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The Importance of Good Communication Skills

Employers want individuals with truly outstanding communication skills. They form an incredibly important set of skills—ones necessary to get a job, keep it, and get promoted.

Yet, universities fail to give graduates the verbal communication skills required to excel art work. And most government agencies and corporations won’t train you either.

You have to learn these Interpersonal communication skills yourself. . .

Discover how to:

• Learn two-way communication techniques that decrease misunderstanding.
• Choose the type of listening most appropriate to the situation.
• Quickly manage and form positive first impressions.
• Develop sound relationships—ones based on rapport and trust.
• Discover 6 types of questions and 7 ways to use them.
• Read face. Know what to look for in another person's nonverbal.
• Practice using communication skills in conversations and during mock job interviews

Powerful TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION skills
	Two-way communication is more than speaking your mind--it's also about feedback.
	Image by Wesley Fryer

Description:

One never gets too good at the art of communication. Studies show that over 70% of our time is spent in some type of communication activity. It boils down to a simple rule: if you can’t communicate, you cannot get results. Enhancing the ability to communicate starts with understanding each of the components of the interpersonal communication process. It means looking at the many sources of misunderstanding that can exist between you and another and taking appropriate action.

Learning Objectives:

• Communication In The Real World

Interpersonal Communication Models

• Sender/Receiver Model
• One and Two-Way communication
• The Full-Duplex Method

Attention, awareness and LISTENING skills
	Listening is one of the toughest skills to do well, partly because this mental process is invisible.
	Image by TheAlieness GiselaGiardino

Description:

Hearing is easy; listening is downright hard work. Various studies have indicated the most common communication activity performed by managers and supervisors is listening. Yet it is often one of our weakest interpersonal skills. Years of bad habits lead us to miss what others tell us. We often don't pay attention, make unwarranted assumptions, misinterpret the meanings of words, and tune-out when we should be tuning-in. In fact, one of the most common complaints from employees is, “My boss doesn’t listen to me.” Listening is essential to getting agreement and stamping out misunderstanding whether you work in business, education or government.

Learning Topics

Overcoming listening barriers

• Five limitations of attention

Types of Listening

• Critical • Discriminative • Empathic • Passive • Active

Nonverbal Communication: Can you read face and gestures?
	Despite its importance, few people can read face or interpret gestures.
	Image by Okinawa Saba

Description:

Understanding others is essentially the communication of meaning. So much of this meaning is communicated through the use of nonverbal behavior. The inflection of the voice, the turning of the head, the gestures expressed all carry significant information that may or may not match the spoken words. There are a number of different types of nonverbal behaviors to focus on for clues to what the person really thinks. Discover the meaning of signals others sent out that they may not even be aware of.

Learning Topics:

• The Communication of Meaning
• Kinetics (Gestures & Body Movement)
• Haptics (Touch)
• Proxemics (Space & Territory)
• Chronemics (Time)
• Artifacts (Objects Use and Arrangement)
• Paralanguage (Voice Characteristics)

Questions: Improve your use to force choice, gather information, etc.
	Anyone can state an opinion, but it takes a great mind to ask the right questions.
	Image by mag3737

Description:

A very common complaint about sales men and women is that they “don’t understand me or my problems.” Too often salespeople end up firing off answers to questions not fully understood. Too many times, we walk out of their office still not understanding their situation or discovering their buy criteria. There is power in asking questions—a force so strong that many individuals feel compelled to supply the information. Learn how to use questions to accomplish a multitude of goals ranging from gathering information, to clarifying objections, to closing.

Learning Topics:

Uses of Questions

• Six responses to questions

Types of Probes

• Open-ended • Neutral • Pauses • Brief Assertion

Accessing Emotions

• Reflective (Empathic)

Questions That Act as Interventions

• Rhetorical • Hypothetical • Counters • Insight

Questions that Tie-Down or Agreement

• Leading • Closed—Double-Blind

Improve Relationships Generate positive impressions, trust, & being liked
	Good communication results in better relationships.
	Image by fazen

Description:

Flayed relationships are one of the leading factors causing promising careers to self-destruct. Top managers tend to be hard drivers who are task oriented. But this admirable strength can cover an important weakness—a lack of focus on relationships. Developing relationships present many benefits. Employees all want to work with someone they like. They only listen to those they trust. They want to work for someone who has credibility and integrity. And they prefer to work with someone who has the empathic skills to deal with their less desirable emotions. And of course, one cannot exercise influence through persuasion if the relationship is not sound. This session focuses on a key factor of success—expanding social capital.

Learning Topics:

• Forming Positive First Impressions
• Establishing Rapport
• Enhancing Credibility
• Developing Trust

Improve Your Interviews   Learn how to play the part.
	Effective interpersonal communication skills are a key factor underlying successful interviews.

Description:

There is probably no more important communication experience for college students and working people than the job interview. While there are studies that say the interview is a poor predictor of future performance, it continues to be universally used. Discover the different types of questions one can use during a conversation. Understand how one can answer the questions one would likely be asked during an interview. Hear why the most valid methods of selecting employees are not the most commonly used.

Learning Topics:

• Interview communication biases one can take advantage of
• How to answer questions
• Practice interviewing techniques during a mock interview
• Selection and screening methods

Interpersonal communication skills gets one employed and promoted. This on-line communication course is designed to improve your communication skills.