Beliefs
Have you ever experienced a situation when you worked diligently to achieve a certain outcome, yet, no matter how hard you tried, you didn’t accomplish it to your satisfaction? You have the skills and aptitude to achieve it and a strong infrastructure and support network to accomplish it, but something is lacking. This missing element may be your underlying belief in the goal.
Beliefs are your perceptions of reality that have been created by conclusions derived from experience or information. Beliefs can be conscious or subconscious. For example, for centuries, people believed that the earth was flat. That belief was challenged and was eventually replaced with the new belief was that the earth was round. Beliefs can affect outcomes. There are many benefits to work on your own beliefs. Sounds good, doesn’t it? By changing our self-limiting beliefs, a chain reaction transforms our thoughts, our words and our actions. No matter what your current situation is, it is empowering to know that you can change the outcome.
Communications
Nearly seventy-five percent of the communications received are incorrectly received. Miscommunication is the norm. This occurs as people think they don’t have to put much effort into the process and that it just comes naturally. People even tend to think that they are good communicators. But the reality is indeed very different. Miscommunication is the result of two critical assumptions that are made by most people. First, people tend to assume that they know what others mean. And second, people assume that others know what they mean. Both of these assumptions can hinder the ability to effectively communicate. If we assume that others understand the message we are sending, we don’t provide an opportunity for them to ask questions and we don’t clarify the intended message. In extreme cases, we only provide part of the information (since we assume they know the rest anyway). When we assume that we know what others mean, once again, we don’t ask for any feedback or clarification. In many cases, we even stop listening to the communication when we think we know what the message is. And unfortunately, we often hear what we want to hear, regardless of the actual message sent.
Say what needs to be said as plainly as possible and as soon as you can possibly say it. Tell people what they need to know up front. Waffling or soft-pedaling information to spare people’s feelings only leads to distorted perceptions and misunderstandings. That's not kindness. Straight talk beats vague messages any time. Apart from that, always be prepared. Know what you want to say. Plan how you want to say it. Rehearse, rehearse and rehearse. It’s the secret to successful communication.
5 ways to improve your workplace communication.
Tip #1 - Know your audience.
You will never get anywhere if people are not on the same wave length as you. You must key your words and examples to the people you are talking to.
Tip #2 - Know what you’re talking about.
If you do not understand an idea, you will never be able to explain it to someone else. Get all details down.
Tip #3 - Avoid ambiguity.
Many words have vague meanings: area, several, data, business and the like. One of the worst offenders: they. For example, “They want it done this way.”
Tip #4 - Say what you mean.
It pays to be explicit. If you want your secretary to have a report typed in one hour, be certain to say so.
Tip #5 - Take time to explain.
We tend to assume everyone knows as much about a subject as we. Yet, this is not always the case. Suit the facts and details you cite to the background of your audience
Getting your messages across the right way.
Have you ever received a memo and felt the sender really wasn’t thinking about what you needed to know or hear? Maybe you have attended corporate presentations that have simply left you cold? Or perhaps you’ve even delivered communications yourself and realized, in retrospect, that you really hadn’t got the measure of your audience and their needs. This is at best frustrating. At worst it is such a huge “turn off” that it can have a negative effect, or even produce an effect that is the exact opposite of the one you had intended.
Whether you need to communicate general day-to-day information or "big news" about major changes in your organization, the best communications start with some good planning. The first step is to put yourself in the shoes of your audience. What do they need to know, and want to hear? What’s their preferred way of receiving information? What will stop them listening to what you have to say? And how will you know that they have got the message?
The most common communication error that you must avoid.
The most valuable technique for effective communications is to remember that it’s not all about you. This is one of the most common errors people make when communicating. They get so involved with their own point of view that the other person feels completely left out and stops listening or reading.
For example, when conveying a more complex message, use an organized and logical approach. Here’s an example of how to put this technique for effective communication to work for you. Let’s say you’re meeting with your boss to discuss a proposed project. You should not arrive at the meeting unprepared. Take the time to sit down and order your material in a written format. You wouldn’t begin with telling him how one of your objectives should be met. You first want to state the problem which justifies the project. Then you might go into a step-by-step itemization of the objectives, how each will be met and the time required to implement each objective. You might conclude with any open issues. Your boss will surely appreciate the clarity, organization and logic of your presentation.
Repetition is the Key of Good Communication.
Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself. Repetition is the mother of understanding. Never assume everyone “gets it” the first time. Many veteran speakers say you need to repeat a point at least four times before it sinks into an entire audience. Take a tip from TV commercials. Never say anything important only once. When you repeat your message, it’s new information for all those who didn’t hear or absorb it the first time around; and it’s just harmless additional reinforcement for everyone else.
Have you ever experienced a situation when you worked diligently to achieve a certain outcome, yet, no matter how hard you tried, you didn’t accomplish it to your satisfaction? You have the skills and aptitude to achieve it and a strong infrastructure and support network to accomplish it, but something is lacking. This missing element may be your underlying belief in the goal.
Beliefs are your perceptions of reality that have been created by conclusions derived from experience or information. Beliefs can be conscious or subconscious. For example, for centuries, people believed that the earth was flat. That belief was challenged and was eventually replaced with the new belief was that the earth was round. Beliefs can affect outcomes. There are many benefits to work on your own beliefs. Sounds good, doesn’t it? By changing our self-limiting beliefs, a chain reaction transforms our thoughts, our words and our actions. No matter what your current situation is, it is empowering to know that you can change the outcome.
Communications
Nearly seventy-five percent of the communications received are incorrectly received. Miscommunication is the norm. This occurs as people think they don’t have to put much effort into the process and that it just comes naturally. People even tend to think that they are good communicators. But the reality is indeed very different. Miscommunication is the result of two critical assumptions that are made by most people. First, people tend to assume that they know what others mean. And second, people assume that others know what they mean. Both of these assumptions can hinder the ability to effectively communicate. If we assume that others understand the message we are sending, we don’t provide an opportunity for them to ask questions and we don’t clarify the intended message. In extreme cases, we only provide part of the information (since we assume they know the rest anyway). When we assume that we know what others mean, once again, we don’t ask for any feedback or clarification. In many cases, we even stop listening to the communication when we think we know what the message is. And unfortunately, we often hear what we want to hear, regardless of the actual message sent.
Say what needs to be said as plainly as possible and as soon as you can possibly say it. Tell people what they need to know up front. Waffling or soft-pedaling information to spare people’s feelings only leads to distorted perceptions and misunderstandings. That's not kindness. Straight talk beats vague messages any time. Apart from that, always be prepared. Know what you want to say. Plan how you want to say it. Rehearse, rehearse and rehearse. It’s the secret to successful communication.
5 ways to improve your workplace communication.
Tip #1 - Know your audience.
You will never get anywhere if people are not on the same wave length as you. You must key your words and examples to the people you are talking to.
Tip #2 - Know what you’re talking about.
If you do not understand an idea, you will never be able to explain it to someone else. Get all details down.
Tip #3 - Avoid ambiguity.
Many words have vague meanings: area, several, data, business and the like. One of the worst offenders: they. For example, “They want it done this way.”
Tip #4 - Say what you mean.
It pays to be explicit. If you want your secretary to have a report typed in one hour, be certain to say so.
Tip #5 - Take time to explain.
We tend to assume everyone knows as much about a subject as we. Yet, this is not always the case. Suit the facts and details you cite to the background of your audience
Getting your messages across the right way.
Have you ever received a memo and felt the sender really wasn’t thinking about what you needed to know or hear? Maybe you have attended corporate presentations that have simply left you cold? Or perhaps you’ve even delivered communications yourself and realized, in retrospect, that you really hadn’t got the measure of your audience and their needs. This is at best frustrating. At worst it is such a huge “turn off” that it can have a negative effect, or even produce an effect that is the exact opposite of the one you had intended.
Whether you need to communicate general day-to-day information or "big news" about major changes in your organization, the best communications start with some good planning. The first step is to put yourself in the shoes of your audience. What do they need to know, and want to hear? What’s their preferred way of receiving information? What will stop them listening to what you have to say? And how will you know that they have got the message?
The most common communication error that you must avoid.
The most valuable technique for effective communications is to remember that it’s not all about you. This is one of the most common errors people make when communicating. They get so involved with their own point of view that the other person feels completely left out and stops listening or reading.
For example, when conveying a more complex message, use an organized and logical approach. Here’s an example of how to put this technique for effective communication to work for you. Let’s say you’re meeting with your boss to discuss a proposed project. You should not arrive at the meeting unprepared. Take the time to sit down and order your material in a written format. You wouldn’t begin with telling him how one of your objectives should be met. You first want to state the problem which justifies the project. Then you might go into a step-by-step itemization of the objectives, how each will be met and the time required to implement each objective. You might conclude with any open issues. Your boss will surely appreciate the clarity, organization and logic of your presentation.
Repetition is the Key of Good Communication.
Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself. Repetition is the mother of understanding. Never assume everyone “gets it” the first time. Many veteran speakers say you need to repeat a point at least four times before it sinks into an entire audience. Take a tip from TV commercials. Never say anything important only once. When you repeat your message, it’s new information for all those who didn’t hear or absorb it the first time around; and it’s just harmless additional reinforcement for everyone else.
As our Mission President once quipped, "Repetition brings Conviction". Yes, it's important to be told many times so it sinks in. We don't always need to hear something new, we just need to be constantly reminded.
ReplyDeleteThank you brother Duncan for your supporting comment. I guess you practise it for the effective communications.
ReplyDelete