Master Your Message

Posted: December 05, 2011 06:00AM
Under: Prosperity
By: Brian Tracy

Master Your Message
Three Ingredients to Direct Communication

At the Wendling Group, consulting professionals believe your ability to communicate effectively with others will do more to make you successful than any other skill you can develop. According to experts, nearly 85 percent of what you accomplish in your career and in your personal life will be determined by how well you can get your message across and how capable you are of inspiring people to take action on your ideas and recommendations.

Imagine being able to express yourself openly and honestly to the degree in which others are influenced to do something because of what you have to say and how you say it. Even if you are limited in education, experience or intelligence, some say, being able to communicate effectively with others is the most powerful, unlimited success tool you could ever possess.
And, if you consider how many difficulties arise between people and organizations due to a breakdown in communication, it becomes crystal clear just how essential good communication really is. It seems most of the time, people do not say what they mean, or people do not receive the message in the form in which it was intended.

The good news is... effective communication can be learned.

Three Keys to Effective Communication:

According to Albert Mehrabian of UCLA, there are three elements in any direct, face-to-face communication. They are the elements of words, tone of voice and body language.

1. Elements of Words
Words only account for 7 percent of any message. For an effective communication to take place, of course, all three parts of the message must be congruent and consistent with each other. If there isn't congruency, the receiver will be confused and will have a tendency to accept the predominant form of communication rather than the literal meaning or words.

2. Emphasis and Tone
The emphasis and tone have the power to completely change a message being communicated. Often, you may say something to a person and they may become offended. When you express that the words you used were intended to be inoffensive, the other person will tell you that it was your tone of voice that was the issue.

3. Body Language
You can dramatically increase the effect of your communication by leaning toward the speaker or shifting your weight forward onto the balls of your feet. If you can face the person directly and give them direct eye contact, combined with fully-focused attention, you double the impact of what you're saying.

The more you coordinate all three of these ingredients, the more impactful your message will be and the greater the likelihood of you getting what you want—proper understanding and reacting in the way you want.

The Best Communicators:

1. Speak Clearly: Communication experts say the most important part of good communication is clarity. When you ask or say something clearly and then wait calmly and patiently for a complete answer, you will be amazed at how quickly the process of sending and receiving takes place. The very best communicators are those who are the very best at asking for the things they want in clear and calm fashion.

2. Ask Questions: They ask questions to uncover the real needs and concerns of the other person. They ask questions to illuminate objections and problems the other person might have with what they're suggesting.

3. Listen with Care: First seek to understand. Ask questions and listen carefully to the answers. Present your viewpoint and your requests in a way that is consistent with the interests of the other person. Then listen. When listening with care, you might also realize the other person's viewpoint is valid and come to a decision that is mutually beneficial. Disagreements happen all the time, but it is the person willing to address the needs of someone else who often gains the trust and respect of the group.

Once you master the skill of effective communication, not only do you achieve incredible clarity in what you think, say and do, but you'll also receive clarity in what the other person thinks, says and does. Following these principles will help you personally and professional, and perhaps lead you to becoming known as a respected communicator wherever you go.

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Source: The Wendling Group. The Wendling Group provides management consulting, training and professional development to human capital driven organizations. The Wendling Group is a consulting resource to executives who require accurate and effective assessments of current employees, while assisting in the candidate selection process and providing customized 360 surveys to increase productivity, profitability and measurable results. Contact The Wendling Group at 916.965.4933, www.wendling.com or e-mail wendling@wendling.com.