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Business Communication -You need to Be Understood and More Effective
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Communication in business is essential for many reasons.
Your organisations planning and monitoring of business processes require you to convey the information required to facilitate getting the task completed . This can take many forms and may include modern electronic methods or a simple office circular .
What is important is that your message is comprehended by the recipient . Communication is based in encoding your message in a manner that people can decode it and still know the exact meaning of what you said.
The English language is crammed with ambivalent words that can have many interpretations subject to the circumstances they are used in. It’s a bit like the childrens game called Chinese whispers. A classic example is “Send reinforcements we’re going to advance” which is eventually transformed into “Send three and fourpence, we are going to a dance”.
This is fun in a childs game a business owner needs more than fun to survive .
So… What is a way that you can check that your message has got through so that you get the exact results you expect ?
It’s quite easy …
Simply ask !
By ascertaining that your instructions is clearly decoded in the way that you needed it to be simply ask the receiver of your email what they understood about your meaning and the reason for sending it .
You can also train your teams or other business associates to reflectively listen to what you have said or written .
eg : You have just sent out an email to all of your team telling them that sales are down and if the sales revenues aren’t increased then your quarterly income targets won’t be met .
Active communication is where the person who gets your communication will reflect back to you what they understood about what you said .
” So, John , what you are telling theteam is that we have to increase our sales this month or we will be out of business “
Your options are then to either make the message clearer , If it isn’t received correctly or you can state that Yes that’s correct . The advantage of active listening is that all parties are clear right from the start and this will reduce lost time, later when you have to rectify the mistakes created by bad communication .
There are so many ways that you can have more powerful business communication.
Assertive Communication
Posted by: | CommentsHow can you use assertive communication without being the bad guy?
Many people confuse being assertive with being selfish. Being assertive means nothing more than being clear on what you want and expressing it.
Sometimes, the recipient of your message will make an emotional judgment about what you’ve said that is based on their own needs. Because this judgement is an emotional one, it’s often the case that it’s not rational. Separating emotion from logic is one of the challenges that you will face when making an assertive communication.
It goes without saying, therefore, that before using assertive communication you will have stepped back and looked at all of the options objectively. Until you have done so, and you’re absolutely certain that what you’re about to say is in the best interests of all concerned, it may be better to hold your counsel.
By going through the process of stepping back you’ll be able to assess the situation from a detached and logical view point. Having this objectivity will assist you greatly in deciding whether or not it is prudent to use assertive communication.
In all communications between people the ultimate objective is to create a situation in which all parties win. Being assertive does not imply that you must win and they must lose. Nor should it imply that you must be right.
When approaching a situation where you feel you need to use assertive communication, it may be better to look at it from the view point of “what can I do or say that will make this situation better for me and for the other person?” If you also start your message to the other party by preframing it with a statement such as “I have thought this through and I believe that this may be the best course of action for us to take. I’m say this because I believe this is in both of our best interests. I’m not saying this because I want to, or need to, win. What I’m about to say is so that you can win and I can win.”
At this point, it would be better if you wait for the response from the other person and adjust your message to address their answer. By doing this, they will feel heard and understood, and they will be far more likely to cooperate with your request.
Once you’re both agreed that the conversation is about creating the best possible outcome for all parties, you can then proceed with your assertive communication.
Being assertive does not mean blaming, critising or putting the other person down in any way. You merely state what happens, the concrete affect that it has on you, and how you feel as a result of it. By doing it this way, if you stick to this formula, the other person will be unable to dispute what actually happens when they do whatever they do.
However…
There’s always the danger that the other party will disagree with whatever you say, including the things in the formula. At this point you’re then faced with a choice. You can either restate the things you said earlier or you can choose to terminate the conversation and reconsider other ways you can say what you want to say.
In some situations, other people are so entrenched in defending their way of thinking or being that nothing you say will change their perspective. If that is the case, you may have to reconsider whether or not you wish to continue with that relationship.
Communication Skill
Posted by: | CommentsCommunication skill….
What is it and how do you get it ? More importantly what do you do with it once you have it.
This article should answer all of these questions for you so lets take them one at a time.
What is Communication skill ?
Communication skill is the ability to convey your ideas, thoughts and passions with other people in such a way that they can hear and understand the meaning you’re trying to get across. Seems simple enough doesn’t it…?
The reality is that most of the problems in the world are due to peoples inability to carry out this apparently easy task.
So what are the things that get in the way ?
By the way if you’re one of the people that find communication difficult, it’s not your fault. You were never taught just how important communication skill is by your parents or at school and in most cases they didn’t know how to teach you, anyway.
I’ve been there too…
And until I sorted out my ability to get the message across I was a stuttering fool with a speech impedement and a gawky stance.
How do you get communication skill ?
There’s a couple of things that you can do. They all involve you having to actually do something. ( It’s tough I know…. but you’ll love your self once you’ve done it )
First off work out why you want to improve your communication skills. What is it about your current skill level that’s holding you back from getting what you want ? Is it that job, the girl or guy that you want to be with or maybe it’s as simple as being able to get on with your kids. These are all valid reasons.
You can look at these reasons in two ways. What you want..To be confident, the life and soul of the party, the guru or even the boss.
And you can look at what you don’t want. To feel shy, lonely and like a wilting wall flower waiting there for someone to come over and talk to you at a party. ….Maybe even just to get an invite to a party….
And here’s the bonus…
Once you have sharpened up your communication skills you get more confident about approaching people and talking with them. In fact you get more confident all round.
Period !
Next thing to do after you’ve worked out your reasons to improve communication for you, is to get clear on a plan. Now I’m not expecting you to know how to do that.
Let’s look at a few ideas that are easy for you to do and that cost you next to nothing.
1/ Go to a library and lay your hands on a stack of books on communication skill. THEN take them home with you and READ THEM !
Take all of the tips and tricks inside of those books and put them into practise. This is the secret of the richest and MOST successful people on the planet.
They actually do stuff !!
All those other folks don’t even take the cellophane off of the stuff that they buy on the net or in Borders. They do nothing so they change nothing.
I figure that if you’ve read this far
you’re not one of those people.
Whew..! I’d hate to think I was sitting here writing this if you’re not gonna read it ! Or worse still read this and then not take action. You don’t strike me as that type of person.
Back to improving your communication skill.
In the space of a weekend you can get through a stack of books or DVDs or tapes. In fact whatever works best for you is what’s best for you.
There’s one more thing that makes this work better> Two in fact but one thing at a time…
First thing.Make NOTES. That’s it. Simply by pulling out the bits that interest you and writing them down you will increase your memory of what you’ve read by somewhere around 27%. You’ll be ahead of the game in no time.
The next thing is….( and this is really really important ) is to practise what you learn. Do it every day. set your self up a schedule and stick to it
like GLUE.
The reason for this is that every champion who has ever been great practises every day. Without fail.
Here’s the thing
Nobody but you has to know that you’re doing all that practising. You probably have a bathroom or a bedroom or some other quiet place that you can use until you’re confident enough to let yourself loose on the world.
Now I hear you say that you don’t want to be a champion and you don’t hav eto be. NOPE!! It’s fine to do what you need to do until you get what you want. If you need to you can go back and re-read the first part of this article.
Another thing that you should do is to pat yourself on the back for taking action.
Unlike around 70% of the population you are getting off of your butt and doing something for you that will make incredible changes in your life…
Plese get back to me and let me know how you’re doing and remember to check back here regularly as I’m planning to set up a free resource page on this site that you’ll be able to access…
NOW -Go get ‘em !
PS Don’t beat your self up if you don’t get there straight away. In life there’s only two results you can get. Success or Feedback on what you can improve on
The Communication Skill For Making Your World Better….Rapport
Posted by: | CommentsIf there is one communication skill that will make your world a better, happier and more pleasant place to live that skill would be rapport.
Rapport skills are what politicians, counsellors, and leaders use to create trust and understanding with you. These skills are also used by sales people to get your trust, so that they have a better chance of making that sale.
You also use these same skills with your friends and family. They are the basis for all bonds of respect. You already use this communication skill and probably without being aware of it. Rapport is hard wired in your brain and is one reason that we are so successful as a species.
What rapport does is it creates the feeling of understanding with the other person. Understanding creates trust which in turn creates a sense of openess.
So what is this thing called rapport and how do you create it.
Rapport is a state where you feel good usually, though there are negative forms of rapport as well. As we are here to leave you in a positive state of mind we will only deal with the first type.
Rapport Communication Skill Diagram
The diagram above shows the main ways that you create rapport.
Because you receive data or information from your world or environment in different ways ( Modalities ) there are several pieces to the rapport puzzle.
The first is auditory, which is to do with sounds and speech. By matching the speed of the other persons speech: their volume, tone, speed of speaking and the types of words that you use they will feel understood.
The next modality is visual. If you match the other persons body position and their gestures you will create even more trust and understanding. Who else wants to feel trusted and understood ?
The third and final part of the rapport skills you can use is to match the breathing rate and depth of the other person.
Obviously this is just a brief overview of what is involved in creating rapport. There is so much more to learning this communication skill.
However, even just practising the three areas above will make a real improvement in your relationships.
Take them out into your world and give then a try…
Communication Skills For You To Get What You Really Really want….
Posted by: | CommentsGetting what you really want…That’s what communication skills are for.
Whether it’s making a million bucks; having a family that loves each other; creating the business of your dreams or planning a vacation.
The one skill that is common to all of these things and just about everything else, is having great communication skills.
Go to the link below to discover more about all the ways rhat you can get those skills.
Communication Skills
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The most important skill in life is learning how to deal with people. This is a leverage skill that will make you more successful in your personal and work life. Secret Impact teaches individuals and businesses the best kept secret in life, the core of interpersonal skills. Our system takes a 2 dimensional approach teaching people to understand themselves first, then how to apply this when dealing with others to make you a better communicator. Our system identifies core strengths and weakness of an individual’s, how to improve one’s self communication style, how to communicate better with others based on human behavior patterns, and reduce conflict.
Duration : 0:6:43
Is it useful to have a strong vocabulary in the workplace?
Posted by: | CommentsUnless you are a journalist, writer or lawyer, when will you ever need a strong vocabulary in the workplace. , I don’t see any use for a wide vocabulary in the workplace. After all you can still have good communication skills with an average vocabulary.
an expansive vocabulary assists in interlocution in all divers aspects of existence……
or…
the more words ya know – the more ya can be understood by others in different walks of life…..
Whats your zodiac sign? here are some characteristics of all of the signs?
Posted by: | CommentsRuler: Mars / Element: Fire / Mode: Cardinal
Pole: Positive / Third: Primordial / Half: Subjective
Unbridled expression of your inner nature; activity that is self-motivated, unaffected by others; new beginnings, the start of new cycles, birth; enthusiasm and vitality.
Aggressive, willful, powerful, assertive; enthusiastic about whatever interests you at the moment, focused in short bursts, unlikely to sustain interest in the long term; ego expression; adventurious, pioneering; Warrior-type energy; impatient with having to cooperate with others, works best alone or in leadership role; unconcerned with approval or acceptance; lacks persistance and stamina; honest and forthright, "what you see is what you get", not given to airs or pretenses; the first expression (or incarnation ) of spirit within a new cycle on the physical plane.
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Taurus
Ruler: Venus / Element: Earth / Mode: Fixed
Pole: Negative / Third: Primordial / Half: Subjective
Grounding, bringing down to earth; constancy, steadiness, fixedness; spirit becoming embodied, entering matter, taking on a form; a vessel or container for spiritual forces.
Earthy, grounded, in touch with the body; sensual, pleasure seeking; stubborn, fixed, stands their ground; focuses and concentrates energy, gives it concrete expression, practical, provides stamina and persistance; slow, steady, methodical; fertile, productive; unreflective, content to simply be; spirit becoming involved with the material world.
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Gemini
Ruler: Mercury / Element: Air / Mode: Mutable
Pole: Positive / Third: Primordial / Half: Subjective
Curiousity, cleverness, skill, communication; making connections with surroundings, trying to "figure things out"; the first display of intelligence by embodied spirit.
Talkative ("a Gemini is born with a telephone in each hand!"), communicative, sociable; loves to interact with others (at least on a superficial level); unemotional, impersonal, ruled by "rationality"; requires great mental stimulation, curious to a fault; playful, the Trickster, the Devil’s Advocate; changable, inconstant, attention easily drifts to something new, seeks novelty.
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Cancer
Ruler: Moon / Element: Water / Mode: Cardinal
Pole: Negative / Third: Primordial / Half: Subjective
Nurturing, support, belonging, emotional bonds; your roots, source, ground of your being; the unconscious, feelings, emotion; the Great Mother, Universal Womb; spirit’s first emotional attachments to the world.
Mothering, emotional and physical nurturance; experiences and imprinting during infancy and childhood; family, ancestors, heritage, relationships to the past; belonging, feeling "at home"; maternal love, caring; feeling supported by the world, that your needs are provided for; insecurities and fears if your needs haven’t been fulfilled; possessiveness, "twisted love", inability to nurture others are negative expressions.
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Leo
Ruler: Sun / Element: Fire / Mode: Fixed
Pole: Positive / Third: Individual / Half: Subjective
Spirit entering the realm of the individual person; ego development, setting yourself apart from the rest of the world, becoming your own person; self-expression, being true to your inner nature, acting from the heart; dawning awareness of self in relation to others.
Ego, self-centered, arrogant; fixed, stubborn, persistant; artistic or creative expression as a vehicle for revealing "who I am"; needs to be a center of attention, requires acknowledgment and approval, likes to be noticed and appreciated ("ego-strokes"); personal integrity, true to self, honorable, trustworthy; kingly, self-assured, confident.
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Virgo
Ruler: Mercury / Element: Earth / Mode: Mutable
Pole: Negative / Third: Individual / Half: Subjective
Embodiment of the individual in the world; problems of adjustment dealing with the world and others; perfection of your approach to life, development of mundane skills; ability to change to adapt to life better.
Service, helping, self-effacing; perfectionist, always seeking to improve, efficiency; practical, functional, interested in crafts and projects; true to self in a simple, unassuming manner; reacts to defeats and setbacks by pulling back and altering approach, lacks confidence in the face of opposition; lives up to duties and responsiblities; interested in maintaining the body as a fit vehicle; diet, exercise, herbs, etc.; aware of conflicts with others, of the give and take required by life.
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Libra
Ruler: Venus / Element: Air / Mode: Cardinal
Pole: Positive / Third: Individual / Half: Objective
Spirit as individual entering into relationship with others; partnership, one-to-one relationships, meeting others as an equal, interdependency; encountering repressed parts of yourself through others (via projection); going beyond ego boundaries; peace, harmony, balance; social awareness.
Partners, marriage; learning how to get along peacably with others, treating others as equals; "I vs. You", conflict, enemies; art, beauty, harmonious surroundings; distressed by stressful, inharmonious interactions; intimacy; people in counseling professions.
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Scorpio
Ruler: Pluto / Element: Water / Mode: Fixed
Pole: Negative / Third: Individual / Half: Objective
Transformation, change, ego-death, rebirth, transcendence; intense emotional involvement with the process of personal growth; movement from individual certainties to the "mysteries of life"; spirit breaking through the limitations of individual ego.
Intense, passionate, brooding, magnetic; stubborn, unyielding, driven by emotions; stands up for self, usually covertly, manipulates power; understands deeper layers of the psyche beyond the ego, unable to communicate this well leading to misunderstandings; intrigued by the "dark side" of life; the underground, people whose job involves going beneath surface appearances; sexuality, especially the transformative power of the orgasm; self-mastery, breaking free of illusory limitations, the Hero.
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Sagittarius
Ruler: Jupiter / Element: Fire / Mode: Mutable
Pole: Positive / Third: Universal / Half: Objective
Spirit moving beyond the realm of the individual into the world at large; becoming a member of a wider society; experiences that lead to consciousness expansion, being receptive to new points of view, wisdom, enlightenment; using your talents for the benefit of the greater whole.
Freedom loving, idealist, unfettered by "small thinking"; inspiration; religion, philosophy, the law; awareness of your connections to the rest of the world; can be distant from others, afraid to give up freedom, reluctant to be tied down; on the other hand, aware of the value of the social contract; enthusiastic, gregarious, generous; loves abstract, theoretical ideas, sees the big picture, ignores the details; in love with an ideal; foreign travel, liberating experiences.
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Capricorn
Ruler: Saturn / Element: Earth / Mode: Cardinal
Pole: Negative / Third: Universal / Half: Objective
Spirit’s attempt to bring about the perfect society, to create heaven on earth; making practical, efficient connections with others on the physical plane; ambitious, feels pride in accomplishments; concern with truth, reality, "hard facts"; relationship to authority.
Serious, determined, disciplined, focused; needs to play more; fathering, disciplining love; authority figures; seeks certainties in life, wants things "cast in concrete"; the Businessman, concerned with the practical relationships to support yourself within society; not interested in "blue sky" ideas, needs to bring theory into concrete reality; "knowing the rules and playing the game"; making a niche in the world.
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Aquarius
Ruler: Uranus / Element: Air / Mode: Fixed
Pole: Positive / Third: Universal / Half: Objective
Spirit’s attempt to create ideal relationships and organizations, based on freedom and cooperation between individuals; free-thinking, unorthodox, not shackled by outdated ideology; the perfection of society.
Even though ideas are often far-sighted, they can be held and expressed in rigid, dogmatic fashion (this is a fixed sign, afterall!); "everyone should be free to be just like me!"; idealistic, utopian; derives sense of identity from groups and their goals, tends to dominate them; impersonal thinking, detached from emotional considerations; produces "humanitarian without compassion"; friendships based on common goal.
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Pisces
Ruler: Neptune / Element: Water / Mode: Mutable
Pole: Negative / Third: Universal / Half: Objective
Surrender to the universe, to higher goals; ego sacrifice; compassion and empathy, selfless work; seeing the unity of all things; the ends of cycles, forming "seeds" for the next cycle of growth; spirit as individual dissolving back into pure spirit.
Mysticism, escape into the One; sees the unity, fails to make "normal" distinctions, often weak ego; victim, martyr, servant; tends to escapism, fantasy, drugs (especially alcohol), religion; very receptive, sensitive, even psychic; co-dependency, care-taking; withdrawn from the world; release from the world.
um, the first sign before taurus is Aries~sorry ran out of space~~~I hope this helps a little
also, do you agree with the "traits"? that your sign contains
I’m sexy, i’m cute
I’m popular to boot I’m bitchin great hair
the boys all love to stare
I’m wanted I’m hot; I’m everything your not
I’m pretty I’m cool I dominate this school
who am I? Just guess Guys wanna touch my chest
I’m rockin i smile and many think I’m vile
I’m flyin I jump
you can look but dont you hump, whoo! I’m major i roar i swear I’m not a whore we cheer and we lead,
and we act like we’re on speed
Hate us because we’re beautiful well we don’t like you either.
We’re cheerleaders.
We are cheerleaders.
LONGHORNS!
Any way I’m a cancer.
Is Non-Violent Communication coercive and formalised unassertiveness?
Posted by: | CommentsIt seems to me that NVC is partly about using techniques which are unassertive and being indirect. It also seems to involve failing to listen to people because of excluding the semantic content of their utterances. Whereas it´s important to respect the non-verbal and emotive content of communication, surely this shouldn´t be to the exclusion of cognitive content? Does it not also create a division between the rational and the emotional which doesn´t really exist, which is tantamount to surreptitiously and perhaps even subconsciously introducing one´s own agenda?
Sorry, i could go on and on. Thoughts please.
very interesting .. thanks for sharing this concept with me. i had to look up my ever helpful friend Wikipedia and learnt:
[excerpt]
"The goal of NVC is to get one’s own needs met while also meeting others’ needs. A key principle of nonviolent communication that supports this is the capacity to express oneself without use of good/bad, right/wrong judgment, hence the emphasis on expressing feelings and needs, instead of criticisms or judgments".
aha! i wonder did i somehow subconsciously tap into this process, when i recently wrote a lengthy compensation claim. i actually did consciously choose to write my claim in this way because i felt that it would give the best outcome for me.
i knew that my respondent would most likely be responding to my claim in the calmest and rational terms. in a legal process this is the way you have to express yourself if you want to be taken seriously.
but in everyday matters, like between lovers and friends – now that’s another matter altogether isn’t it? to some extent it is bullshit and not really honest expression. are we playing verbal mind games here or are we expressing ourselves honestly?
ofcourse there is always value in keeping our emotions under control and being non-judgemental as none of us is perfect. it is always helpful to stay rational and consider the other person’s opinion and feelings in a non-judgemental way.
if anyone thinks they are the perfect one and always right – well as an example – i can mention Hitler.
Why do critics of Bush persist in insisting he an idiot?
Posted by: | CommentsA man of limited intellect, poor communication skills, business failure and alcoholic until middle age, Bush was able to land a government job and hold onto it for 8 years before retiring with incredible lifetime benefits. Idiot? I think not.
You must give "W" credit where it is due. He gave every loser in the world the hope that they too could make it if the breaks fell their way. They no longer worry about lacking self-discipline, brains, skills and other old fashioned successs measures. "W" proved anyone could make it in today’s world.
Palin 2012
Good question. I agree he is not dumb. I mean he put all his money in oil and whom do we go to war with, but one of the largest producers of oil. When our prices go up so does his wallet. The man is a super genius. Guess what gas is going down he is losing money he probably pulled out which is why we can gas up again for 2.12.