When you speak to your colleagues, do they pay attention? Do your vocalizations really sink in? Are you at ease interceding disputes? Do you tailor your messages to match your fellow workers? Do you believe in the effective method of "friendly persuasion"?
If you want to make your job a success, you'll need more than just technical proficiency. Communication is the idyllic answer to all work-relationship related issues.
It is the essence of any relationship; many times, problems can be traced to poor communication skills of one or all parties concerned.
What does a communication "course of action" involve? You have an idea that you need to communicate, and a message is sent to the recipient, either verbally or non-verbally. The recipient then translates the words or non-verbal gestures into a concept or information.
Ineffective communication skills can lead to misunderstandings and missed opportunities, and can dent your credibility.
The success of the communication depends on two aspects-content and context. Content is the actual words or signs that constitutes a part of the message, known as language. It could be either spoken or written. You interpret words in your own way, so much so that even simple messages could be understood differently.
Context is the way the message is delivered - the pitch, expression in the sender's eyes, body language, hand gestures, and state of emotion. As you believe what you see more than what you hear, you trust the accuracy of non-verbal behavior more than verbal behavior. So when you communicate, the other person notices two things: What you say and how you say it.
Normally we think communication is complete once we have conveyed the message. "I don't know why that project was not done. I had asked him to do it." Chances are that the message was not perceived properly. A message hasn't been communicated successfully until the receiver understands it completely. How do you know it has been properly received? By two-way communication or feedback.
Guide to communication skills 1) If you did not completely comprehend a query, remark, or reaction, perhaps the no. 1 law is to ask for clarification! Along with this rule comes another: Give little or no attention to gossip. Gossip during work time is usually negative in nature and is passed along with negative emotion. Again, if you must listen, just listen. Participating, adding to, or passing gossip along is a sure way to obliterate constructive communication.
2) Being concise, undeviating, and truthful are sure winners when you are trying to get your message across to the boss or colleague.
3) Try asking a few comrades - people you're close enough to, not to worry about the truth ruining your relationship. This is one of those areas where everyone can learn something. You'll probably uncover a few uncomfortable things about yourself. Whatever they say, if you hear them out and treat it as a learning experience, you're a better communicator already.
4) Cultivating the art of listening helps to build bridges and enhance relationships. Developing the listening skills to identify with what people want, and the negotiation skill to deliver it in a way that works for everyone is another important facet of communication.
5) Be patient in communication at all times. Repeat yourself six times if necessary, without a hint of exasperation or aggravation.
6) Show an unadulterated interest in the company and the people around you. Be supportive and empathic where appropriate, but be solution and not problem orientated.
7) When asserting yourself or your point of view, do so in a firm, but fair and kind manner. Keep as calm as you can. Be respectful (even if the other person is not). Don't resort to swearing, shouting or put-downs (especially if you are talking to your boss!).
Communication Obstacles Yourself: Focusing on yourself, rather than the other person can lead to uncertainty and divergence. Often, you are thinking about your response, instead of focusing on what the other person is saying. Some other factors that cause this are defensiveness, supremacy, and self-esteem (you feel you are the center of the activity).
Perception: If you feel the person is talking too fast, not fluently or does not articulate clearly, you may dismiss the person. Our preconceived attitudes affect our ability to listen. You tend to listen uncritically to persons of high status in the hierarchy and dismiss those of low status.
Mental state: People don't see things the same way when under stress. Our psychological frames of references-beliefs, values, knowledge, experiences and goals influence what you see and believe at a given moment.
A way to overcome these obstacles is through active listening and feedback.
Active Listening All of us can hear, but all of us cannot listen. Hearing and listening are not the same thing. Hearing is instinctive and listening involves the reception and interpretation of what is heard. It decodes the sound heard into meaning.
People generally speak at 100 to 175 words per minute but we can listen intelligently at 600 to 800 words per minute. This means most of the time only a part of your mind is paying attention; it is easy for the attention to drift. This happens to everyone. The cure: active listening. This involves listening with a purpose. It may be to gain information, obtain directions, understand others, solve problems, share interests, and see how the other person feels, even show support. This type of listening takes the same amount of or more energy than speaking. This requires the listener to hear various messages, understand the meaning and then verify the meaning by offering feedback.
Keep the communication open. Avoid bottom line statements like 'Well, if you don't agree with me I'm going to quit work '. Statements like this tend to stop communication dead and they leave the other person with no options or control.
Keep conversations healthy and straightforward. Your colleagues will be wide eyed and all ears to sink in what you say.
Hey, are you listening?!!!
