Blog: Winning through communication – Part 3

‘Communication works for those who work at it.’ Communication is less of a talent and more of a skill. Most of us are not born with it.

While some people are intuitively great communicators, it is not a skill limited to that minority. It’s something one can learn and master. The improvement in communication is directly proportionate to the investment of time and effort made into learning the skills required. It is my personal experience that bettering one’s communication is a life-long experience. There is always scope to make a better worded, more precise, more effective, resonating piece of communication. The more we communicate the nuances of it are learned and get imprinted in our minds

In the first blog of the series on winning through communication we saw why people don’t communicate and why it is important that you communicate and do it well.

In the second blog we saw the methods of communication, how to optimize the usage of these channels and challenges in communicating in the post pandemic world

In this third and final blog we take you through different means of achieving better communication. We also see how to be a good listener which is an equally vital element of good communication.

How can you learn to communicate better?

Focusing on all the key elements of communication – You need to have a clear idea if all the key elements of a communication are present in the communication which are:

Is the reason or goal for communicating coming through in entirety?
Is the communication addressing the receiver/s or audience it is meant to address?
Is the necessity of response from the audience coming across?
Is the communication in a format or through a channel that satisfies the goal?

Not rushing into communication – Any communication affords you some time to mull over and respond. Most of us are wired with a tendency to react and not respond which is because of the sense of urgency or hurry we feel. A reaction has a greater chance of being mismatched with the message you wish to convey. When you mull over and take time and respond it would be closer to the meaning intended to be conveyed.
Choosing a time or occasion conducive for proper receipt of communication – You wouldn’t want to talk to your friend and start asking him to exercise when he is blissfully enjoying his pizza or talk to your team member about the importance of financial planning when she is racing against time trying to meet a delivery deadline for a client. Choosing the right time and place makes communication better received.
Choosing simplicity, but not at the expense of clarity – A long winded communication worded with complicated vocabulary can be quite a deal breaker when a simple message would have served the purpose. There is a common misconception that flowery language and unusual terminology can uplift the quality of communication. It just helps in distancing the audience. However, if clarity of communication demands longer or more descriptive communication it cannot be ignored. Longer and detailed doesn’t equate to complicated. Even longer talks or emails can be kept simple.
Reviewing and reflecting before communicating – This is one of the most important rules of effective communication. NOT HURRYING INTO REPLYING. I can never reiterate enough the significance of pause, breathe, reflect, respond methodology. No one expects instant replies. Even if they do, unless you are in a quiz competition you are not expected to oblige. Again, taking time means, taking reasonable time. Taking an indefinite amount of time is also not the right approach. The time taken to respond should not be so long that it becomes irrelevant.
Having the big picture in mind – When you communicate, enough care should be taken that it doesn’t contradict or generate conflict with any communication relayed prior to that or what would come after yours. The long-term impact of communications and its importance in the grand scheme of things should be well thought out.
Giving opportunity for feedback from recipients – Unless it is a very transactional level communication, care is to be taken to offer a window for feedback from the recipient. It becomes a communication only then. Else, it is just information
Displaying sensitivity – Sensitivity has to be a non-negotiable component in any communication. Head and heart have a role in forming communication. Insensitivity can make the recipient either clam up and resist any further interaction, turn them antagonistic or even reject a pertinent message that is conveyed.
Being more rational and less emotional – While emotions and sensitivity has a prominent role in communication, being disproportionately emotional and even rejecting reason is something one should be vigilant against. Pragmatic, reasonable and hearty messages find easy acceptance among audience
Verbal communication matching the body language – The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said. Peter Drucker couldn’t be more correct when he said that. In any personal interaction a person’s body language and manner should match the tone and content of the words spoken. People understand what is meant better than what is said and hence a match between both is critical.
Repeating key portions and summarizing at the end – Especially in the post covid era when most communication is not face to face but largely using technology, the chances of dilution of information or leak in meaning is highly probable. It can be helpful to repeat and summarize at regular intervals to establish the comprehension.
Learning to convey unpleasant news without beating around the bush and without aggression – Relaying unpleasant news is the most dreaded form of communication. This subconsciously makes people resort to circumlocution and trying to ‘soften the blow’. Here too, while sensitivity is important it is also important to be direct about the core message that needs to be conveyed.

What is the importance of listening?

Listening is a passive yet significant component of communication. It is a unique skill that can add a lot of value to you as a good communicator. Some of the crucial things that makes one a good listener are:

Being able to listen without interrupting
Focusing and giving full attention to what is being said
Listening to understand than listening to answer
Being non-judgemental and not trying to form opinion while listening and wait for someone to stop to make your assessments
Waiting for your turn to speak

With this we conclude our three-part series on winning through communication. If you are looking for any mentoring for your team in improving their communication skills or if you are looking at equipping yourselves better as a communicator do write to us at harish@harishrao.world to know how we can help you with it. We understand the difference good communication focused mentoring can make on a person’s productivity. We would love to work with you on this or any other business coaching needs you may have!