[Unpad.ac.id, 1/04/2013] Most conflicts happen due to misunderstanding or inappropriate communication approaches. What’s more, mass media often contribute to the worsening condition, perhaps even creating casualties.
“Words have great power. They hurt. They cause conflicts. But with correct communication perspective, words also bring solution,” said Dr. Antar Venus, a lecture in the faculty of communication sciences (FIKOM) when met in his office.
Sadly, many doubt the power that words carry. They still linger in abstract concepts, overlooking communication’s applicative aspects. “Communication must arrive at its applicative and implicative levels,” said he, whose motto is ‘learning communication theories in practical manner.”
Doing what he preaches, Venus is a communication auditor in numerous institutions where he studies organization behaviors, maps, mends them, and gives recommendation for a more appropriate organizational communication pattern.
“Being an auditor gets me to learn philosophy, organization and its culture, as well as to give training and recommendation for better communication approach,” said he, who is also a member of Communication Auditor Association in Indonesia. Making continuous efforts to better his knowledge, he studies extensive literatures on communication, attend individual and institutional trainings in both national and international levels.
“As an academician, I have great interest in knowledge. Grounded on its fundamental and critical nature as well as philosophical aspect, scientific explanation is believed to be the most reliable, instead of magical or supernatural understanding,” said Venus, who writes prolifically on the philosophy of communication.
Communication, in his view, can change behavior, character and even habit. It can also cure trauma and phobias. This is carried through therapeutic communication, a discipline in which few are interested. “I believe that communication is here to make us have a good quality of life, which is the objective of therapeutic communication,” said he. Venus has been giving training on therapeutic in many institutions, particularly professional health institutions, such as Indonesia’s Clinical Nutritionist Association (PDGKI) and Family Physician Association (PDKI).
Venus is also actively involved in numerous campaign programs, research, corporate consulting activities, and socio-cultural events. He is now engrossed with writing a book on the communication philosophy of Malay as part of Indonesia’s local genius. He also plans to write on Sundanese, Javanese, and Bugis communication philosophy.
