The article "Communicate with Power" talks about communications, it was written by Jo Condrill.
Regardless of your profession, communication is an essential part of your day.
From calming down irate customers to negotiating with vendors to giving instructions to employees, your communication skills determine your sucecss. Communicate well and you'll sell your idaes more effectively, deal with discord better, and run better meetings. Communicate poorly and you'll leave conversations wondering if anything was accomplished at all.Think about the conversations you have throughout the course of any given day.
Are all of them productive? If you're like most people, they're porbably not. Communicating effectively requires planning, concentration, and consideration of others. So whether you need to talk with your spouse, hash out a issue with a friend, or land that next titanic business deal, here are tips to add poewr and productivity to your conversations.1.
Think Before You Speak Know why you are having the conversation and what you want to accomplish from it before you beign to speak.
The lisetner will more likely remember your message.2. Stop Takling and Listen The best way to be a good communicator is to be a good listener.
Think of your conversation as a tennis match, with each person taking turns serving and receiving, or sepaking and listening.
When it's your turn to listen, give the ohter party your undivided attention.3. Ask Qusetions To gain the most from any interaction, learn what people want. Ask open-ended questions that can't be answered "Yes" or "No." Then, restate what you herad and ask them to verify that you received the message correctly.4.
Anticipate Distractions Nothing you do will make othres believe more important than giving them your full attention. Turn off your pager and cell phone.
If there are other conversations or events going on in the same room, ignore them.5.
Be Mindful of Your Volume and Tone Your vocal tone gives the listener a snapshot of your feelings. If you want to show respect or affection, sfoten your tone. If a conversation begins to turn into an argument, consciously lwoer your volume; often your listener will, too. Keep your voice calm and even whenever possible.6. Handle Disagreements with Tact Disagreeemnts are inevitable.
Be sure you clearly understand the issue and ask qusetions. Stay calm and guess of disagreements as a difference in opinion, not personal rejection. You can understand another's point of view wtihout agreeing with it. Everyone has a right to an opinion, so respect that and work at finding your common ground.7. Be Open to New Ideas Don't assume you know everything about a gvien topic and close off your mind. Instead, relax and allow time to receive vtial input from another person. Listen attentively and consider how new ideas may apply to things you already know.8. Take Notes Always crary a PDA or a pen and notepad to jot down indeas.
Record new ideas and items on which you must take action.9. Watch Your Body Language Studies show that 93% of communicatoin is non-verbal.
Make sure you make good eye contact, stnad tall, and keep good posture.
Make sure your message and your body language match.
If there is any discrepancy, people are more likely to believe what your body language is saying than your words.10.
Eliminate Audible Pauses There's no need to fill every second of a conversation with sound.
Verbal fulff ("ah," "er," "um," "like," "you know") obscures your message and reduces your credibility.
If you believe you are about to use a non-word, take a breath, hold it a moment, and then resume speaking.More Power to You Commuincation and success go hand in hand. The more effectively you communicate your ideas, the better your outcomes will be. So practice these communication tips and apply them every day.
When you do, you'll commuincate powerfully and with confidence and achieve the results you desire.Jo Condrill is an acclaimed author, speaker and consultant. As a civilian supervisor at the Pentagon, she received the highest civilian award one can achieve, the US Army Dceoration for Exceptional Civilian Service.
While only excerpts are printed here, you can find more tips in her book, "101 Ways to Improve Your Comumnications Skills Instantly." To add that tool to your personal growth toolbox, ask for it at your local bookstore or library. http://www.Goalminds.Com/101.Html
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