Do You Hear What I Hear?
Or, How Are Your Business Communication Skills?
Business is all about relationships and relationships depend on communication. Communication isn’t just about talking, it’s also listening and verifying that those in the conversation are “hearing” the same meanings.
If you’ve ever been in a situation where someone misinterpreted what you said, you’ve experienced a communication challenge. Communication skills can be learned or improved, but the first step is awareness. Listen first to yourself, what you say and how you say it. Are you choosing the best words for your purpose? What tone are you using and what’s your body language conveying? You might want to try asking the other person for feedback or to repeat back to you what they heard using their own words. This not only helps you know if you are being clear, it tells you how differently others can interpret your choice of words. You may discover clues to how you can improve your language and other communication skills.
Second, listening to others is vital to good communication, because it accomplishes the most fundamental communication tenant, which is to know your audience. STOP thinking about what you want to say next, just listen. When you listen intently, you can learn a lot about the other person’s purpose and point of view. This can make it much easier to understand them and in turn communicate back to them successfully. If you find yourself confused or are not comfortable with how you interpret their intent or their conversation, stop and repeat back to them what you heard in your own words. It’s the quickest way to make sure that you both understand each other. Understanding is the common denominator of good relationships.
