Page 183 - Effective Communication Soft Skills Strategies For Success by Nitin Bhatnagar, Mamta Bhatnagar

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Communication Skills | 171

HOW TO OVERCOME BARRIERS AND IMPROVE COMMUNICATION

Successful communicators share the following traits:
1. Perception: They are able to predict how you will receive their
message. They anticipate your reaction and shape the message accord-
ingly. They read your response correctly and constantly adjust to cor-
rect any misunderstanding.
2. Precision: They create a ‘meeting of the minds’. When they finish
expressing themselves, you share the same mental picture.
3. Credibility: They are believable. You have faith in the substance of
their message. You trust their information.
4. Control: They shape your response. Depending on their purpose,
they can make you laugh or cry, calm down, change your mind, or
take action.
5. Congeniality: They maintain friendly, pleasant relations with you.
Regardless of whether you agree with them or not, good communi-
cators command your respect and goodwill. You are willing to work
with them again, despite your differences.

Effective communicators work hard at perfecting the messages they deliver.
When they make mistakes, they learn from them. If a poorly written memo
does not get the response they hoped for, they change their approach. If a
meeting they are running gets out of control or becomes unproductive,
they do things differently in the next one. If they find themselves having
to explain themselves over and over again, they re evaluate their choice of
communication medium or rework their message.
It is essential to understand what it means to communicate effectively.
Four themes emerge as effective guideline for overcoming barriers and
improving your communication skills:

1. Fostering an open communication climate.
2. Committing to ethical communication.
3. Adopting an audience-centred approach to communication.
4. Creating and processing your messages effectively and efficiently.
Let us examine each of these themes in detail.

Fostering an Open Communication Climate

An organization’s or educational institute’s communication climate is a
reflection of its culture: the mixture of values, traditions, and habits that give
a place to its personality. Some academic institutions tend to block-off the

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