 Steven
Covey said: Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
That means listening comes first.
Ah, a key!
Remove your fear of being seen or being known... and
communicate. That is the only way you can make your contribution
to any relationship or workplace.
What you say today should agree with what you said yesterday and what
you will say tomorrow. Your words need to be consistent with your actions.
Repeatedly, I tell clients, when in doubt, believe the behavior. It is
shouting!
How does your body language fit with your words? Or, are those two actually
fighting? Which message will be heard? The body. Why? Because we learned
to read body language far earlier than we understood the words. There
is a great tendency, though, for adults to ignore body language to avoid
confrontation. Why? They also need conflict management
skills!
What's the difference between communicating and communication?
What does it mean 'to communicate'?
"To convey knowledge of or information about: to reveal by clear
signs; to cause to pass from one to another; to transmit information;
to open into each other."
And what is 'communication'?
"An act or instance of transmitting; a process by which information
is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols,
signs or behavior"
Now, clearly, it is not simply enough to communicate
but it is necessary to engage in communication for folks to be...and
feel...valued!
You can COMMUNICATE all you like, but if the COMMUNICATION
isn't clear and concise your message can get lost.
You want your communication to convey
your message effectively. Why?
So that you will achieve the result you want. That is
the purpose of communication.
To create this EXCHANGE of information, many skills are required. Fortunately,
these can be learned.
Effective Communication can be learned. Optimize! Institute
can teach you.
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