Develop the Art of Successful Communication

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