Blog Writing Number Three.

HOW DO I COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY WITH OTHERS?

1. Be clear about what you want to express. Often we spend more time speaking about superficial matters rather than addressing the core, significant and underlying concepts. To communicate effectively with another requires an inner clarity and a thorough communication with yourself.

2. Tact and good manners matter. But don't let good manners inhibit you from speaking your truth. If your communication isn't honest, integrity is lost and relationships suffer. Tact matters as much as honesty.

3. Precision matters. Expressing yourself fully involves choosing your words precisely. We're frequently sloppy in our communication and speak in vague terms. What suffers is that concepts and feelings don't come to life when we're not communicating clearly. Effective communication involves using precise language - words that accurately reflect and express our experience, perceptions, dreams, desires and disappointments.

4. Perspective matters. From what perspective do you speak? We each have different perspectives based on our positions, motivations & needs. Understand the framework you speak & listen from. Recognize that your framework influences how you listen and what you listen for.

5. Silence. Communication isn't only the words a person verbalizes - it's also the silence between the words. We learn about each other by what we don't say as much as by what we say. We learn about each other by listening to which topics we discuss as well as the ones we avoid. This occurs in all types of relationships - organizational, professional and intimate. 

Communication involves all of these things. Effective communication therefore requires awareness, flexibility and an acute yet agile listening - there's a lot to listen for.