Effective Communication Skills Training Workshop For MINDEF
The glue that binds us all together is known as communication. Yes, communication is the key to success not only in your personal relationships but also in your career as well. Regardless of your position in an organization, it is vital to know how to carry yourself and speak intelligently. As people also say, “first impressions matter”. You may be dressed to the nines but if you do not come across as an effective communicator, then I’m sorry you will have failed to impress. Welcoming yet another batch of officers from MINDEF (Ministry of Defence) for the one day communication workshop, it’s always fun meeting new participants and being to value-add something to their lives. For this alone, I feel extremely blessed.
It does not take quantum physics for one to understand that once you master the flow of communication at your work place, you become a master at communicating with impact.
Here’s the top 5 communication tips I have put together. I hope everyone finds them useful! Be assured you will find success – from the boardroom or a gathering.
1. Practise effective communication as often as possible. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. It’s just like working a muscle – the more we work it, the stronger it gets. Like it or not, communication is a social skill that has to be learnt.
2. Emphatise with others. Our facial expressions, body language and emotions play a key role in workplace communication. Communication is incomplete unless we incorporate the non-verbal aspects of communication as well. Sometimes, simple head nods or leaning forward are effective examples of emphatising with others.
3. Convey your message positively and convincingly. In this world, we are either sold or trying to sell. It can be an idea, product or service. If we want to convince others to accept our idea, product or service, there is no better way to convey it positively and convincingly in our message.
4. Be clear and concise when communicating. If we can be clear and concise in our written submissions, why not apply the same rule to a verbal communication? Think before you speak because once the words leave our mouth, you cannot retrieve them. It is always better to be succinct than verbose.
5. Practise good listening habits. God gave us two ears but only one mouth. Many of us speak more than we listen. We fail to understand that it is better to first understand, then be understood.