Communication skills I

Some communication skills are self-taught (listening); some are learnt by watching others (interpersonal, negotiation, rapport); and some need training (presentation software, public speaking, accent, telephone etiquette, writing, decisions, stress).

Listening is active. It has three parts: hearing (receiving the sounds), understanding (making meaning in context) and responding (showing you understood, by acting or commenting).

Interpersonal skills help people get along: they reduce conflict, raise productivity, and help us control our feelings in difficult situations.

Negotiation: both sides prepare, consider all the variables and costs, and trade concessions, so that both can leave happy.

A good presentation has: content (what the audience needs, not too much); structure (a logical beginning, middle and end); packaging (how it is presented, for example with software); and a human element (a personal touch).

Rapport is trust and harmony in a relationship. Much of a message is carried by body language and tone of voice, not only by words. So a master communicator pays attention to all three. Listen, relate, negotiate, present, connect.