THE VISION -
By Salim Said al Riyami -
salimriyami2000@yahoo.co.uk -
Effective communication is the most vital component in today’s corporate world. It is an art to get your message across successfully! To get a message across clearly means that the thoughts and ideas are communicated clearly and there is no miscommunication between the sender and receiver. Communication is verbal (words), visual (body language) and vocal (tone).
Below are some effective ways, which are encouraged by many practitioners, in order to enhance effective communication:
Plan your communication: When in office, the communication has to be strictly professional. Managers or peers must have proper documents of all the points to be covered while communicating with other employees. Best communication starts with good planning. Include everything that you want to communicate, as missing even a single important point might create a problem. In such a scenario where everyone is connected with everyone else, how you communicate and get your point across has the potential to make or break your career.
Clarity and consistency: Think carefully what you need to say, avoid using ambiguous words and jargons. It is not necessary to use the medium of prose or poetry akin to literature. Also, be transparent — people respect those who speak honestly without any hidden agenda. Consistency is the key; you are entitled to change your opinion but do it too often, and others will only dismiss your views.
Be a good listener: The ability to listen carefully to what someone else is saying is a vital communication skill to have. Listen to each other. If you constantly talk and rarely listen you have failed.
Adapt a problem solving approach, and accept constructive criticism: Adopt a problem solving mind set, rather than a negative confrontational one. When negative language is used, it puts the listener on the defence, right from the start focus on the issue is lost and it becomes personal. In addition, no one likes to be told that he/she is wrong. However, if genuine and heartfelt appreciation is shown it makes the criticism more palatable. It is not personal, at the end of the day’s business is about diversity of opinions and your opinions will not find acceptance always. All conflicts ideally should be resolved only in person; never on phone or e-mail.
