WORK COMMUNICATION SKILLS

“THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN COMMUNICATION IS HEARING WHAT ISN’T SAID” ~ PETER DRUCKER

Communication, what most of us ask for, but barely understand the concept on its own exists as an entity that can be divided and subdivided to make sense of more meanings than we can comprehend. Since the beginning of time , Man has been working hard to channel how he will convey messages to another human being . Symbols and simple tools like drums were believed to be the most effective method to communicating.

Moving forward to now, Billions is invested globally to technologically advance our current communication methods and gadgets, all in the view of improving communication but even with the most smart of smart phones, the smart question is , does it really help your communication skills?

Human beings tend to have a tendency to lapse in communication especially if it something that directly impacts their needs. That is why, workplace communication is thin ice they avoid to trend on even if they are given light wings to fly across.

Why is that? Communication sells and that is why for a pharmaceutical rep , a recruiting personnel will be inclined to take someone who can not only communicate verbally but has also mastered the art of communicating with the body language.

To master Communication, One must understand the response of the crowd who they refer to as their audience. He/ She has to work has to understand that it is not about being heard as much as listening. Listening to someone keenly not only helps address the issue but looks beyond being right, and more into resolving or handling the reason why you began communicating in the first place.

In most workplaces, we have different types of listeners

• The one who listens but less keen so, they offer vague feedback- Lets call this guy John
• Then there is Stacey- The one who listens with intent of deriving only what she wants to hear and is mostly in defensive or argumentative mode
• Luke- Passive listener , unless it is directly and indirectly involved. Avoids contributing any feedback officially
• Nancy- Attentive listener, but offers no feedback
• Asha- Great Listener, Listens and asks question with intent to learn.

So, who are you in your workplace ?