Posts Tagged ‘communication skills’

Ever noticed how much a challenge it seems when people are asked to present.  There are of course many things that contribute to successfully getting our message across but in my experience their is one big barrier that gets in the way.  Watch this 2 minute video to find out what.

 

If you have enjoyed the video and have some insights of your own, why not leave a comment.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps professional people to breakthrough the glass ceiling and realise their profesional potential.

As a leader, you know that your ability to communicate effectively is a vital contributor to the results that you achieve.  After all if you don’t communicate effectively you might struggle for example to:

 

• Engage others by building rapport

 

• Miss out on good ideas or opportunities

 

• Fail to get your point across as well as you would like.

 

 

Communication is often seen narrowly as being about speaking.  Yet you know that this is just one component of communication.  Of equal importance is your ability to get your message across in writing and listen effectively.

 

 

So what might you do in each of the three areas to boost your communication skills?

 

Speaking

 

• Take the time to properly plan, especially when giving a formal presentation.

 

 

• Keep the focus on your key messages rather than trying to memorise things word for word.

 

 

• Don’t detract from your key objective. This is sometimes easy to say but more difficult to do, particularly if in a challenging situation.

 

 

• Practice, practice, practice – it really does make a big difference.

 

Writing

 

• Think about structure right up front.

 

 

• If you are preparing a report, make sure you include an executive summary or précis of the key points.

 

 

• Watch out for technical jargon that might mean something to you but not to your readers.

 

Listening

 

• Focus on paying attention to what is being said when someone else is speaking rather than formulating what you are going to say next.

 

 

• Make sure you are watching out for disconnects between what is being said and the non verbal signals like body language.

 

 

• Try being completely silent or making minimal contributions if you are usually very vocal in meetings.

Bottom Line – There is always scope to get better at communicating.  So what other tips would you add?

Listening is one of the most highly prized skills in the work place.  Yet unlike reading and writing, we are never taught how to listen.  Improving your listening skills can make a huge difference both at work and more generally in relationships.  Given that you are not trained in listening, what simple steps can you take straight away to develop these skills?

Start Noticing

Chances are that in business you attend a lot of meetings.  It is likely that in those meetings there is a lot of talking but not a lot of listening.  People believe that if they are talking they are contributing.  They therefore make remarks just to feel like they are contributing.

Start noticing how much time you and your team put into listening in the work place.

Avoid Interrupting

How often do you see someone in full flow explaining something important when another person interrupts them?  Chances are that you (and indeed all of us) interrupt from time from time to time.  The problem is:

• The other person is less likely to listen to you

• If you interrupt when another person is in mid flow they lose their train of thought

Set yourself a challenge of not interrupting and see what difference it makes to your contributions and quality of decisions.

Stop Finishing Other Peoples Sentences

Sometimes it can be helpful to fill in gaps for someone if they are stuck.  Do it too often and it becomes a real irritation.  Even worse, you could end up putting your foot in it and reminding the other party of something that they may have forgotten about (like a time the service was not as good as they would not have liked).

Stop Trying To Points Score

How often you have been asked a question and then as you give your answer, the other person starts to tell you what they believe is an even better story related to them?  If you ask someone a question, by all means share your experiences to build rapport, but not to appear superior.

Don’t Jump In Too Quickly

On many occasions people just want to be heard.  They are not looking for your advice or suggestions.  A common mistake that many people make when it comes to listening is to jump in too quickly offering their view.  Make sure that you have given the other person the opportunity to be heard and only then offer your suggestions.

Reflect Back

When listening, it is often useful to reflect back in your own words what you understand from what has been said.  The key benefits of reflecting back include:

• The other party recognises that the listener is trying to understand

• It allows the opportunity to clarify

Listening is a highly sought after attribute in managers and leaders.  By making some simple changes, you can start to excel in this area.   What tips would you add?