I believe that clear communication is the most important piece of the puzzle when it comes to working with people in business. If your communication isn’t clear, you will not get the response you are looking for. I was recently working in a business where emotion was high and intelligence was low mainly because people were not being heard or understood.
PERSONAL COMMUNICATION & SELLING SKILLS
Communicating is the act of sending a message to someone, having them receive that message accurately and acknowledging that message without confusion. Many times what a person receives is not exactly what the sender intends. In sales this can be catastrophic. Think of a time when you communicated something that you thought was clear only to find out later that the other person either didn’t ‘get it’ or it was ‘misinterpreted’. How about when you were the receiver? Therefore, the statement ‘clear communication is the response you get’ makes total sense.
It’s well known that good communication is the foundation of any successful relationship, be it professional or personal. It is important to recognize that it is our non-verbal communication – our gestures, eye contact, posture, facial expressions and tone of voice that speak the loudest.
The famous 55%, 38%, 7% rule is based on a study done in 1967 by Dr. AlbertMehrabian, Professor of Psychology at UCLA. He stated:
55% of communication is visual (your body language, eye contact, physical behaviours)
38% of communication is your voice (tone, inflection, pitch, speed, etc.)
7% is verbal (your words)
In addition to communication skills there are three main types of learning styles known as VAK (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) that were identified by Dr. Neil Fleming in the late 1980’s
auditory (learn through hearing)
visual (learn through seeing)
kinesthetic (learn through moving and doing)
Most people learn best through a combination of the three types of learning styles, however, everybody is different.
If you are a visual communicator, you learn by reading or seeing pictures. You understand and remember things by sight. You can picture what you are learning in your head, and you learn best by using methods that are primarily visual. You like to see what you are learning. You remember what has been written down. You like to write down directions and pay better attention to lectures if you watch them. Visual learners will use words like “I see what you are saying or it looks like”.
If you are an auditory communicator, you would rather listen to things being explained than read about them. You often talk to yourself and move your lips and read out loud. Auditory learners will use words like “I hear what you are saying or it sounds like”.
If you are a kinesthetic communicator you will learn well when you can move your body or hands and may like to draw pictures or doodle. You use your sense of touch when communicating. Kinesthetic learners will use words like “I feel what you are saying”.
Here are 10 tips that you can use to be a positive communicator?
- Don’t just talk, listen and ask questions
- If you don’t understand the communication, ask for clarity
- Make others feel important and truly hear what they have to say
- Encourage the people that you work with and your customers
- Make suggestions on how your team can be more powerful together
- Be open to suggestions and see it as a positive on how you can improve
- Don’t fear criticism, welcome it knowing it will make you better
- Celebrate success
- High five, give a pat on the back or give someone a hug
- Remember that clear communication is the result you get