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Improve your physical health by reducing stress caused by misunderstandings. |
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Improve your mental health by growing as a person and developing more supportive relationships. |
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Lead others to mutual benefits and goals. |
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In 1978, Daniel Yankelovich published his famous findings from research about changing workplace attitudes. With the diminishing impact of rewards to increase motivation of employees, job satisfaction now comes primarily from other sources: being recognized for individual contributions and working with people one likes in a pleasant environment. Both of these "rewards" are a result of superior communicationeither from one's supervisors or from peers or customers. |
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Here are some suggestions to improve your communication skills in general: |
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Listen to the conversation of others. Be an eavesdropper. Not only will you hear hilarious stories and arguments that make you want to take sides even when you don't know the players, but also you'll learn how tone affects others' reactions and how ambiguous words create confusion. You'll notice what works and what doesn't work for other people. Then compare your observations with the tips given in this book. |
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Consider your options and alternatives for saying things before you speak. Try to become aware of the various responses open to you when someone accuses you, angers you, praises you, or motivates you. Simply being aware of your options and ways to express those options will expand your communication horizons. No single comment is always appropriate. You want to develop flexibility in responding to different people on different occasions. Notice the various options outlined here. |
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Identify at which level most of your relationships exist. For example, do you merely recognize or acknowledge others as mere acquaintances, with a perfunctory comment such as "Nice day, isn't it?"; "How are you doing this morning?"; or ''How are things going?" Are you a step closer as casual friends in that you know each other well enough to gossip about people or to discuss upcoming events or facts of common interest? Are you close friends who share opinions, beliefs, and values? Or has your relationship progressed to the intimate-friendship stage that permits you to share feelings and thoughts about yourself and others and pass on judgments. In other words, have you as friends granted each other the freedom to say things that will improve each of you as a person? With awareness of the |
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