Secrets to becoming a powerful communicator

by Brian Tracy

Did you know that your ability to communicate effectively with others will do more to make you successful than any other skill that you can develop?

Nearly 85% of what you accomplish in your career and in your personal life will be determined by how well you can get your message across, how capable you are of inspiring other people to take action on your ideas and recommendations.

Once you’re able to master the skill of powerful communication, you’ll be living a life full of unlimited happiness. Imagine being able to express yourself openly and honestly to the degree in which others are influenced to do something because of what you have to say and HOW you say it.

Even if you are limited in education, experience or intelligence, being able to communicate effectively with others is the most powerful, un-limiting success tool you could ever have.

Nearly 99% of all of the difficulties between human beings, and within organizations are caused by breakdowns in the communication process. Either people do not say what they mean clearly enough, or other people do not receive the message that was sent in the form in which it was intended.

The good news is that effective communication is a learned skill.

THE 3 ELEMENTS OF DIRECT COMMUNICATION

According to Albert Mehrabian of UCLA, there are 3 elements in any direct, face-to-face communication. They are the elements of words, tone of voice, and body language.

1.    The Elements of Words

 Words only account for 7 % of any message. For an effective communication to take place, of course, all three parts of the message must be congruent and consistent with each other. If there isn’t any congruency, the receiver will be confused and will have a tendency to accept the predominant form of communication rather than the literal meaning or words.
 

2.    Emphasis and Tone

The emphasis and tone have the power to completely change the message that is being communicated. Often, you will say something to a person and they may become offended. When you express that the words you used were intended to be inoffensive, the other person will tell you that it was your tone of voice that was the issue.
 

3.    Body Language

You can dramatically increase the effect of your communication by leaning toward the speaker or shifting your weight forward onto the balls of your feet. If you can face the person directly and give them direct eye contact, combined with fully-focused attention, you double the impact of what you’re saying.

The more you can coordinate all 3 of these ingredients, the more impactful your message will be and the greater likelihood that the other person both understands and reacts the way you want them to.

The most important part of good communication is clarity. When you ask or say something clearly and then wait calmly and patiently for a complete answer, you will be amazed at how much more quickly the process of sending and receiving takes place.

The very best communicators are those who are the very best at asking for the things they want.

They ask questions to uncover the real needs and concerns of the other person. They ask questions to illuminate objections and problems that the other person might have with what they’re suggesting.

When you seek first to understand, by asking questions and listening carefully to the answers, and by presenting your viewpoint and your requests in such a way that they are consistent with the interests of the other person, you’ll become much more effective in getting the other person to act in a way that will be beneficial to both of you.

Once you can master the skill of effective communication, not only do you achieve incredible clarity in what you think, say and do, but you’ll also become known as a respected communicator everywhere you go.