Listening, receiving and imparting instructions are the effective skills of communication one must possess to be successful at work. It is really imperative to be able to converse well and convey message or receive it to be able to execute the task effectively. A range of professions demand effective communication skills. An emergency operator must be able to listen properly and ask certain good questions in order to know the nature of situation and forward the message to the respective department. Same goes for a doctor or a nurse, who must have an effective communication capability to be able to comprehend the gravity of patient’s illness and send him/her through appropriate medical procedure. Following are some ways that can help in developing Effective Communication Skills.
• Listening
Listening and hearing are two different things. Hearing involves understanding the message but listening involves understanding the message and deciphering the meaning that has been conveyed by the speaker. By listening, one can avoid embarrassment and misunderstandings and make good decisions. For that one must concentrate on the message of the speaker and keep a watch for keywords in the speech. Listening barriers include lack of interest in the speaker, lack of rest and a state of restlessness and hurry, intolerance, impatience and less focus on the body language and the stress placed by the speaker on important points. To Improve Communication Skills that involve listening, one must:
1. Be calm in the mind and listen with utmost attention.
2. Keep an eye for the important points delivered in the lecture.
3. Make notes out of them.
4. Listen to the entire lecture. It is possible to miss some important information if the whole lecture is not heard properly.
5. Avoid personal filters. Listen to everything delivered irrespective of whether you agree or disagree with it.
• Speaking
Speaking or conveying your message is one of the most important Communication skills at workplace. The voice must be firm and explanatory so that the listener is delivered the message perfectly. Reiterating important and complicated points is also good and helps the listener to identify what to extract. It is really essential to organize your thoughts before speaking; it eliminates the chance of ambiguity and gives an impression of the speaker’s command on the topic. The tone of the speaker and his volume is also very significant in grabbing the attention of the people he/she is addressing to. Avoiding redundant sounds and unwanted nervousness also aids in the perfect delivery of speech and paves way for an effective communication skill.
• Receiving Instructions
Receiving instructions is one of the most important things involved in a job. It is one of the vital communication skills involved at work and the concern must be on the superior who is imparting those instructions. Understanding directions capably is one the signs of success. Pay consideration to the words of the person who is imparting orders and it is advisable to write them down. Ask a question if anything is left unclear rather being embarrassed at unwanted and uncompleted work.