Every day we communicate–whether orally or written. Not a day goes by
that we’re not communicating in some way with someone. If you work
outside your home, you communicate with the people you work with.
Orally, you talk with your colleagues, you present information in
meetings, or you train your staff. With writing, you send emails, memos,
and letters. You create proposals, articles, or books.
If you work at home, you communicate over the phone as I do with
coaching clients, or you call vendors, customers, or associates. You
probably spend a lot of time on the Internet maybe communicating by
email or through social networking sites, blogging, or your website.
And if you’re not in the active workforce, you converse every day
with family, friends, merchants, and people in the community. You email,
write letters, send birthday cards, or write in a journal, where you
communicate with yourself.
With all this communication in your life, how effective do you think
you are? Do people always get what you’re saying? Do they respond as you
expect them to? Do they ask a lot of questions for clarification? Do
they completely misinterpret your intentions?
There are so many ways we can mis-communicate that effective communication should be a subject taught at all levels of education. So if you’re looking to brush up on your communication skills, here are some tips on how you can get more accomplished in your daily communication:
There are so many ways we can mis-communicate that effective communication should be a subject taught at all levels of education. So if you’re looking to brush up on your communication skills, here are some tips on how you can get more accomplished in your daily communication:
1. Set clear intentions
If you’re really clear about your message, more than likely the
receiver will get it. It’s when you’re ambivalent or murky about what
you want to say, that your communication falls short. It comes across
unclear and causes mis-understandings and mis-communications.
2. Speak in common terms
Avoid jargon, catch phrases, and acronyms. I just cringe when someone
who’s very technical starts spouting the alphabet at me, like URL, or
DIGG, or PPC. I honestly feel that the Internet has spawned a whole new
language and someone needs to invent a dictionary.
3. Tailor your communication to your audience
If you’re giving a speech to an audience, you will need to tweak it
for different audiences. Distinctions can be made for different genders,
ages, industries, and interests. A client of mine used to give talks on
finding an honest auto mechanic, and you can be sure her talk was
different for male and female audiences. The same in daily
communication. Surely you speak differently to your children, spouse,
teachers, friends, and family.
4. Show respect when you communicate
Your messages will be much better received if you do not use put
downs, judgment, blame, or any other negative language. If you are
communicating upset or disappointment, you will be far more effective if
you explain what you would have preferred to happen. If you want to
continue a healthy relationship with the person you’re addressing, share
responsibility for the upset and offer corrective measures.
5. Communicate from “I”
I learned this a long time ago when I studied Compassionate
Communication. If you want to be more accomplished in your daily
communication, make statements that use “I” when you want someone to do
something, correct something, or make changes. For example, if you are
displeased with a purchase and burst into the local bakery shouting,
“Your French bread is crap. It’s tough as leather,” you’ll probably not
get the result your looking for. Instead you might say, “I was
disappointed with the French bread I bought. It wasn’t as fresh as I
would have liked. I would appreciate a replacement.” You’ll probably get
what you want this time. Of course, there are many instances where
using “you” is very effective such as in marketing messages. “You will
be so thrilled when you work with us…” which is much more effective than
promoting with “I am so good that I will transform your life…” See the
difference?
6. Listen — communication is a two-way street
There is a deliverer and a receiver. Whether you’re talking or
writing, there is someone sending a message and someone listening to the
message. When someone is speaking to you, listen intently so you can
respond appropriately. Too many people get caught up in what they want
to say next and don’t listen to the person speaking. When you write to
someone, if you are responding to an email or a letter, listen to what
they said before you write back. If you listen well, then people will
offer you the same gift of listening to your communications.
With a little conscious effort and attention to the way you
communicate, you will quickly become more accomplished in your daily
communications.
2 Comments:
Wow, this post is nice, my sister is analyzing these things, so I am going to let know
her.
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