It is not
always easy to communicate effectively with work colleagues, family or
friends. We tend to use so many forms of
communication that are designed to be sent quickly but can easily be
misinterpreted. Many of us don’t think
we have time to communicate in person and quickly become blissfully unaware of
initial misinterpretation and continue to communicate. At best the receiver can be confused and
sometimes the receiver is left feeling frustrated, upset or annoyed. Many of us have lost the art of taking time
to express ourselves clearly and honestly.
We tend to have a preconception that the receiver understands our
thoughts, intention and agenda. What we
forget is the receiver has their own thoughts, intention and agenda. In a phone conversation at least we might
pick up on silences and tones and yet still we lack the benefit of visual cues in
facial expressions and body language.
Our
communication has become quicker, but our understanding has become more muddled
and leaves a lot of scope for misunderstanding.
When we don’t take the time and care the miscommunication can seriously
undermine our objective and when we meet with negativity, we are often at a
loss to know what has gone wrong.
Having a
space to safely express honestly with others is more important and valuable
today than ever before. Unfortunately,
the majority of us are not going stop our day jobs and have the time to visit
everyone we interact with. Therefore,
learning face to face in a group how others perceive our style of communication
helps to assess and moderate our interactions while remaining true to our needs
and feelings. We cannot be responsible
for how others react, but we are responsible for communicating considerately
and honestly the message we want to relay.
Most of us
will assume others communicate in the same way as we do and will therefore just
intuitively get us straight away. The
truth is we all have different styles of communication and even some words can
have a very different meaning for each individual. To be understood requires being mindful of the
receiver, assuming nothing and putting yourself in the other person’s shoes. This may sound as if it is a lot of effort,
but the results actually save a lot of time and unnecessary conflict by avoiding
miscommunicating and reams of E-Mails or texts trying to make yourself
understood or undo the damage with the disgruntled or upset receiver. In short, the more skilled we become at
communication skills the more likely we are to be heard, understood and nurture
relationships while being assertive and honest.
We are
taught many useful skills at school and during our careers, but little time is
taken to teach, develop and practise honest and expressive communication skills.
Therefore, we can be left feeling unsafe
and uncomfortable when put in a position of having to put across unwelcomed
news. These messages need to be
delivered face to face and with sensitivity that requires skill and confidence. However, with less and less contact many of
us spending a good deal of our working lives remotely we can become far less
skilled in delivering these vitally important messages.
To combat
these issues and develop your communication to a higher level join ConneXions
Group
- Feel connected and understood by yourself and others
- Feel safe to express yourself honestly
- Learn, develop and practise skills for:
- Effective listening
- Communication skills
- Assertive communication
- State management
- Practical tools for self help
Find out more details call or E-Mail and to register to attend please use the following link and contact form:
https://www.e-motionalsolutions.co.uk/connexionsgroup
Date:
10th December and thereafter the second Tuesday of the month
Venue:
Sunshine Clinic, 175 Send Rd, Woking GU23 7ET
Time:
6.30 - 8pm
Cost:
£15
Karen Oliver:
www.e-motionalsolutions.co.uk
karen@e-motionalsolutions.co.uk
