Team Building and Workplace Communication For SUCCESS

Charting Your Course for Effective Communication: SDI in Communication

Working with people everyday, we are often reminded of that line from a Christmas song, Do you hear what I hear? The bottom line is that… they don’t. The complex reality of communication is that we can often hear exactly the same words but extract totally different messages or meanings. There are just too many things that get in between what the message sender sends and the message receiver receives.

Charting Your Course for Effective Communication breaks down the reasons why communic

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The Dale Carnegie Course- Effective Communications and Human Relations

Contains: 12 session titles.Course objectives- build greater self-confidence, strengthen peaople skills, enhance communication skills, develop leadership skill & improve attitude.

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Effective expression: A course in communication

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Effective Communication Skills and Strategies Training

How to be a Powerful Communicator
By Brian Tracy

Your ability to communicate effectively with others will do more to make you successful than any other skill that you can develop. I’ve studied success and achievement in America for more than 30 years. I’ve spoken to more than a million people, individually and in groups, and I’ve taken extensive courses on the art of speaking and persuading others. I’ve read countless books and articles on how to influence, direct, control, negotiate and persuade other people in work and business. What I’ve learned over the years is that fully 85 percent of what you accomplish in your career and in your personal life will be determined by how well you can get your message across, how capable you are of inspiring other people to take action on your ideas and recommendations.

And more than anything else, we’re talking about happiness. You feel happy to the degree to which you can express yourself openly and honestly to others and to the degree to which others are influenced by what you have to say and how you have to say it. You can be limited in every other respect, education, contacts and intelligence, but if you can interact effectively with others, minute by minute and hour by hour, your future can be unlimited.

However, before I share with you some ideas, techniques and skills that you can use to accelerate your progress toward your goals, there are two major myths or fallacies about communication that we need to get rid of.

The first myth is that many people think that because they can talk, they can communicate with others. Men especially, according to the research, think that by speaking louder and faster, they’re more effective in dealing with other people. Many people think that because they have the “gift of the gab,” they have no problem talking to others on any subject, they’re good communicators.

This is often exactly the opposite. Many people who talk a lot are often poor communicators, even terrible communicators. Many people in sales and business think that being able to string a lot of words together in a breathless fashion makes them excellent at getting a message understood by others. However, in most cases, these people are seen by others as boring or obnoxious, or both.

Let me say this clearly and distinctly: The ability to talk is not the same as the ability to communicate. As I will discuss later, the ability to communicate means the ability to both send and receive a message. The ability to communicate means having the ability to make an impact on the thoughts, feelings and actions of another person. Many people who consider themselves excellent talkers are not very effective at all.

I give seminars all over the country, to both large and small audiences, and in every major and minor city in North America and Canada. I share ideas and strategies with more than 100,000 people a year. And at almost every seminar, someone comes up and tells me that they want to speak to audiences the way I do.

When I asked them why they want to do this, they always tell me that it’s because they enjoy talking to others. When I tell them that it will take at least a full seven years of study and practice to become a successful professional speaker, they’re usually dumbfounded. They don’t believe it. They can’t image that anything that comes as easily to them as speaking aloud, can require thousands of hours of practice to become good enough at it so that others will want to come out and hear what you have to say. But it’s the truth, nonetheless.

So the starting point of dispelling the first myth, the myth that speaking is equal to communicating, is not to allow yourself to become complacent. Being able to speak aloud to one or more persons is only the basic requirement for communication. It’s the starting point. It’s the jumping-off place. Communicating effectively is something else again.

The second myth about effective communicating is that it’s something that people are born with. Either you have it or you don’t have it. If you’re not extroverted gregarious and outgoing, then you don’t have what it takes to be a good communicator.

Again, nothing could be further from the truth. Communicating is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding a bicycle or typing on a typewriter. It takes time and practice, over and over again. But if you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the overall quality of every part of your life, as you will soon see.

Effective communication requires both a sender and a receiver. This is the first thing that you need to learn. Although it happens rapidly, the same process takes place when two or more people communicate. First, the sender thinks of an idea or image that he or she wishes to convey to the receiver. The sender then translates the idea or image into a form, or words, either written or spoken. These words constitute the basic message which is transmitted to the receiver. The receiver catches the words, like a baseball player catching the baseball, and then translates the words into the ideas and pictures that they represent in order to understand the message that was sent.

The receiver then acknowledges receipt, and replies by translating his or her ideas and pictures into words and re-transmitting them to the original sender. When the sender has been received and the receiver has acknowledged it by transmitting a response that the sender receives, accepts and understands, the communication is complete.

If this sounds complicated, it is. Probably 99 percent of all of the difficulties between human beings, and within organizations, are caused by breakdowns in this communication process. Either people do not say what they mean clearly enough, or other people do not receive the message that was sent in the form in which it was intended.

An enormous number of factors can interfere in any communication and every one of them can lead to a distortion of the message in some way. Probably every problem you’ll ever have will be somehow associated with a failure or breakdown in the communication process.

Let me explain. According to Albert Mehrabian of the University of Southern California at Los Angeles, there are three elements in any direct, face-to-face communication. They are the elements of words, tone of voice and body language. You’ve probably heard that words only account for 7 percent of the message. Tone of voice counts for 38 percent of the message and body language counts for fully 55 percent of the message. For an effective communication to take place, all three parts of the message must be congruent and consistent with each other. If there is any congruency, the receiver will be confused and will have a tendency to accept the predominant form of communication rather than simply the literal meaning or words.

For example, someone can say, “I love you very much.” However, the tone of voice can dramatically distort the meaning of these words. By placing an emphasis on different words or by “coloring” the statement with emotion rather than making it cold and distant, the meaning of these words can change significantly.

Here are several way the same words could be said:

“I love you very much.” “I love you very much.” “I love you very much.” “I love you very much” and “I love you very much.”

In each case, the emphasis and tone changes the message that is being communicated. Very often, you will say something to a person and the other person will be offended. When you try to show that the words that you used were inoffensive, the other person will tell you that it was the tone of voice that was the issue.

The third ingredient of conversation, body language, is also very important. The way you sit or stand or incline your head or move your eyes, relative to the person with whom you’re communicating, will have an enormous effect on the actual message received.

For example, you can dramatically increase the effect of your communications by leaning toward the speaker. If you’re sitting down, this is easy. If you’re standing up, you can accomplish the same effect by shifting your weight forward onto the balls of your feet and leaning slightly forward toward the person that you’re talking to. When you face the person directly and also give the person direct eye and face contact, combined with focused attention, you double the impact of what you’re saying.

In fact, one of the easiest ways for you to break off a conversation, almost like knocking a needle off the record, is by just turning away from a person and looking into the distance when he or she is speaking. It will usually cause the other person to stop speaking abruptly. They will feel that they’ve just been abandoned in the middle of their conversation.

So your choice of words is important, but even more important is your tone of voice and your body language. The more you can coordinate all three of these ingredients, the more impactful will be your message and the greater will be the likelihood that the other person both understands and reacts the way you want them to.

What Makes Effective Communication Possible?

Given all the models for effective approaches to successful business communication to date, what in fact holds water?  In other words, what’s the foundation of the concepts that really work-over time and over the countless challenges of communicating effectively with associates, prospects, customers, and so forth?  Obviously, many models do have substantial benefit.  Otherwise, they wouldn’t have lasted as long as they have.  But, many have wondered, what is the common theme running through these successful approaches?

The answer is surprisingly simple: an approach to communication that transcends selfish ego and that reaches beyond the person-to-person gap so that both perspectives are respected and understood, in due course leading to success.  To test this statement, and that you’ve used-effectively for a while-but that were nevertheless soon taken over by a seemingly more attractive model, promising more benefits.

With that simple answer, on the other hand, comes the next challenge:  how to attain the disposition and skills involved in such effective communication so that they’re not soon forgotten.  How much of that disposition and those skills are an inborn part of our personality, how much is learned in the course of growing up, and how much can be acquired at this point in our careers-whether through reading books, listening to CDs, attending training seminars, or just plain practice?  And finally, how much can we add to our understanding of this by exploring the current research on the neuroscience of business behavior?

The ultimate question becomes, what is the conceptual framework that ties it all together so that we can accelerate our success  by more easily coming across not only persuasively, with honesty and integrity, but also with authenticity, which cannot be faked?

Barriers to Effective Communication

Barriers to Effective Communication

The main reason ESL students want to learn English is to communicate, whether that be in a social, academic or business setting. There are some students who study English just for specific exam requirements, but the majority are focused on the aforementioned three areas. One of the areas we focus on during the TEFL course at Chiang Mai University is teaching TEFL students to communicate effectively and having them identify possible barriers to effective communication.

Communication is a dynamic process that involves two or more people. It is easy for miscommunication to occur when external or internal hindrances become a part of the equation. Whether these barriers are physical or psychological, the effect can hamper understanding on both sides. Often being aware of these elements and having strategies to immediately deal with them will be enough to prevent serious miscommunication from happening. Also, keep in mind that these can apply to one or both of the communicators.

Culture – As TEFL teachers you will constantly be involved in acts of intercultural communication. It is important to acknowledge how much our cultural perspective affects how we communicate. It is equally important to make your students aware of this aspect of language learning; that they are not only learning language content, they are also learning how to use that within a certain cultural framework.

Bias – Everyone brings their own biases to communicative situations. It is important to know what these are and when it is appropriate to introduce them. Do not let your biases affect how you correct a student and what you consider to be “correct” or “incorrect”. A large part of language is a stylistic choice, which is highly personal. Remember that you are focusing on the communicative fluency of your students and their ability to be as widely understood as possible. As with culture, make your students aware of the idea of bias and how it can affect their communication with others.

The “It’s All About Me” Complex – A person whose focus is always on themselves is never fully engaging in effective communication. This can range from thinking about what you are going to say next instead of listening to complete self-absorption. An example would be a student who thinks they already have all the answers and that you cannot possibly teach them anything new.  Learn to identify this behaviour and how to deal with students who exhibit it.

Stress – The effects of stress on people are very real and wide-ranging. Learn to recognise areas of stress for you and how to deal effectively with them. It is useful to have strategies for both bigger life picture and situational stress. ESL Teaching is a demanding job and bringing stress into your classroom will adversely affect both the teaching environment and the students. As a TEFL teacher it is your job to do your best to create as comfortable and stress-free an environment as possible. Acknowledge to your students that language learning can be a stressful undertaking and help them develop ways to deal with it effectively.

Communication Styles – The different ways in which individuals communicate can sometimes hamper the message from being understood. Be aware of your personal style and how it is perceived in your classroom. Also, work with students on ways to improve their communication styles if it is hampering their communicative effectiveness.
Noise – Background noise affects people in different ways. Some people are able to easily filter it out and remain focused. For others it is difficult to focus on anything other than the noise once they have heard it. Create as noise-friendly a classroom environment as possible. Where it is out of your control, improvise solutions as best you can (e.g. closing windows, speaking louder).

Physical Environment – The physical learning space can have a huge impact on effective communication. Be aware of how things like seating and where you stand can change the communicative situation. Unfortunately, in many classrooms it is a matter of coming up with the best solution possible rather than creating an ideal classroom. Also, keep in mind that things like lighting and air conditioning can affect your students’ focus.

Distractions – Unusual occurrences can often impede your message from being heard. Some examples are: bugs in the TEFL classroom, an unexpected commotion or a disruptive student. Each situation will require a different response from you, ranging from taking action, acknowledging it, ignoring it or incorporating it.

Communication tip – explaining when to usefully refer to identity and when to refer to behaviour when communicating a message or feedback to someone. Aimed at helping you to increase the positive impact of your communications. Presented by Tony Burgess, Director of Academy of High Achievers Ltd www.aha-success.com For more communication and language tips you can download a FREE resource at www.hypnoticlanguagemastery.com This is just one tip of many that is included in NLP training. Tony Burgess and his partner Julie French run NLP Practitioner training. This training is full of great mindset and communication techniques that really help you to step up your own level of success and achievement. This is great for your own personal development and also for supporting others to become more successful and to achieve more. Taken together and applied, these approaches can lead to really inspiring results. Are you ready for inspiration?
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Ten Commandments of Effective Communication

Without communication we will not be able to interact in a civilized manner. Without communication we will not be able to create modern societies. Without communication we would not be able to create prosperity for ourselves. Without communication we would not be able to construct organizations necessary for the reproduction of material wealth. Communication is the most important building block of human civilization. According to the German philosopher Jurgen Habermas the social reality consists of two parts: system and lifeworld. The system consists of the political subsystem and the economic subsystem. The lifeworld consists of the private domain and the public domain. Communication in the system occurs strategically or is based on finding ways to find and refine various methods and techniques to make our lives wealthier and more efficient. Communication in the lifeworld is the opposite; it is based on symmetric relationships between people and is aimed towards finding consensus on many issues facing our social reality. Communication in the lifeworld is truly aimed at finding common grounds between all people involved. For this reason Habermas calls all interaction in the lifeworld communicative rationality.

If communication is so important then this implies a certain competency level in the strategies and tactics of communication possessed by all people irrespective of their education, social background, nationality, and common language. This is unfortunately not true because a large number of people do not have the proper communication skills necessary to become successful. Most of them are simply muddling through their daily lives using basic communication skills which are barely enough to keep their heads above the water. What are actually the characteristics of good communicators? Below are some typical characteristics which good communicators possess:

1. Good communicators pay attention to everything the other person is communicating;

2. Good communicators constantly think about the nature of their messages: they always think about when, where, and how they will deliver their messages;

3. Good communicators always try to find the right combination of words, body language, dress, and tone of voice before sending a message;

4. Good communicators try to avoid using the same words when sending their message to different persons because no one person is identical. Good communicators try to find out what is important for the other person;

5. Good communicators are always ready to be flexible or try to move on after delivering their message by reaching a decision, solving a problem, negotiating a compromise, etc;

6. Good communicators are fully aware of the reciprocal nature of communication which is a process of giving and receiving a message. Good communication is a like a dance which entails leading and following.

Although the above typical characteristics seem to be obvious and easy to understand, many people have difficulties applying them in a consistent manner. Communication is a process which is comparable to driving a car. The more you do it, the better driver you will become. Experience is the best teacher in communication. Moreover, the willingness to learn from your experiences is very important. Of course we make mistakes, but we try to learn from those mistakes and become better next time.

Having explained the above characteristics of good communicators, what are the ten commandments of effective communication?

1. Always try to give feedback based on facts and not on opinions and/or emotions which might upset or offend the other person;

2. Always try to empathize or to see a situation from the other’s point view. Try to accept the other person’s views without preaching and/or moralizing;

3. Criticize using neutral language and tone of voice;

4. Say what you mean without becoming sarcastic;

5. If you want something from others, ask, don’t command;

6. Give the other person a chance to speak, don’t slip into ‘railroading’;

7. Explain why something needs to happen, don’t threaten;

8. Don’t give advice or opinions if people don’t ask for it;

9. Be to the point, avoid vagueness at all cost;

10. Don’t talk down or up to others; avoid diverting the conversation to trivial matters.

My name is Martin Hahn Ph.D. and I am an industrial sociologist with more than 20 years experience in teaching, management consulting, and corporate training. For more info and purchase my e-book, please visit:http://martinimhahn.com.

Oxford Business English Skills: Effective Meetings DVD

Effective Meetings is for anyone who has to chair or attend meetings and wants to get more out of them.

The eight free-standing units deal with areas such as preparing for a meeting, making your views heard, and clarifying action to be taken.

The meetings take place in and between two companies, giving examples of both formal and more informal meetings.

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The Fine Art of Effective Communication

Copyright (c) 2009 Willie Horton

On many of my workshops, I quote a piece of well known research into the effectiveness and impact of communication. The effect on those with whom we communicate is dictated by body language, tone of voice and our words. Body language accounts for an enormous 56% of the overall effect, tone of voice accounts for another 36% and the actual words we use only account for 8%.

I also discuss acclaimed communicators, like Jack Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Barak Obama and, unfortunately, Adolf Hitler. The effect they have or had on their audiences has been enormous, in some cases mesmeric and historically defining. These guys didn’t communicate by email or Twitter – sure Obama uses modern technology to deliver information – but the delivery of information and real and effective communication are two completely different things.

When I work with senior business people, often CEOs, they are concerned to ensure that they get their communication right – communication of key information, corporate vision, the next major sales campaign. As a result, what do we have in large organisations? Email, multiple emails (to cover the email writer’s ass!), Blackberries, intranets, forums – a long list of technology-aided dissemination of information. In the process, communication never actually takes place effectively, if at all.

When I work with personal clients, I often touch on personal communications problems – husbands and wives who no longer communicate – sports coaches who haven’t the first idea on how to effectively develop their charges’ talents , because very often sports people are highly visual and the coach doesn’t appreciate the fact.

Regardless of which aspect of modern life you look at, we’re all fooling ourselves into believing that we’re more effective communicators than ever. People text each other rather than talk. Twitter users are obsessed with getting more followers – quantity matters, quality does not. Same with LinkedIn – when I send a personal message to a contact, I invariably get a reply which, at first sight, seems personal but, in fact, is automatic and generic. Send someone your information and you automatically get their sales pitch back – everyone’s emailing, no one’s communicating. Friends “chat” on Facebook – but don’t actually chat anymore. I admit to being a Twitter user – and saw a wonderful “tweet” a couple of weeks back. The writer suggested that Twitter and Facebook should merge and be called TwitFace because so many idiots waste so much time and energy “communicating”, while no one’s really listening.

But – and here’s a big but – if you want to be successful and happy, professionally and personally, you can’t get by without being an impressive, real, communicator. To be an effective and impressive communicator, you need to both be present and have presence. First of all, at the very least, stop texting and emailing and pick up the ‘phone! Best of all, create time to actually, physically, be with those whom you wish to impress – that’s about the only way that they’ll be able to appreciate your body language. If you do that, of course, you open up a whole new can of worms. People start worrying about their body language – “experts” teach them how to use effective body language, which invariably comes across as false! If you have presence, however, body language looks after itself. What do I mean by that?

Truly great communicators have presence and, as a result, they are impressive. Presence simply means that they are more present in the moment than the average normal person. Research proves that normal people are never really present, only paying perhaps as little as 1% attention to the present moment. If you want to have presence, all you need to do is be more present – to do that, all you need to do is be more attentive to the here and now. That means that you give yourself space and time to notice and appreciate the present moment. If you develop presence, by your very presence you will become impressive – an inspirational communicator – one whose attentiveness to the moment and to those with whom you are present will simply enable your body language and tone of voice to be effortlessly effective.

We develop presence through calming our mind and re-developing our innate ability to pay attention to the here and now. This can be done through something as structured and formal as daily meditation (highly recommended by the way!) or by simply creating space and time for, for example, going for a stroll to appreciate what you see, feel, hear, smell and taste. If you deliberately set time aside to regularly practice your attentiveness, then you will have the necessary presence when the critical moment demands it. Then, you will be an exponent of the fine art of real and effective communication.

Oxford Business English Skills: Effective Presentations DVD

Effective Presentations teaches the skills needed to make clear, well-organized presentations.

Each of the nine free-standing units focuses on a specific area such as structuring the presentation, making a good introduction, and handling questions effectively.

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