Have you ever experienced, that your message is not getting across?
Perhaps you are running a departmental meeting or providing training to your team members. Where you give it your best shot, but all you get in return is blank looks and awkward silences.
It’s frustrating, isn’t it? Because you just know that you are intending to share great stuff, but no-one seems to “get it.” Well, the chances are that there’s actually nothing wrong with what you are trying to convey. It’s just that you need to work on your communication skills!
So what is communication? If you think communication only means verbal chat done between two or more people then you are wrong! Communication can actually be done using words, songs, or behavior! If you are exchanging letters with someone; then you are in communication. If you are talking on the phone with someone; then you are in communication.
So what does communication actually mean? It is “The exchange of information, ideas or thoughts from one person to the other or from one end to the other is communication”.
Communication is successful only when both the sender and the receiver understand the same information as a result of the communication.
In an organization communication enables the flow of information between different departments, different people through different media. This flow of information is necessary for any organization. Successful communication helps people to understand better, remove misunderstandings and as a result it creates clarity of thoughts among people.
With successful communication, you can convey your thoughts and ideas effectively. But when it fails, it can cause communication to cease and create barriers that stand in the way of your goals – both personally and professionally.
Even though the importance of communication skills is increasing day by day, many individuals have failed to cope with this. Where this makes it very difficult for them to compete in the workplace.
In any form of business, internal as well as external communication is very important. It is not just important for business but it is essential for the existence and operation of any business.
The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply! To be a good communicator, you not only need to be a good speaker but a patient listener too.
The factors that play a vital role in effective oral communication skills are- voice, body language, appearance and gestures made by the communicator. Not only the content but also the way this content is transferred is important.
On the other hand, written communication also needs to be very accurate to make sure that message is understood correctly. The factors that should be considered in written communication are completeness, briefness, proper selection of words and clarity of thoughts to make the message easy to understand.
Effective communication can increase the productivity; decrease the errors and smooths the operations. Effective communication skills also boost the morale of the individual and motivate them to work better. These skills not only make an individual a good professional but also promise to provide them a growth oriented career.
When you start obtaining and practicing good communication skills you open yourself up to better relationships, more career opportunities, and increased self-confidence. Moreover, you reach higher levels of mutual understanding and cooperation while successfully attaining your goals.
All new skills take time to refine, however, with effort and practice you can develop good, even exceptional, communication skills.
We will see some ideas on how to improve communication skills in my next post in few weeks. I hope till that time you will have started practicing on it already from your end!
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