12 tips to improve your communication skills
TRANSCRIPT
Tips to Improve Your Communication Skills
12
PARAPHRASE
Encourage paraphrasing to ensure the recipient understands your message.
1
Please let me know in your own words what I just
said.
ASK QUESTIONS 2
Questions help us !nd out what is in the other person’s
head.
What? When? Where? Who? Why? How? Do? Will? Can?
STOP TOXIC
EMAILS
3
Emails are mostly one-way
communication and not well suited to resolving
con"ict or misunderstandings.
Do not send angry emails. Pick up the phone or go and see the person instead.
GET PEOPLE’S ATTENTION
Create an ac)ve subject line in your emails so people know what they have to do.
4 A subject line like ‘For
CEO’s urgent signature’ will get more attention than ‘Finance proposal’.
USE THE SEVEN Cs OF COMMUNICATION 5
Concreteness means being more definite, and vivid rather than
general and repe))ve.
* Sco$ M. Cutlip, Allen H. Center (1952) Effec<ve public rela<ons: pathways to public favour.
THINK ABOUT WHETHER PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW OR BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING
This should inform the choice of the most effective channels for your communication piece.
6 Presenta)ons help
people know what to do, demonstra)ons and
prac)ce help them learn how to do it.
WHAT GETS MEASURED GETS DONE (PETER DRUCKER)
7
A standard is an expression of the expecta)ons of the outputs or outcomes
to be met.
Link instructions with performance standards to performance measurement and provide feedback about people’s performance against the standard.
FEEL THINK
DO
8 ‘People will not always
remember what you said, but they will always
remember how you made them feel.’ (Adapted from
Maya Angelou)
When communica)ng set out to make people feel something first, then think, then do.
SPEND 90% OF YOUR COMMUNICATION IN ASSERTIVE MODE
Being assertive helps create a shared understanding, keeps communication channels open, reduces errors and increases productivity.
9
Being asser)ve means directly expressing your needs and
ascertaining those of your listener.
DO NOT ASSUME
10 To understand a message properly, do not assume.
If you do, you are making an ASS out of U
and ME.
ASK OPEN QUESTIONS 11
Using ‘What?’ instead of ‘Why?’ encourages the conversation to
remain on friendly or neutral terrain.
Asking open questions enables a rich and detailed dialogue.
LISTEN ACTIVELY
Use active listening skills when interacting with people.
12
When communicating, be like an elephant. Big ears and small
mouth.
