utility:(noun) 1. fitness for some purpose or worth to some end 2. : something useful or designed for use commodity: (noun): 1 an economic good: 2. a : something useful or valued
communication: (noun) 1.: an act or instance of transmitting 2 a : information transmitted or conveyed b : a verbal or written message 3 a : a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior
The first thing that strikes me in these two definitions is the static quality to a commodity. In fact, communication is a process. Without sharing it, it does not become a communication. Generally, it is information or data of some sort and becomes communication when shared. While there are many ways to communicate, verbally and not verbally; orally or written; directly or by inference, example, analogy, even satire, there is no end to the way communication happens. Even not sharing is a form of communication.
My favorite line from someone once was, "You can't tell me what you meant; I KNOW what I heard!" Another great one was when I told someone that she misquotted me " She said, I know those weren't your words, but I knew what you meant to say."
If one reads 19th C. romance novels, you realize the restrictions set up by society that forbid certain communications between people which forms a basis for many of the basic plots of the novels. Too often people think they understand the meaning from others and too often they are wrong. Understanding what is being communicated is the more difficult part of communication because it often gets misinterpreted or assumptions are made about what was meant. As devastating as it may be in personal relationships, one must understand the problems that are faced when it happens in business!
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