Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, and the emotions to affect other people~Jim Rohn
The Importance of Effective Communication
Communication is the most important part of our lives whether it be in business or personal. How you communicate with others will determine your success or failure. Think about this, we couldn’t accomplish very much without communicating with others.
Below, I will give you what I believe are the TOP 10 ways to Effective Communication. If you master these skills your success in all areas of your life will be virtually guaranteed. But first and most importantly, you must be adaptable to the 4 different personalities. I know we all cringe when we hear the word “Sales”. Think about this for a minute, we are all in sales in some form or fashion. Wouldn’t you agree? We are always trying to make someone do what we want them to do, right? Whether it’s asking your children to clean their rooms or asking the local coffee shop to make your coffee in a special way. They way we go about communicating what we want or don’t want will determine our success.
Personalities
We all have different personalities. Once I learned out to present to the 4 different personalities my success went through the roof and so will yours. Here they are:
1) Amiable=helpful, calm, discreet, team player, too sensitive,
2) Promoter=fun loving, charming, love people, scattered, always overbooked, speak before they think
3) Analytical=meticulous, accurate, dependable, dry humor, too critical, picky, over analyzes
4) Controller=high achiever, too bossy, natural leader, rude, blunt
When presenting to these different personalities, adapt to them. They will not adapt to you.
Top 10 Communication Skills You MUST Master
1) Be Friendly-People who communicate with a friendly tone and warm smile almost always have the edge. The reason is simple: we are subconsciously drawn to people who are friendly because they make us feel good and bring more enjoyment to our lives.
2) Think before you speak- A fanmous English Proverb is “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” I find that many people say whatever goes through their minds without putting any thought into what they are saying. As a result they say things that end up reflecting poorly on themselves.
3) Be Clear- Most of us don’t have the time nor do we want to spend our emotional energy to figure out what someone else is trying to say. People who are indirect in their verbal communication and who tend to hint at things without saying what’s really on their mind are seldom respected. When there is something you want to say, ask yourself, “What is the clearest way I can communicate this point?”
4) Be Authentic- People are turned off by those people who feel the need to put on a show to make their point. Instead, people are attracted to someone who speaks from the heart and is genuine, transparent, and real.
5) Practice Humility-Humility is having a modest view of one’s own importance. It is one of the most attractive personality traits one can possess and is one of the most significant predictors of someone who is respected. People who speak with humility and genuine respect for others are almost always held in high regard.
6) Don’t talk too much-The more one talks the less impressive they are. Very few people like to be around someone who talks too much and dominates the conversation. We have too ears for a reason.
7) Speak with confidence-You don’t have to sacrifice self-confidence to practice humility. Confidence is a self-assurance arising from an appreciation of one’s true abilities, whereas humility is having a modest opinion of one’s own importance. Speaking with confidence includes the words you choose, the tone of your voice, your eye contact, and body language.
8) Pay attention to your body language-When you are engaged in face-to-face verbal communication, your body language can play as significant of a role in the message you communicate as the words you speak. Your body language communicates respect and interest. It puts real meaning behind your words.
9) Be concise and too the point-Very few things are more irritating to me than when someone can’t get to the point of what he or she is trying to say. Plan ahead. Constantly ask yourself, “How can I say what needs to be said using the fewest number of words possible while still being courteous and respectful?”
10) Be present-Being an attentive listener is more important in verbal communication than any words that can come out of your mouth. You must show a sincere interest in what is being said, ask good questions, listen for the message within the message, and avoid interrupting.
These skills are learnable. If you practice and master these skills your success in all areas of your life is virtually guaranteed.
I’m John R. Salkowski, Founder of Achieve Success Academy, Retired Cop, Survivor of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) Leading Authority on Overcoming Adversity & Fear, Achieving Greater Success & Finding Your WHY Power. Entrepreneur, Speaker and Self-Made Man.
I can be reached via email at John@JohnSalkowski.com for questions or comments. To hire John for your next speaking engagement, please send email to this address.
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