Effective Communication

Developing the skill of effective communication can do wonders for the quality of your life and your relationships. One of the major causes of arguments and disagreements is not being able to convey the right message. Far too many marriages have ended in divorce due to miscommunication. If you look at the business world, lack of proper communication can cause all sorts of problems from loss of sales, loss of jobs, to the downfall of companies. Let's explore some ways on how you can improve your communication skills in order to better send your message to the other person. So what is effective communication anyway? Simply put, it is the condition where a receiver gets the message from the sender in exactly the way the sender has intended it. In other words, if you tell someone your phone number and they get it correctly, you have succeeded. If however, you give your phone number but the other person gets it wrong, then there is a problem. It can be the sender's fault, the receiver's fault, or both. These misinterpretations of the message are called barriers. So what are some common barriers of effective communication? One common problem is that the receiver doesn't want to listen to the sender. I'm sure you have experienced this. You are trying to tell someone something and they just won't listen to you. It can be because they aren't focused, or they are upset and don't want to bother, or they just don't care. Another common barrier has to do with the sender not conveying the message clearly. This can be due to things like not being able to come up with the right words, giving a bad example, or simply not understanding the message enough to explain it to the receiver. Having effective communication skills can be critical if you are talking about business. Let's say your boss asks you to do something and you end up doing the wrong thing. Whether it's the boss's fault for not giving you clear instructions or you not receiving the message correctly, the bottom line is that the job wasn't done. This can cost the company money. This is why having effective business communications is so vital whether it's verbal or written. Miscommunication can cost a lot of money. Taking time to work on effective communication in the workplace will not only help the business run more smoothly but it will also prevent resentments and arguments. When communicating a message to the other person, one thing you can do is to make sure the other person understands your message. Don't just assume that they do, make sure of it especially if it's something really important. You can do this simply by asking them to explain what you just told them. Just make sure you do it in a nice way. As the receiver or listener, it's a good practice to paraphrase what the other person just told you. This will accomplish two things. The first thing is that you will make sure you understood the message in your own words. The second thing is that the other person will know that you are truly listening. This will also reduce the chances of any miscommunication. There are a lot of courses you can take or books you can read about the subject of effective communication. Sometimes, you can say the right things, have the listener hear exactly what you said, and still have miscommunications happen. This can occur when the two parties have different definitions of certain words or even facial expressions. This is especially important in relationships where just using one wrong word can set off a chain reaction that can end up in the relationship ending. Constant communication and refining the quality and effectiveness of the communication can do wonders for a relationship. It might not be the easiest thing to do but since having effective communication is so important, you need to spend the time to develop that skill as well as get your partner to learn it with you.