Are you an effective communicator?

From former WSPRA President Lori Blakeslee

While we are always communicating, whether it’s through body language, speech or the written word, the question is, “Am I communicating that which I want to communicate?”

Communicating is an art. According to Valeria Maltoni, Director of Strategy at Powered, Inc., and author of the blog, Conversation Agent,

Improving communication is like learning to use a new language effectively — all of a sudden you’re getting to St. Peter’s Square because you were able to articulate what you actually wanted to do.

In a past blog post, Maltoni listed 10 ways to become a better communicator:

    1. listen and ask questions
    2. set expectations on what you’re going to say, and restate what you said in closing
    3. know when it’s time to listen and when to talk
    4. state your intention, or what you mean to accomplish
    5. communicate often with your team and acknowledge progress on projects
    6. observe the communication style of others and adapt yours to connect with them
    7. learn to tell stories
    8. develop the analytical side of you
    9. be consistent and transparent
    10. get out of your office and talk to people outside meetings

Being an effective communicator takes practice. Like any second language that is seldom used, our communication skills can become less fluent, leaving the recipient of our message confused.

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