COMMUNICATION SKILLS

The Four OARS of Communication That Will Lead You to Success

By Shameem Farooqui?

29th August, 2022

The ability to communicate clearly and effectively is a skill that allows you to operate in any environment. Communication can be challenging in any business, but particularly so when the stakes are high, stress is high and time is short. Communication is an essential skill for operating in any environment. The ability to convey ideas clearly and meaningfully can have a direct impact on your success. Whether you’re communicating with coworkers, customers or vendors, effective communication will help you achieve your goals. If you want to be more successful personally and professionally, you need to develop your communication skills. This blog post will introduce you to the four OARS of personal success — aka "The FourCs" — which will help you develop these important skills.

Communication is the key to success

Communication is the most important skill in business, yet too often it is neglected or poorly executed. Highly effective communicators are rare and are paid a premium. The first step to improving your communication is to recognize the challenges you face and create a plan to overcome them. Most challenges fall into one of four categories: - You don’t know what you think. - You don’t know how to say it. - You’re not sure they’ll listen. - You don’t know how to respond when something goes wrong.

Organize your thinking before you speak or write

Put yourself in your reader’s or listener’s shoes. What are they expecting? What are they hoping to get? Most people communicate at about 60% efficiency – which means that only 60% of the reader or listener actually understands the message. The other 40% goes to the birds. That’s why you have to organize your thinking before you write or speak. Organizing your thoughts before you communicate is critical, whether you’re speaking with your boss about a promotion or writing an email to a customer about a problem with their order. If you just jump in and start talking or typing, you’re likely to forget to mention key points or, worse, you might say something that you didn’t mean to say at all.

Ask yourself who, what, when, where and why

The first step of communication is to ask yourself “why am I communicating this?” “Who am I communicating this to?” If it’s an email or a letter, you would add “what am I communicating?” and “when do I want them to receive it?” Next, “where will they read or hear it?” Finally, “who will they pass this on to?” The more you can organize your thinking and ensure that you’re covering all the right bases, the more likely you are to be successful. If you’re communicating in person, you would ask yourself “who am I communicating with?” and “what do I want them to take away from this conversation?” Additionally, you would reflect on “how do I want them to feel?” “where do I want the conversation to take place?” “when do I want to have the conversation?” “who will this conversation affect or be heard by?”

Review your communication for effectiveness

Communication is a dynamic process. In other words, you’re not just putting words on a page or speaking a few times and then moving on. You’re going to be communicating throughout the day, the week and the month. Most people don’t review their communication to see how effective it is. They just go on to the next thing, hoping that the person on the other side of the conversation or communication received it the way that they intended it. The best way to review your communication for effectiveness is to use the SIFT method. SIFT stands for situation, impression, feeling, and action. It’s a great way to review any communication and make any necessary changes or adjustments.

Summing up

This article has explored the importance of effective communication in the workplace and offered readers a look into the four OARS of personal success -- aka "The FourCs" -- which will help you develop these important skills. If you want to be more successful personally and professionally, you need to develop your communication skills. This blog post will introduce you to the four OARS of personal success - or the "FourCs" - which will help you develop these important skills. We encourage you to apply the information you've learned in this article. With consistent effort, you'll be amazed at how your communication skills can grow and impact every aspect of your life.

Thanks for reading!