Last week’s Thought for the Week was; “From Virtual Barriers to Real Connections” which was all about overcoming virtual barriers to achieve effective communication skills and using technology to enhance virtual communication.
You can see this and all of my previous blogs below.
What happens when Communication goes ‘south’?
The majority of our waking hours (roughly 70%), are dedicated to interacting with others, so when it goes wrong, it can result in conflicts and feelings of frustration.
And let’s face it, many of us have never been taught effective communication techniques that produce the desired outcomes! Communication in general is not covered in most school curriculums, so we have to learn this as we go along.
I have been researching this with clients, people on my workshops and group coaching programme and asked these questions …
What exactly constitutes effective communication?
The successful exchange of information, ideas, thoughts, and feelings between individuals or groups. It involves transmitting a message in a way that ensures the intended meaning is accurately conveyed and understood by the recipient(s).
What are the key elements of effective communication?
Most of them said …
- Clarity: Clear and concise messages successfully sharing information, ideas, and feelings with others.
- Active Listening: As we looked at with “Listening to see and hear”.
- Non-verbal communication: Body language and tone of voice.
- Feedback: How we give and receive feedback.
- Empathy: Stepping into someone’s shoes (different to sympathy).
- Adaptability to different people’s needs – asking them what they need!
- Conflict resolution: effective communication helps resolve conflict in a positive way (and can avoid it in the first place).
It’s all about connecting, understanding and achieving desired outcomes through friendly and meaningful interactions and I’m going to be writing more thoughts around each of the above over the coming weeks.
Effective communication is not solely about transmitting information; it is about establishing meaningful connections, fostering understanding, and achieving desired outcomes through clear and empathetic interaction.
What is effective communication NOT about?
Effective communication is NOT just getting your point across to others quickly. It takes time to think, create a message, listen, understand and then take action.
It is extremely hard to do and takes lots of conscious thought and effort to frame, position and maintain.
I went to a presentation recently and the lady presenting was extremely knowledgeable. And yet she spoke so quickly and in a monotone voice that she lost most of us along the way. Some of us left wishing we had been able to take away more from the session.
I invite you to book a free call with me to see how you could master communication. Choose a time that best works for you HERE
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”
–George Bernard Shaw-
[Famous for his role in revolutionising comedic drama, a literary critic and a prominent British socialist.]
I will leave you with that thought and will be in touch again soon with more thoughts and tips.
With best wishes for your success,
Korinne Le Page
Thrive Coaching & Training – Empowering you to Thrive!