice and Noise and art of listening and understanding

[Pramod Sharma]

Communication is a 2 way process. which involves an expresser and a listener. 

Murmuring is the reaction to uneasy feelings. It takes some time to find words to express in the community. It is very common among poor and fearful people. It is one kind of complain, expression of dissatisfaction and protest but not in clear words. It is a personal expression related to personal problem in search of help from outside. 

Outsider can only see the dissatisfaction and get only some vague ideas about the dissatisfaction but not conclusive.  Dissatisfaction could be because of very personal problem (health, hunger etc) or community related (water supply, electricity or traffic or injustice etc). 

These pain, dissatisfaction or complaints need words to express in the community but words are limited. So one can’t express all her/his pain in words to others. So in the process some pain, dissatisfaction could not be expressed. 

When Murmuring gets words, Whispering starts.

Whispering is done to find out whether this is also a problem of the society or not? or to develop  a voice. Whispering generally begins  with close friends or family members or in same age groups or same gender or same social economic groups or trusted people etc. It is done with clear words, but with lower voice and with fewer people at one time so that many people or irrelevant people across the society can’t hear.  Whispering is also used for conspiracy. 

These whispers  became voice but again in modified form because not all the groups or individuals are facing the same pain or problems at one particular time.  

Institutions don’t work on personal problems (murmuring) directly, they can act on community needs or problems (Voice with clear words in audible sound) to help individuals of community indirectly.  

When the group gets ready with a voice, they visit  to the institutions to find solutions of their problems. Institutions have their own limitations (funds, interference of various interest groups and influential groups). So they hear but again ask for the modifications as per their limits. 

if the voice is not heard, the group has to work hard to convert voice into noise. Many times or almost all the time , translating pain into murmur to voice and noise takes many years. 

Many problems settle and several remain intact for many years because  words are limited to express.  In addition, whatever words are available hasn’t reached  to everyone yet due to many reasons but yes, poverty and gender biases are the main causes.

What a Listener can do when the voice is not clear ? 

Voice and noise are jewellery of rich, powerful and few educated people and there are many possibilities that their voices suppress the murmur or modify according to their voice because murmur has no words. (In many heated discussion on TV, many times we hear from participants that “don’t put your words in my mouth”). 

In such cases authorities, institutions can come forward and be not only more sensitive but also more honest and open minded towards people who don’t have clear voices and complete the communication instead of waiting for a very clear audible voice.  Because Institutions are formed to help individuals not only to govern  people . Mostly the voices are adulterated.  Regular participatory research with community can help.