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Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion. 

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Never under estimate the value of these questions:

Is there anything you need from me?

How can I best support you?

What steps can I take to help you?

Ask, ask, ask.

Communication begins with the right questions.

Ask what you wish others would ask you.

Follow through.

Be genuine.

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The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t being said. The art of reading between the lines is a life long quest of the wise.

Shannon L. Adler.

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10 Steps To Effective Listening

Genuine listening is a rare gift, it has to be developed and practiced. Communication is important in every aspect life and to get a message across listening is an integral component.

Listening is key when it comes to building relationships,solving problems,ensuring understanding, improving accuracy and solving problems. in a work setting effective listening means fewer errors and less time wasted.  

1. Face the speaker and maintain eye contact- nonverbal communication/body language is how most of our message is communicated and interpretation affects the communication process. Facing the speaker while maintaining eye contact gives the person your full attention and improves focus. 

2. Be attentive and relaxed- The person has your undivided attention? Now relax. looking away is natural, maintaining eye contact all the time is impossible but your focus should not divert to other tasks when your gaze strays. Screen out distractions.

3.Keep and open mind- listen without judging or criticizing what you are told. the minute you are judgmental you have compromised your effectiveness as a listener and created a bias towards everything the speaker says after. Don’t finish the speakers sentences or assume what they are trying to say.

4. Listen to the words and picture what the speaker is saying- try to create a mental model of the information being communicated. it can be a literal picture or an arrangement of concepts your brain will better process the information if you can visualize it. when the is a lot of information or you are listening for a long to focus on key points and phrases. 

5. Don’t interrupt and don’t impose your “solutions.”- Interrupting sends a variety of negative messages one of which is that what the speaker has to say is unimportant. Refrain from offering your solutions while the speaker is talking. after they have finished conveying their message as if they would like to hear your ideas.

6. Wait for the speaker to pause before asking clarifying questions- rather than interrupting the speaker when you are unsure of something. make a note and ask when the speaker pauses or after they are finished.

7. Ask only clarifying questions- ask questions only to about the topic the person is currently speaking about. Unrelated or leading questions can break the speaker thoughts or cause the conversation to diverge distorting the message.

8.Try to empathize with the speaker- Empathy is the heart and soul of good listening. if you can feel the same emotion as the speaker then the message is being effectively conveyed. 

9. Give feedback- always restate instructions and messages to be sure you understand correctly. It is in the stage that any preconceptions or miscommunication can be corrected.

10. Pay attention to nonverbal-  Face to face with a person, you can detect enthusiasm, boredom, or irritation very quickly in the expression around the eyes, the set of the mouth, the slope of the shoulders. These are clues you can't ignore. When listening, remember that words convey only a fraction of the message.

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When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.

Ernest Hemingway

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You never stop learning...Listening is essential to communication. Constantly improving can make you more competitive in the business world.

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The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said

Peter Drucker

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Effective Listening Skills

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We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.

Epictetus

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September 21, 1994 — see The Complete Peanuts 1991-1994

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The most important things are the hardest to say, because words diminish them

Stephen King

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Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say infinitely when you mean very; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you talk about something really infinite.

C.S. Lewis.

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5 C’s of Communication

For effective communication your message must have these elements.

1. Clear 2. Consistent 3. Credible 4. Confident 5. Concise

1. Clear- You need to ensure that your message cannot be misinterpreted and misconstrued in any way. The key to this is to use clear and simple language. Technical terms should be explained unless you are certain all of your listeners are knowledgeable on the subject. 

2. Consistent- The message you send should be the same from a day to day bases, a week to week basis, a month to month basis or a year to year basis. Continuity leads to credibility, your listeners know they can trust what you are saying. If your message changes due to new information or a change in beliefs this has to be communicated to listeners.

3. Credible- Ensure that information is factually accurate and there are supporting sources. If the people you are communicating with have doubts about the validity of you words the message you are trying to communicate may be disregarded.

4. Confident- Speak Confidently. The more confident you are the more confident people will be in you. If you message is delivered in a calm even tone your audience is more likely to be receptive. the key to confidence is knowing your information.

5. Concise- Short and Sweet. People have short attention spans made even shorter by advances in technology. Keep you message as concise as possible, outlining and sticking to your main points. Don’t ramble or you might lose the listener and after that its impossible to get them back  

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How much of what we say is understood?

Communication follows 5 C’s:

1. Clear 2. Consistent 3. Credible 4. Confident 5. Concise

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The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.

George Bernard Shaw

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Communication in Business

In a business communication happens internally and externally, this is business to business or between group/departments. To achieve company/work/business objectives written, oral, aural, nonverbal and other communication tools become a necessity.

Poor communication leads to inefficiency, this reduces the profitability and effectiveness of an organization. this is detrimental to the functioning of the organization.