The importance of having good communication skills is clearly evident in the world today. Misunderstandings abound. In the past, people who were misunderstood were usually given a chance to explain their meaning before it was carried too far. But in today’s fast paced society, a person who is misunderstood often has his/her reputation ruined in an instant, despite all of the justification and explanation he/she makes.
Look how quickly statements get passed through the media and over the Internet. In a matter of minutes, a mis-statement, no matter how unintentional it may be, is heard all the way around the world and back again.
The power of good communication lies within the understanding of the receiver. In other words, we must understand that people interpret things differently. By accepting the fact that people understand different things in different ways and not always in the way we intend, we’re better able to get our messages understood the way we wanted to in the first place.
In order to see how to most effective accomplish this, we need to have an understanding of the people we are communicating with. First off it helps to know something about the background of the person or people the words are intended to address. You need to be able to put yourself in the shoes of that person or group of people and judge objectively how they will be able to take that message. The more we know the more likely it will be that our message will be perceived correctly. Of course, the larger the group of people, the harder this task becomes.
Another part of having good communication skills is having the ability to say the right thing at the right time. However, part of it also involves doing the right thing at the right time. This means that you have to watch your non-verbal communication as well. This is especially true in the world of business. In making deals, a person needs to be careful since in some cases one wrong gesture or signal can destroy years of hard work.
Take a look at some of the statements made without much thinking by politicians or broadcaster that have either gotten them into extremely hot water or even totally ruined their careers. Our fast paced society today is not very forgiving of poor communication skills whether verbal or non-verbal in nature.
The power of good communication skills can be observed throughout history. It’s a power, however, that can be used for either good or evil. When you take a look back at World War 2, you realize how a man’s words can drive a nation to take on the entire world in a war they believed they could win just because of what he had to say and the way he communicated to them.
But for now, let’s take a look at how good communication skills can help you today. We already mentioned that good communication skills could help businessmen close deals. The biggest help that good communication skills can give you, however, is helping you make contacts.
We all know how important connections are and the business world today has little space for an “unknown”. People need to have contacts in order to get ahead. A person who thinks that he/she can make a reputation by himself will soon find out that it would take a whole lifetime to do so. Good communication skills are essential in building your own network.
Selling is everyone’s main occupation today. This doesn’t merely refer to the “I’ll-give-you-money-for-this-product” type of sales. People sell their personalities in order to get jobs. People sell the feasibility of their ventures in order to get funding. Students sell their abilities in order to gain admission to a prestigious university.
We all sell in one shape or form. The philosophy of sales comes down to two words: yes or no. In the end, you will need good communication skills to get the “yes” that you’re looking for no matter what the reason.