Want Better Communication Skills?...
A single web page on all you need to know about communication?
Now that is good communicatin'!
- Of course it would be almost impossible for me to
communicate the complexities of communication - verbal,
nonverbal, effective, improving
skills, communication in relationships, interpersonal relations etc. - in
800 words or so.
- In fact, there are an awful lot of websites and web pages
about communication. And I'm sure there are thousands of self
help books too on the subject.
This page will help. Yes, this will get you started in basic communication skills via my own experiences and via content (and a communication test) from respected communications-related websites. Skills for good communication await both you and I - oral skills, listening skills, even effective interpersonal communication skills, the lot.
Your job (and mine) is simply to read and to put into practice. Enjoy. Oh, and do get involved please, and tell us what you think! But now, some talking waterlillies...
"Okay, okay, if we want to listen to everyone then we'll
be just have to take our turn. Let the smallest of us go first!"
Communication Skills
What the Self Help Collective says...
Well, this is what you'll find on the Self Help Collective website - the communication of many, all carefully selected and commented on by me:
EFFECTIVE SKILLS Barbara White provides lots of tips and examples of effective communication skills, including a close look at listening skills...
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IMPROVING SKILLS "Improve Your Communication Skill and Succeed is Michael Lee's article on communication skills. See if you agree with him...
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COMMUNICATION IN RELATIONSHIPS "Richard Mansell gives us 10 steps that can help our interpersonal communications...
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INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS Discover 6 ways to improve your interpersonal skills to unknown heights - Abhishek Agarwal's sensible assertiveness advice... |
LISTENING SKILLS Would you like to improve your listening skills when you communicate? Good. Effective communication begins with...
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RELATIONSHIP FORUM Why not get involved in our Relationships Advice Forum - with you, me & Paula Renaye...
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What I say...
I have a confession to make: I think I'm pretty good at communicating. I'd even go so far as to say that said communication skills - verbal, written, listening - are one of my strengths.
I also know that I make many communication mistakes each and every day - as do people who have relationships with me - so I could definitely do with improving and becoming more effective at communicating.
Yes, there are days when I listen closely to people and respond accordingly and there are other days when I can't wait to finish their sentence or I'm thinking about something else at the same time as they're talking to me. Ooops!
Like you,
probably, I know what it takes to communicate effectively; it's doing it that's
the hard bit.
Worse, though, are the times that I've already decided that whatever the person is going to say to me is 'wrong' (and you only have to read self-help books like How to Befriend Your Shadow or Bonds That Make Us Free to understand how self-sabotage can undermine effective communication). This type of behaviour does not make for good interpersonal relations, oh no!
Yes, as David Bowie once sang, "It ain't easy!"
Still, it is possible to communicate more effectively, I know it is. How? Learn
from others, learn from ourselves but always, always be doing - that's how.
One
last thing to say about communication. Yes, I joke (above) about not being able
to explain communication on a single page. Some people, however - cleverer people
than me - are able to reduce communication into a single communication quotation. Like these guys...
"When
I am at Milan, I do as they do at Milan;
but when I go to Rome, I do as Rome
does"
-- St. Augustine
"Each of us tends to think we see
things as they are, that we are
objective. But this is not the case. We see
the world, not as it is, but
as we are - or as we are conditioned to see it."
-- Dr. Stephen Covey
"Communication is a skill that you can
learn. It's like riding a bicycle
or typing. If you're willing to work at
it, you can rapidly improve the
quality of every part of your life."
-- Brian
Tracy
So my final thought: good communication should never be taken for granted - that's what I say...
What 80s band Spandau Ballet says...
"Communication let me down!..."
Great song (and what outfits)!