Effective Communication: A Bedrock Skill!

As a career coach one of the most common development areas my clients mention is Communication (with a capital “C”). This is more so for my clients, who are first-generation immigrants. However, no one is exempt from the need to be able to communicate strongly—No one! Several US-born clients face the same challenge, except that the flavor of their need is somewhat different. This is why from CEOs to fresh graduates from my client pool this ubiquitous need for effective communication is a constant.

Communication is such a broad topic that it needs to be broken down into its key components so that prescriptively it can be managed with specific development interventions. When it comes to this topic Dale Carnegie often reminds me of one of his oft-quoted truisms: You create your influence by how you look, what you say, and how you say it!

For each of these three elements Communication (again, “C”) is at the heart of this influence-creating algorithm! For the purposes of this blog let us leave out the “look” part and focus on the “say” parts. What you say is often driven by a number of factors, including your emotional state, your ability of fetch the right vocabulary from your memory bank, and your ability to logically synthesize a cogent statement that gets the message across as you intend to send it.

The “how” part of the saying,  the what you have to say, includes body language, timing, and the delivery. Stand-ups are great at internalizing these elements, because if they do not master these critical elements in their art form they do not make their mark.

So, what are some of the suggestions I give my clients who want to improve their communication skills? Here is a partial list:

1. Subscribe to a free word-a-day service and learn one new word every day. Merriam-Webster dictionary has a service that will send you a daily email with a new word. There are many other resources of this type. Learn the word, use it, and internalize it for ongoing vocabulary improvement. Strong vocabulary always gets attention when you know how to use the right words. This applies equally well even to those whose native language is English. Studies of successful people have shown high correlation between their vocabulary and their status.
2. Learn how to write effectively. Take writing courses or pick a topic and write a short narrative. Have it critiqued and edited by someone, who is good at writing and expressing their thoughts. Writing something every day (even towards a book or a regular blog) will increase your confidence. Adopt a style that suits you and develop your voice with your writing.
3. Learn the basics of grammar. Purchase a book (Wm. Strunk’s Elements of Style is a classic). There are many other such books
4. Read good books by well-known authors. Read the classics and see how a story is built to keep your attention. Listening to audio books is not the same thing as reading well-written passages. So, understand the difference between the two modalities of how one takes in the information. Although each has its merits, reading a well-written passage brings a joy that goes beyond merely taking in the same information aurally.
5. Join a local chapter of the Toastmasters International. These clubs are ubiquitous and you can locate one near you simply through Google search. This is a great resource to improve your public speaking skills. It also helps you build other leadership skills as well.
6. Immigrants often have trouble with idioms and language usage. One way to master local language is to watch good educational shows on TV (Jeopardy, History Channel, Discovery Channel, and Public Television). Sometimes watching such shows with your family develop a culture of learning in a language that can give you career advantage.
7. If you are watching TV shows and movies produced in your native language then try making a shift to American shows and movies. See if you grasp the nuances and dialogs well enough to understand the proceedings. If you watch American sitcoms see if your laughter is in synch with the canned laughs that are embedded in such shows.
8. Speak English at home with your children if you are an immigrant family and if English is not your native language. Also, in addition to joining your tribal groups (those that represent your culture) mix with other cultures and soak in their cultural practices. Expand your horizons by learning how different cultures communicate.
9. Take an aggressive role at social and volunteer events at work. Participate in meetings and learn how to take a stand (without taking on trouble!) and be assertive in your communication. Model after someone who is really good at it.
10. Learn about emotional intelligence (EQ). Good communication is at the heart of high EQ, which, unlike your IQ, is a learned skill.

Good luck!