Communicate well or forever be misunderstood

Many Surveys over years indicate that successful people are those who can communicate well. All Knowledge and technical skills become useless if you don't know how to communicate .People evaluate by the way they see and hear us. Hence good communication can make good impression, projects confidence and builds trusting relationships quickly.

Answer the following simple questions

1) How many really good communicators have I known who were out of work very long?

2)If I had a choice to spend a social evening with a good communicator or a poor communicator, which one would I select?

3)If an employer has a choice of promoting a good communicator and a poor , which applicant do I think will get the promotion?

Leaders consistently rate verbal, non-verbal and writing skills as key skills for success.People will respect you for having a clear vision and you will be on their mind when opportunities become available.

You can asses yourself on how well you communicate

1) Speech-Seek an honest critique of your ability to speak in casual and in formal settings.Peers value the interpersonal skills.Work at eliminating anything that distracts you from your effectiveness when speaking.

2) Body language- Your body language speaks volumes to the observer.Assess your posture in variety of settings.Concentrate on pleasant facial expressions and remain poised in all circumstances.

3)Writing- Get someone to review your writing skills. Grammar checks and spell checks are effective on computer. But they are no substitute for effective writing.

4)Communication etiquette- Do you encourage conversation by introducing topics and by asking questions of others? Do you stay focused on other people's thoughts or are your own more interesting to you ?

5)Paralanguage-The best conversationalist is an active listener.Does your paralanguage - verbal sounds of agreement, surprise, understanding and disagreement etc...- encourage and compliment others when they're talking?

Some attributes above are natural but you must work on some others. Photographs and videotape recordings come in handy.

Confidence comes from being well prepared. Hence be prepared, be sincere, and communicate with confidence!!!

From "9 essential laws for becoming influential" by Tony Zeiss