Communication skills are some of the most important
skills that you need to succeed in the workplace.
We talk to people face to face, and we listen when
people talk to us. We write emails and reports, and we read the documents that
are sent to us. Communication, therefore, is a process that involves at least
two people - a sender and a receiver. For it to be successful, the receiver
must understand the message in the way that the sender intended.
This sounds quite simple. But have you ever been in a
situation where this hasn't happened? Misunderstanding and confusion often
occur, and they can cause enormous problems.
If you want to be an expert communicator, you need to
be effective at all points in the communication process - and you must be
comfortable with the different channels of communication. When you communicate
well, you can be very successful. On the other hand, poor communicators
struggle to develop their careers beyond a certain point.
Planning Your Message
Before you start communicating, take a moment to figure
out what you want to say, and why. Don't waste your time conveying information
that isn't necessary - and don't waste the listener or reader's time either.
Too often, people just keep talking or keep writing - because they think that
by saying more, they'll surely cover all the points. Often, however, all they
do is confuse the people they're talking to.
To plan your communication:
v Understand
your objective. Why are you communicating?
v Understand
your audience. With whom are you communicating? What do they need to know?
v Plan
what you want to say, and how you'll send the message.
v Seek
feedback on how well your message was received.
When you do this, you'll be able to craft a message
that will be received positively by your audience.
Good communicators use the KISS ("Keep It Simple
and Straightforward") principle. They know that less is often more, and
that good communication should be efficient as well as effective.
Creating a Clear, Well-Crafted Message
When you know what you want to say, decide exactly how
you'll say it. You're responsible for sending a message that's clear and
concise. To achieve this, you need to consider not only what you'll say, but
also how you think the recipient will perceive it.
We often focus on the message that we want to send, and
the way in which we'll send it. But if our message is delivered without
considering the other person's perspective, it's likely that part of that
message will be lost. To communicate more effectively:
v Understand
what you truly need to say.
v Anticipate
the other person's reaction to your message.
v Choose
words and, if appropriate, use body language that helps the other person really
hear what you're saying.
With written communication, make sure that what you
write will be perceived the way you intend. Words on a page generally have no
emotion - they don't "smile" or "frown" at you while you're
reading them (unless you're a very talented writer, of course!)
When writing, take time to do the following:
v Review
your style.
v Avoid
jargon or slang.
v Check
your grammar and punctuation.
v Check
also for tone, attitude, nuance, and other subtleties. If you think the message
may be misunderstood, it probably will. Take the time to clarify it!
v Familiarize
yourself with your company's writing policies.
Another important consideration is to use pictures,
charts, and diagrams wherever possible. As the saying goes, "a picture
speaks a thousand words."
Also, whether you speak or write your message, consider
the cultural context. If there's potential for miscommunication or
misunderstanding due to cultural or language barriers, address these issues in
advance. Consult with people who are familiar with these, and do your research
so that you're aware of problems you may face.
Choosing the Right Channel
Along with encoding the message, you need to choose the
best communication channel to use to send it. You want to be efficient, and yet
make the most of your communication opportunity.
Using email to send simple directions is practical.
However, if you want to delegate a complex task, an email will probably just
lead to more questions, so it may be best to arrange a time to speak in person.
And if your communication has any negative emotional content, stay well away
from email! Make sure that you communicate face to face or by phone, so that
you can judge the impact of your words and adjust these appropriately.
When you determine the best way to send a message,
consider the following:
v The
sensitivity and emotional content of the subject.
v How
easy it is to communicate detail.
v The
receiver's preferences.
v Time
constraints.
v The
need to ask and answer questions
Interpreting a Message
It can be easy to focus on speaking: we want to get our
points out there, because we usually have lots to say. However, to be a great
communicator, you also need to step back, let the other person talk, and just
listen.
This doesn't mean that you should be passive. Listening
is hard work, which is why effective listening is called active listening. To
listen actively, give your undivided attention to the speaker:
v Look
at the person.
v Pay
attention to his or her body language.
v Avoid
distractions.
v Nod
and smile to acknowledge points.
v Occasionally
think back about what the person has said.
v Allow
the person to speak, without thinking about what you'll say next.
v Don't
interrupt.
Empathic listening also helps you decode a message
accurately. To understand a message fully, you have to understand the emotions
and underlying feelings the speaker is expressing. This is where an
understanding of body language can also be useful.
Feedback
You need feedback, because without it, you can't be
sure that people have understood your message. Sometimes feedback is verbal,
and sometimes it's not. We've looked at the importance of asking questions and
listening carefully. However, feedback through body language is perhaps the
most important source of clues to the effectiveness of your communication. By
watching the facial expressions, gestures, and posture of the person you're
communicating with, you can spot:
v Confidence
levels.
v Defensiveness.
v Agreement.
v Comprehension
(or lack of understanding).
v Level
of interest.
v Level
of engagement with the message.
v Truthfulness
(or lying/dishonesty).
As a speaker, understanding your listener's body
language can give you an opportunity to adjust your message and make it more
understandable, appealing, or interesting. As a listener, body language can
show you more about what the other person is saying. You can then ask questions
to ensure that you have, indeed, understood each other. In both situations, you
can better avoid miscommunication if it happens.
Feedback can also be formal. If you're communicating
something really important, it can often be worth asking questions of the
person you're talking to make sure that they've understood fully. And if you're
receiving this sort of communication, repeat it in your own words to check your
understanding.
It can take a lot of effort to communicate effectively.
However, you need to be able to communicate well if you're going to make the
most of the opportunities that life has to offer.
By learning the skills you need to communicate
effectively, you can learn how to communicate your ideas clearly and
effectively, and understand much more of the information that's conveyed to
you.
As either a speaker or a listener, or as a writer or a
reader, you’re responsible for making sure that the message is communicated
accurately. Pay attention to words and actions, ask questions, and watch body
language. These will all help you ensure that you say what you mean, and hear
what is intended.
Source: Mindtools
