No matter where we are, no matter with whom we are conversing with, effective communication skills need to be developed in order to achieve success. If you are running your own business or doing a job, communication can save a lot of hurdles you might be facing.
I too had to face a lot of problems in my startup. I lacked effective communication skills which were causing me harm than good. I believed that I was right but the other person thought I was wrong all the time. Later on I realized that the other person thought was right. I will share the reason why in a while. Developing communication skills is not impossible but yes it can be difficult at times. It takes a lot of experience, practice and observation powers to have effective communication skiils.
Now coming to the question why the other person was right. All human beings may seem different but they have a common trait. They re not concerned with what other prson wants. They are only concerned with what they want. If the other person is in sync with what they want, he is right and if he is not, he is wrong, according to them. If you set your mind upon it, you will realize that it's true.
You must be wondering how you can be an effective communicator right? You can get a lot of material on the internet and books are out there which can help you in developing communication skills. But in this post, I would be sharing my own experience of how effective communication skills helped me in forming better personal and professional relationships.
1. Listen
I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.
- Ernest Hemingway
Yes. Listening is what is needed. All of the time I thought I was listening but I was just hearing. Hearing is when you hear the voice and don't interpret the meaning of what is said. Listening, on the other hand is interpreting and analyzing what is being said. This way you will be able to understand the other person's point of view.
2. Observe
We cannot remember too often that when we observe nature, and especially the ordering of nature, it is always ourselves alone we are observing.
- Georg C. Lichtenberg
Observing is another aspect to keep in mind. We usually see the things and ignore the actual signs which need to be addressed in detail. Like listening and hearing, seeing and observation play and important role in developing communication skills that are needed to close that deal or to impress a girl etc.
When I started observing the points which were given by my clients, my team members, family members etc, I was able to handle each one of them effectively and positively.
3. Priority
Action expresses priorities.
- Mahatma Gandhi
We always keep ourselves a a priority over other people. This makes us selfish and egoistic. The result of this is an argument. You will justify your point and the other person will try to prove his point. This way, there would be no result except divorce. When trying o communicate, try to keep the other person on top of you. This will enable you to observe well and listen in a better way.
4. Follow the path of Truth
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.
- Winston Churchill
A thousand lies can't hide a single truth. We usually fail to understand this basic thing. Lie is just meant to psychologically satisfy your inner self. But in fact, you are aware of the truth yourself. A truth which I follow is that you can't please everybody you meet on this planet. Even you will have a bunch of haters who would be large in number than those who would support you.
Following these steps helped me a lot in developing communication skills which I lacked and I was able to fill a gap. Did it help you in developing effective communication skills?
