Communication

Good communication skills are key to success in life, work and relationships. Without effective communication, a message can turn into error, misunderstanding, frustration, or even disaster by being misinterpreted or poorly delivered.
Communication is the process by which we exchange information between individuals or groups of people. It is a process where we try as clearly and accurately as we can, to convey our thoughts, intentions and objectives.
Communication is successful only when both the sender and the receiver understand the same information. In today’s highly informational and technological environment it has become increasingly important to have good communication skills. These technological advances are great but sometimes they get in the way, more than they help us accomplish the goal. Text messaging is very effective way to communicate short, to the point questions and answers. If that is the only way you communicate however, you lose context, emotion and feelings that are conveyed in direct communication… all of which are essential in clear communication.
One of the things I have learned over the years is that it certainly helps to ensure clarity during communication. Many times, I have issued a directive on what I would like to see accomplished only to see the execution on the directive be something totally different than what I expected. Were they just a bad listener? Well, maybe. But, shame on me for not making my directive clear. Now, as often as I can, I try to ensure clarity by asking an individual to repeat back to me what I just asked from them. This helps to ensure clarity because we both walk away from the conversation with the same expectation.
While many individuals still continue to struggle, the inability to communicate effectively will hold them back not only in their careers, but in social and personal relationships.
When you take the time to acquire and hone good communication skills you open yourself up to better relationships, more career opportunities, and increased self-confidence. Moreover, you reach higher levels of mutual understanding and cooperation while successfully attaining your goals.
All new skills take time to refine, however, with effort and practice you can develop good, even exceptional, communication skills.