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.
Communication Skills Training
Do you ever think to yourself, "I know what I mean, but I can't explain it"? You need to be able communicate facts, feelings, information and ideas, in a clear, professional and confident manner. If you want to learn more about our communication skills training, please click here.
About the Author: Chris Farmer
Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years' experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.
Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.
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Further Reading in Communication - Clear Communication
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Communication Skills Training: Objective and Subjective Language
Objective and Subjective Language It is important to distinguish between two kinds of language: Objective language and subjective language. Every day you experience your "personal experience". You have to experience YOUR experience of an event. But isn't it true that YOUR experience of an event, may be very different to the...
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Communication Skills: Clear, Rational and Positive
Do people always understand what you mean, or do you leave ambiguities in your message? Empower yourself by making your communication clear, rational and positive, in order to engage people and get your ideas across and accepted.
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Finding a Common Frame of Reference
Instead of categorising people based on differences like gender, race, age, and personality traits. Finding a common frame of reference suggests focusing on similarities, rather than differences, to foster understanding and connection among people.
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What are the Factors of Effective Communication?
Being able to communicate effectively is vital to achieving your goals, as well as fostering good working relationships with colleagues. Great communication at work will benefit the sharing of creative ideas and problem solving.
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Learn to Spot Logical Lies
Don't let your thoughts and actions be governed by logical fallacies. Some people may use them to mislead you, or as a simple mistake. Learn to identify them so that you can be prepared to spot them.
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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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