Effective Communication
Effective communication is an essential element in our professional as well as our personal lives. Misunderstandings can cost money, time and even relationships. Have you ever stopped to think of ALL the ways in which you are communicating your message every day? Sometimes… even by doing nothing at all we are communicating a message to our audience. Whether verbal, non-verbal or written, learning to communicate effectively will help every part of your life, and lucky for us… this is something that we can always work on and improve!
Whether it is via email, telephone, face to face or simply by body language, we are communicating a message to people each and every day. Here are some steps and tips to help you develop good communication skills.
- Understand the fundamentals of communication. It is the process of transferring signals and messages between a sender and a receiver.
- Keep a good attitude. Whatever your attitude… it will reflect on the tone of the conversation! Be honest, respectful, patient and accepting of others!
- Be conscious of your body language. It doesn’t matter what your mouth is saying if your body is pushing them away!
- Make eye contact whenever possible.
- Be confident. Know that what you have to say offers a meaningful contribution to the whole!
- Practice
- Speak clearly
- Listen. This can be a difficult skill to master. Most often we simply listen for people to stop talking so we can begin. Ask yourself… why would anyone listen to MY message if I am not listening to theirs?
- Make sure that you are being clear in the delivery of your message! Misunderstandings can happen in all forms of communication.
- Remain focused!
- Learn how to deal with conflict in a constructive manner. Compromise is key
- Ask for help when you need it.
- Remain calm and in control
- Clarify your own ideas before attempting to communicate them
The most common cause of misunderstanding arises from assuming that the words used are the object. Two people can then be arguing about a concept, referring to it by using the same word and arguing because this word means something different to each of them. Remember… to be meaningful, words must establish the same thought in both the sender and receiver of a communication.
If you would like to learn more about communicating effectively… please visit our events page on our website to learn about our upcoming webinar series! Click Here
As always… my office door is open and if YOU want to chat about your business just send me a note. Click Here
~Michael
Do YOU have a professionally written biography?
Dawn and Michael have been an inspiration to my business and my personal life. I have learned through their courses to think differently, to take that extra step that I would have missed, this is very important to me, sometimes that one simple step is what I need to accomplish my task.
This is a quick and simple addition to ANY party!
The Butterfly
