Great communication begins with connection; constantly talking is not necessarily communicating.
Effective communication depends on the words we choose, how we say these words and our body language. These define how you convey and receive information, interact with others, and even tackle issues such as potential conflicts in the workplace.
We communicate with people throughout each day. We communicate through conversation, our expressions and body language, social media, email, telephone, etc. We rely on our communication skills to further our friendships, plan vacations, repair marriages, order dinner, accept job offers etc.
In the age of knowledge, ideas are the foundation of success in almost every field. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can’t persuade anyone else to follow your vision, your influence and impact will be greatly diminished.
Theo Gold said, “Communication is your ticket to success if you pay attention and learn to do it effectively.”
We notice how communication barriers in the workplace can be easily influenced by, establishing clear guidelines, learning team preferences and strengths, remaining flexible and taking feedback which creates opportunities for social interaction.
Workplace communication not only helps in delegating tasks and goals to team members but it’s also useful in mitigating conflicts and keeping everyone on the same page.
Active listening, information overload, selective perception and cultural diversity are all common communication barriers in an organisation that we should actively engage in reflecting on our own communication skills.
I take with me what Andy Stanley said, “Every time I stand to communicate, I want to take one simple truth and lodge it in the heart of the listener. I want them to know that one thing and know what to do with it.” We all have a responsibility to communicate effectively with our audience. Learning to communicate requires us to know our audience and be able to make our points without a lot of filters and stumbling. It’s not only about what we first hear, we must listen to the words as well as listen for the reason behind the words. Communication is a skill that can be learnt, only if we are willing to work at it.
