When trying to effectively communicate with others, there are many different elements in play that can help to create good communication or can restrict communication. Though we are not required to acknowledge this elements in order to effectively communicate, an understanding of them can help and even provide a new prospective when communicating. Among these elements to foster a greater ability for interpersonal communications are culture, listening, relationships, group communications such as in the workplace, and conversation.
Conversation has to deal with your ability to communicate well, verbally or not, with another individual or individuals and can be surmised as the exchange of messages among two or more people. Good conversations consist of 5 basic stages. It begins with an ‘opening’, allowing the participants to acknowledge one another before progressing to the ‘feed-forward’ stage. At this stage a general idea of what the conversation is going to focus around is stated, for example, “Did you hear about what I did last night?” From here we enter the ‘business’ stage in which the details are fleshed out. Following the ‘business’ stage is the ‘feed-back’ in which you reflect back on what was discussed. You then reach the ‘closing’ in which the participants bid each other farewell and go there own ways. Following these steps can help to have meaningful conversations and better your communication as well.
Another thing one should take into account when communicating with others is the cultural background of those you are communicating with. Many times people fall into the trap of projecting a fixated impression on someone of a different cultural or stereotyping them. Though at times some of these stereotypes may hold true, many times they may not and can hurt ones ability to communicate. One way to bolster your communication when presented with a cultural barrier is through acculturation which is the learning of their cultural traits. One must also keep in mind if their culture is high or low context. If talking with someone of a low context culture one might need to give more verbal directions on how to get to the bus station where as someone from a high context cultural might already have some explicit knowledge which allows for shorter directions. Following these hints as well as avoiding a ethnocentric, cultural filter, outlook you can strengthen your communication skills with those of different cultures.
Ones ability to communicate to a group can really help their communications skills as a whole and there is nowhere where this is more important than in the workplace. In the workplace there are many things that can cause conflict; Power issues, personal flaws, social issues, distrust issues, and many more. In this environment good communication is key to keep all these conflicts in check and stay productive. Their are different ways to react to conflicts in this situation. One way would be to accommodate for the other individual, allowing them to have their way. You could also compromise, making an agreement to limit the issue. One could also collaborate to try and solve any issue as a team or possibly avoid altogether. No one way is the correct path to choose all the time, but an understanding of which way to go for any given situation is key for good communications and relations in the workplace.
Relationships are also reliant on good communication and can help to enhance your communication in other situations. Relationships can be seen through a six-stage model. They begin with ‘contact’ in which the two people meet exchanging superficial conversation like, “Hi, my names Ben,” and most of what you learn about the person is from sight, sound, and smell. From here the relationship can end or it can advance to the ‘involvement’ stage where you begin to ask more and share more because you want to get to know the person. From here you can advance to the ‘intimacy’ stage where you can be honest with each other and have committed yourselves to one another. At this point there could be a problem or some issue that leads to the ‘deterioration’ stage. Many times this can occur because one member of the relationship is unhappy with something the other does, but doesn’t communicate their discontent. At this point the relationship can go one of two ways, it can advance to the ‘dissolution’ stage in which both cut ties and exit the relationship or it can enter the ‘repair’ stage and through communication the two can fix what was wrong.
The final element we will mention and quite possibly the most important for strengthening your ability to communicate is listening. Listening is the process of receiving and constructing meaning from verbal and non-verbal messages. In order to be a good listener there are a few easy steps to follow. The first to steps are to receive and understand what is being said. From here you need to remember what they said and evaluate it. Then to show you are listening respond to what they said even if it is to paraphrase what it is they said. This act of conveying what you heard is known as active listening and it shows the speaker you are listening and understanding what they are saying. As a final note, ask questions. This shows you are engaged in the conversation and want to hear more of what the other has to say. These tips can really help to make you a better listener and in return better at communicating as a whole.
All these elements involve communicating and can come together to help someone to better communicate. However, failing to understand some of these can lead to poor communication and alienation. Thus with a good understanding of these 5 elements culture, listening, relationships, group communications such as in the workplace, and conversation one can effectively communicate with others.
Conversation has to deal with your ability to communicate well, verbally or not, with another individual or individuals and can be surmised as the exchange of messages among two or more people. Good conversations consist of 5 basic stages. It begins with an ‘opening’, allowing the participants to acknowledge one another before progressing to the ‘feed-forward’ stage. At this stage a general idea of what the conversation is going to focus around is stated, for example, “Did you hear about what I did last night?” From here we enter the ‘business’ stage in which the details are fleshed out. Following the ‘business’ stage is the ‘feed-back’ in which you reflect back on what was discussed. You then reach the ‘closing’ in which the participants bid each other farewell and go there own ways. Following these steps can help to have meaningful conversations and better your communication as well.
Another thing one should take into account when communicating with others is the cultural background of those you are communicating with. Many times people fall into the trap of projecting a fixated impression on someone of a different cultural or stereotyping them. Though at times some of these stereotypes may hold true, many times they may not and can hurt ones ability to communicate. One way to bolster your communication when presented with a cultural barrier is through acculturation which is the learning of their cultural traits. One must also keep in mind if their culture is high or low context. If talking with someone of a low context culture one might need to give more verbal directions on how to get to the bus station where as someone from a high context cultural might already have some explicit knowledge which allows for shorter directions. Following these hints as well as avoiding a ethnocentric, cultural filter, outlook you can strengthen your communication skills with those of different cultures.
Ones ability to communicate to a group can really help their communications skills as a whole and there is nowhere where this is more important than in the workplace. In the workplace there are many things that can cause conflict; Power issues, personal flaws, social issues, distrust issues, and many more. In this environment good communication is key to keep all these conflicts in check and stay productive. Their are different ways to react to conflicts in this situation. One way would be to accommodate for the other individual, allowing them to have their way. You could also compromise, making an agreement to limit the issue. One could also collaborate to try and solve any issue as a team or possibly avoid altogether. No one way is the correct path to choose all the time, but an understanding of which way to go for any given situation is key for good communications and relations in the workplace.
Relationships are also reliant on good communication and can help to enhance your communication in other situations. Relationships can be seen through a six-stage model. They begin with ‘contact’ in which the two people meet exchanging superficial conversation like, “Hi, my names Ben,” and most of what you learn about the person is from sight, sound, and smell. From here the relationship can end or it can advance to the ‘involvement’ stage where you begin to ask more and share more because you want to get to know the person. From here you can advance to the ‘intimacy’ stage where you can be honest with each other and have committed yourselves to one another. At this point there could be a problem or some issue that leads to the ‘deterioration’ stage. Many times this can occur because one member of the relationship is unhappy with something the other does, but doesn’t communicate their discontent. At this point the relationship can go one of two ways, it can advance to the ‘dissolution’ stage in which both cut ties and exit the relationship or it can enter the ‘repair’ stage and through communication the two can fix what was wrong.
The final element we will mention and quite possibly the most important for strengthening your ability to communicate is listening. Listening is the process of receiving and constructing meaning from verbal and non-verbal messages. In order to be a good listener there are a few easy steps to follow. The first to steps are to receive and understand what is being said. From here you need to remember what they said and evaluate it. Then to show you are listening respond to what they said even if it is to paraphrase what it is they said. This act of conveying what you heard is known as active listening and it shows the speaker you are listening and understanding what they are saying. As a final note, ask questions. This shows you are engaged in the conversation and want to hear more of what the other has to say. These tips can really help to make you a better listener and in return better at communicating as a whole.
All these elements involve communicating and can come together to help someone to better communicate. However, failing to understand some of these can lead to poor communication and alienation. Thus with a good understanding of these 5 elements culture, listening, relationships, group communications such as in the workplace, and conversation one can effectively communicate with others.
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