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Got Effective Communication Skills?

• Sorry for repeating myself, but it didn't seem that you were listening!
  
  
• Okay, my mistake you were, so you're an effective communicator - great! Pat yourself on the back, pass Go and collect 200 dollars (bye!)...
  
  
• For everyone else, can I politely suggest that you try not doing some of communication skills wisdom Barbara White shares below...

(And sorry for the bulleted list, but sometimes that's the only way to get people to read...)

Develop Communication Skills Through Listening

What I say...

Barbara's thoughts on effective communication are wise ones.

She basically advises us to remove these so-called listening blocks that prevent us from communicating effectively, that is:

* Try not to be a mind reader,
* Try not to 'filter' too much,
* And definitely stop judging etc.

I will put into practice some of the things she advises, for sure.

I particularly need to concentrate on not sparring - not being argumentative (eek!) - and not putting people down. But no-one does this on purpose (I don't think) so you have to spot yourself doing this - or listen to people who say that's how you communicate - and then take the appropriate action.

This really does require paying close attention to your interactions with others, especially those others you are very familiar with - it's so easy to hear what you think they've said, and not what they actually said. And it's so easy to mis-hear the intention behind the words too.

And effective communication is not just about listening well. Yes, you can develop good communication skills through listening but there are other interpersonal communication skills too such as: showing respect, focusing on the other person, reading between the lines, checking body language and considering your response, etc.

Anyway, I interrupted Barbara White and that's very rude (and ineffective!) of me...

What Barbara White has to say...

NOTE: Barbara's website is http://www.livingbeyondbetter.com