How to Become An Effective Communicator

Effective communications begins with the sender. As the sender of any communication, it is your responsibility to make sure you are understood. The following guidelines will help you become a more effective communicator.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A plan
• Something to say
• Someone to say it to

1. Establish credibility. Before you decide to communicate with a given person, you must lay the groundwork for the first conversation and all the others that will follow. You must have the respect of the person or people you are talking to or your message will not be received as you intended. Build a reputation of being trustworthy, hones, pleasant and kind and your information and you will be seen as reliable and informative.

2. Know your audience. The more you understand your audience, the more you can customize your communication style to their particular expectations. This knowledge comes from observation, listening and asking questions, even before you prepare what you are going to say.

3. Choose An Appropriate Communications Method for your audience. When you know your audience, you can communicate on their level of understanding. We all know if we are talking to small children, that we should use short sentences and easy to understand words. The same rule should apply with everyone you are communicating with. Do not talk over someone or try to impress him or her by using a vocabulary that is not at the level of the ones you are trying to communicate with.

4. Organize your message. Before you begin, ask your self, “What do I want to say?” Write down what your main points are and develop a short outline of what topics you are going to discuss. See if you can get your point across in three minutes or less, as that is the average length of time people will listen before they decide if what you are saying is important to them or worth their time.

5. Deliver you message with respect. Always treat the listener with respect. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes and speak the way you would want to be spoken to. Make sure your attitude, voice inflection and body language enforces your show of respect for the listener.

6. Ask for feedback. Feedback is one of the most effective tools for bridging gaps in our communication with others. Once you have made your point and you are sure you communicated it effectively, ask the receiver for feedback on what you have just said to them. Allow the listener to repeat what you have said and listen to them – they are your best judge of how well you communicate with others.

Tips & Warnings

• Never use slang or technical jargon unless you know your audience understands the vocabulary you are using.
• Be aware of cultural difference when speaking to others. In some cultures, looking someone directly in the eyes while talking to them is insulting; know where your audience comes from.
• Be aware of your own assumptions and preconceived notions. You must be able to look past racial and ethnic heritage communication styles and speak with respect and clarity to everyone, no matter what their education, income or personalities.

[MrBrett]

on 7/6/2009 This is a very valuable article. thx 5's

[nikki1]

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[goldiec]

on 3/11/2009 communicating! sorry I spelled it wrong.

[goldiec]

on 3/11/2009 Great article on communitcating. I couldn't have said it better myself! 5*