“Welcome to the Communication Century”
By Deborah Gardner, CMP
Transformational Speaker/President/Author
COMPETE BETTER NOW!
To effectively succeed in your personal or professional life, you have to identify your skills, talents and areas of strength. To be the BEST, you have to be committed to being the best. To be the best there is one critical factor that ultimately determines the level of success in your every day life: COMMUNICATION!
The century of communication is more important now than ever and is directly related to every facet of our life. We communicate with our spouses, kids, co-workers, and even with the traffic light sometimes. In a job interview or performance reviews, notice that there is an emphasis on the fact that you must have excellent communication skills. Being able to network, compliment strangers, advance in job positions, and any other daily interaction is an effective way to expand your sphere of influence. This is the century that repeats itself over and over. We have read all the books and attend all the seminars on communication. However, we are still not experts as communicators and continue to experience communication as an ongoing challenge. With technology, from fax machines to e-mail to blackberries to the internet, we tend to rely on these tools as our escape goat which in turn causes miscommunication, lack of communication and sometimes no communication.
We are losing direct contact with PEOPLE. We are not using our verbal, nonverbal and written skills in the appropriate manner. For example, verbal conversations are the best way to solve issues immediately. We confront others regarding certain situations by e-mail instead to hide behind any faulty conversations. Mostly, e-mail communication, much like a type of body language, alters the overall message. Conversations that seem confrontational, lengthy or difficult should be communicated verbally. This direct dialogue is an opportunity for both sides to hear and speak while establishing an understanding and come to a resolution. Sometimes, we are afraid to confront the issue by avoiding communication all together. However, if you look at it as a benefit to confront any issues with the other party, the more respect you will receive and the quicker the friction will diminish. Why stress over something or share it with others, when you can just take care of it immediately and get on with your life. This is good advice as we are always challenged with the next issue or situation. That’s life!
As business professionals, members, and volunteers for MPI, we must communicate to the best of our abilities especially by more fact to face interaction. We mostly see each other on a monthly basis. Talk to each other, set up a meeting before or after the monthly meetings, sit together, or go to lunch together. In this fast paced world and industry, we can not afford to risk any misunderstandings through the lack of communication. TRUST that personal verbal communication will assist with a healthy relationship building which is essential for working together. Have RESPECT when someone takes the time to call you by calling them back instead of acknowledging them by e-mail. Have INTEGRITY throughout a conversation process as it is vital in all parts of our lives. Trust, Respect, Integrity…TRY it!
Here are 10 successful communication century styles to consider:
1. Speak clearly and audibly at all times…while making eye contact.
2. Don't rush when talking…if you are nervous, breath in-between sentences.
3. Articulate clearly…even the different generations causes different meanings, focus on each word.
4. Use vocal variety to keep people paying attention…apply facial expressions if possible too.
5. Learn about interview dynamics…when watching television or listening to the radio, notice how people answer questions and the order of importance.
6. Determine when using long sentences as opposed to short and direct sentences…especially when asking questions, ask one at a time.
7. Recognize how effectively you communicate one-on-one…compare this to speaking to a group of people
8. Be a partner, not a judge…stick to the facts and control the emotions.
9. Become a student to improve your communication style…take classes, practice or receive coaching. Study those whose communication style you respond to best.
10. Be proactive by learning to recognize how best you communicate and how to best communicate with others. Learn to communicate with others so as to build trust and confidence in others. Learn to recognize how different forms and styles of communication require different skills. Seek to improve in this Communication Century!
