Print This Article     Email This Article to a Friend       Five Essentials to Effective Communication   Webster's dictionary defines communication as "the exchange of ideas or information." Given this definition, we can see that complete communication takes place only when both sides communicating have exchanged thoughts, ideas, or information. If an exchange of information does not take place (that is, if there is no response on either end) complete communication has not happened. With this perspective on communication, I want to examine what I believe are five essentials to effective communication. Number One: Be Diligent The first essential to effective communication is to be diligent in your effort to communicate with others. Full communication does not happen in many relationships because people do not place a priority on communicating. They fail to make the necessary effort. As an example, let's say a young man goes to work. He is called into his boss's office and asked to complete a four-page report on the company's earnings. But during the meeting, the young man only thinks about yesterday's football game and tomorrow night's hockey game. He doesn't even care to think about what his boss is asking of him. None of us would be the least bit surprised if we heard that he was never promoted at his job. Why? He made no effort to communicate at work. Any relationship you want to cultivate must be approached with a diligent effort to communicate. Number Two: Be a Good Listener After diligence, the second key to effective communication is to be a good listener. There are many things you communicate to the other person through good listening. You say to them, "I care enough about you to listen to your point of view and to hear the concerns you are sharing." When you sit and listen to somebody, you are saying to him, "I place my interests in a position secondary to yours. I am going to listen to you and see if I can do something to help you." The act of being a good listener does much to set the stage for effective communication. James 1:19 says, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath." What is the number-one item on James' list? Be swift to hear. Number Three: Make Your First Response Positive The third essential to effective communication is to make your initial comments positive. Proverbs 16:24 says, "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." Pleasant words set the stage for someone to hear what you are saying and also create the atmosphere for an honest exchange of ideas and information. Positive words are essential to opening up the channels of communication, and they have the ability to defuse a threatening environment and bring down defensive barriers. Number Four: Be Willing To Yield to Reason The fourth key that is essential to effective communication is as follows: do not be dogmatic in your position, but instead, be willing to yield to reason. If you are dogmatic in the defense of your belief or position, you will cause defensive walls to go up in the other person. The result will be ineffective communication. You have to let the other person know you are willing to hear his or her point of view. Be easily entreated. Number Five: Put Action With Words The fifth essential key is to put action with words. Simply put, you must practice what you preach. Hypocrisy renders your efforts at communication ineffective. First Thessalonians 1:5 says, "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake." In other words, their actions conformed to what they were preaching. Their actions gave meaning to their words, and for that reason, their words came with power. There you have them—the five basic keys to effective communication. Be mindful of them. Let the Holy Spirit stir them inside you until they become natural to your personality. Then you can put them out of your mind and focus on where you are going. You can press toward the mark God has set before you and your organization.
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