When I talk to people about “communication,” I often hear things like, “my communication is fine but he doesn’t listen.” Or “I am clear, but other people are not.”
How do you know if communication is working or not working? We’ve never been taught and so we may think everything is fine.
From our upcoming Communication 101 training is the following chart:
Indicators of Strong Communication:
Clarity
Respect
Appreciation
Openness
Understanding
Honesty
Revealing
Accountability
Commitment
Trust
Indicators of Weak Communication:
Being closed
Suspicion
Resentment
Anger
Revenge
Resignation
Blame
Victimhood
Isolation
Distrust
How can you tell if communication is working? Communication is a foundational pillar of relationships. As such, look at some of your relationships through this filter. Choose different relationships so you can see if there are certain types of relationships where you find communication to be better or worse. Then ask how many of the “strong” elements are present in the relationship. And how much of the “weak” elements?
The first step to improving communication is to assess where you are. And here is a tip – the effectiveness of your communication is not solely about the other person. Communication is a relationship issue – whether at home or at work. It exists between people, and within the relationship as a whole. If you view the relationship as a system, you can look at the communication patterns in the system. This means anything you change on your end improves the relationship.
At the end of the day communication = relationship.
And relationships are a big deal – at home obviously, but also at work. Everywhere really.
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If you want more on this important topic, and if you are in Sacramento on October 24, 2017, attend my 1/2 day training on “nuts and bolts of communication.”
Communication 101: Nuts & Bolts of Listening, Speaking & Understanding
- What would you experience in your personal and professional life if people heard you? If you heard them?
- How cool would it be if people understood you?
- What results will you generate when you master effective communication?
Contrary to what most people believe, it is not something we are born knowing how to do. We learn communication by emulating the people around us growing up and we add to that by way of our own personality and communication styles.
Attend this upcoming seminar to improve relationships and results through these techniques, and more:
· Reflectively listening
· Making clear requests and promises to improve clarity & build trust
· Being intentional in your communication to achieve specific results
October 24 (Tuesday)
8:30am – 12noon
Sacramento
$109/person Take $5.00/person if 2 or more from same company
TESTIMONIAL
I attended the Nuts and Bolts of Listening, Speaking, and Understanding with my husband and office manager. We all had a great time and learned a lot about how wecommunicate, how to make requests, and how to listen so that you actually hear what people are saying. This workshop has helped with my communication around the office, with my family, and with my clients. When I communicate more effectively, then everything is so much easier! It is amazing how people respond when they truly feel heard. And in my business (and really any business), clients are much more satisfied and likely to retain my services when they felt like they are understood and heard.
–Alexandria Goff
Law Office of Alexandria Goff
