Success Through Communication
Success Through Communication
Do you think, you would benefit if you were to develop your communication skills?
Since we all succeed by means of team work, communication is a vital skill to master.
Communication may be defined as: a transfer of information and/or emotion.
Communication as the transfer of information
These are the logical elements of your communication. The types of information you need to communicate are:
- Facts.
- Figures.
- Technical information.
- Proof that your ideas are right.
Communication is also the transfer of emotion. These are the emotional elements of your communication. The emotions you need to communicate are:
- Optimism.
- Friendliness.
- Enthusiasm.
- Fun.
In order to get the best from yourself and others work to improve your communication skills.
Communication Channels
There are three channels of communication:
1. Words:
Logic: facts, figures, information and proof.
Rhetoric: Enthusiasm, vision, motivation, positive emotion.
2. Tones:
Voice tones: Loud or quiet. Fast or slow.
3. Visual impact:
Body language: How you appear.
Work habits. How you act.
Score yourself out of ten for each of the following seven questions
1. How would you rate your ability to transfer facts, judgements and information FROM your mind to the minds of others, without any misunderstanding, omission or error? Do people always understand you, (Score higher); or are there frequent examples of other people not understanding what you mean to say? (Score lower).
2. How would you rate your ability to gain information from the minds of others? Do you ask the right questions, and do you listen well to the answers? Or are you sometimes not as attentive as you think you should be?
3. How would you rate your ability to handle words? To what degree would you say you have, The Gift of the Gab; or To what degree are you highly articulate?
4. What emotions do you think you inspire? Do you inspire positive emotions in the minds of others around you? Do you tend to inspire feelings of optimism, cooperation, and friendly good humour? or do you tend to depress or upset people? Are you annoying?
5. Are you able to handle conflict situations in a constructive positive way, or do you find conflict situations stressful, or difficult to handle well?
6. Generally, how would you rate your body language? Posture, gestures, expressions?
7. How would you rate your voice tones? Voice volume, pitch, accent, variability?
What did you score high on? What did you NOT score high on?
Is there anything you think you need to improve? If yes, then what?
Vocabulary
You have three layers of vocabulary.
- Full vocabulary. All the words you know.
- Active vocabulary. A smaller number of words that you actually use.
- Speech habits. An even smaller number of words you use often.
Speech habits
Speech habits are words or phrases that you use habitually, every day, without even thinking about them. Some people have some good speech habits. Which is splendid. Others have bad speech habits. Which is a bit crap.
Bad speech habits:
- Sort of thing. (I went down the park, sort of thing. I had a go on the swings, sort of thing).
- Is'n't 'alf. (I really like it. It isn't 'alf good.)
- Crap. ( I know you think it's all crap).
Have you got any bad speech habits? Think about it and name them here.
Good speech habits
Five polite phrases you need to incorporate in your good speech habits:
- Yes, please.
- No, thank you.
- Would you mind if we ....?
- Would you please ....?
- Thank you very much for X. I appreciate it.
In addition, show interest in anything that strikes you as worthy of honest praise.
People like praise. Give people what they want, and they will love you for it.
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Further Reading in Communication - Clear Communication
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Communication Skills: Clear Thinking
One of the best ways to improve the clarity of your thinking is to get into the habit of differentiating between pairs of similar but opposing concepts.
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Six Step Formula for Investigative Interviews
Managers are often required to conduct interviews to obtain information that may be needed as evidence in court. Therefore it is essential that interviews are professionally conducted.
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Think Before You Speak
Did you see the upset that Donald Trump caused last week with his ill-thought-out words about COVID-19, in front of the world's media? This is a great example of why you should always think before you speak.
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The Most Important Question
Many people speak in vague terms, or they don’t make themselves clear, so don't be afraid to ask them for clarification. It is dangerous to guess their meaning; ask the all important question before jumping to conclusions.
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The Importance of Business Communication Skills
If you want to succeed in business, being a good communicator is essential. Not only do you need to communicate to others what, why and how a goal is to be achieved, you need to listen to feedback received in order to make adaptive changes.
Read Article >
Looking for Communication Skills Training?
If you're looking to develop your Clear Communication Skills, you may find this Communication Skills Training Course beneficial:
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