Communication training.
Communication skills training is important, because in order to achieve your goals, you need to gain the willing cooperation of other people. And the only way you can do that is to communicate your message.
Communication has six major channels:
- Words: language.
- Voice tone.
- Body language.
- Written word.
- Listening.
- Reading.
Here is one excellent piece of advice for each set.
1. Words: Language.
Always strive for verbal clarity.
Avoid using open ended words and phrases which have multiple meanings. For example; the phrase, "As soon as possible", denotes multiple possible meanings and is therefore a poor choice of expression.
Your first duty is to be understood. And to be understood you need to use clear and specific language. Not unclear and ambiguous language.
2. Voice tone.
Voice tone concerns the musical element of your voice.
People judge your emotional balance largely on the tone of your voice. Good voice tones are generally slower, louder, deeper, and more variable.
Bad voice tones are the opposite: faster or quieter, shriller, or monotone.
Therefore speak with a voice tone that is generally slower, louder, deeper, and more variable.
3. Body language.
Body language is a huge topic and pertains to how you appear to your listeners. Body language is about your dress code, your facial expression, your eye contact, your posture, gestures, proximity, scent and orientation.
A good piece of advice I can give you is this:
Give good eye contact and try to maintain a relaxed and friendly facial expression.
4. The written word.
A vast amount of communication that occurs in business world is in the form of the written word. Therefore, it is important to get your writing up to standard.
The best one-line piece of advice I can offer you is:
Never send unstructured, rambling messages; instead always structure your message.
5. Listening.
Listening is the art of paying attention to the other person, understanding, judging and remembering what you heard.
The best piece of advice I can give you is this:
When listening, give the other person 100% of your attention.
- Don't split your focus or doze off.
- Listen with intent to understand, not with intent to disprove.
6. Reading.
Reading is a uniquely human activity. No other animal in the universe reads. Many people are not good readers. They read, but they don't absorb what they read. So, read slowly and with a pencil in hand. Try to reduce what you are reading into simple summaries. Then review your summary notes and memorise them.
For example: Here are the summary notes for this blog.
Six pieces of advice to improve your communication skills.
1. Always strive for verbal clarity.
2. Speak with a voice tone that is generally, slower, louder, deeper, and more variable.
3. Never send unstructured, rambling messages; instead always structure your message:
4. When listening, give the other person 100% of your attention.
5. Listen with intent to understand, not with intent to disprove.
6. Read with a pencil in hand; and memorise the key sentences.
Active listening
Active listening is a business communication skill where you give the speaker full focus, hold back judgement, show that you understand with clear feedback, and remember key points for action. Lose any one of these steps and you slip into passive hearing, weakening shared understanding and joint work.
CG4D Definition
Context: Business communication
Genus: Skill
- Gives the speaker full attention
- Holds back judgement to understand the message
- Shows understanding through clear verbal and non-verbal feedback
- Remembers key points and uses them in the reply
Article Summary
Clear words, steady voice, open body, tidy writing, focused listening and active reading turn ideas into shared action; master these six skills and your communication moves people to help you hit any goal.