52-Week Challenge: Week Forty

This week's challenge is a bit broad and vague, like the one we had a few weeks back that encouraged us to "have healthy relationships."  Umm. . . okay.  So, I'll try to explain to the best of my ability what I think the author really means by this week's change, entitled "Be a Great Communicator."

Effective communication is necessary in every single relationship you ever participate in.  Period.  Being able to clearly and calmly express your feelings and thoughts  while allowing others to do the same enables you to bridge gaps and gives you the power to deal with people from all different backgrounds and perspectives.  So this week, the challenge is to practice effective communication in all your daily interactions.

Easier said than done, but here a few tips to get you started:

1.  Practice Active Listening.  If you do nothing else this week, practice this skill.  Actively listening does more to make other feel important and respected than anything else you can do.  It also makes YOUR communication more effective if you know what the other person is thinking, feeling, and saying.  So what is active listening?  FOCUS on what the other person is saying instead of planning what you are going to say next.  Don't interrupt.  Pay attention to body language, which can often say more than words ever can.  Ask questions.  It's cliche', but so true:  "listening" is so much more than "hearing."

2.  Keep Attitudes in Check.  This goes for both talking AND listening.  Belittling and criticizing does nothing to improve relationships and only serves to prove your importance over the other person's.  In addition, sighing, eye-rolling, and "fake listening" are barriers to real, honest, communication.

3.  Be Clear, Be Brief.  People who drone on and on about a particular topic (and especially themselves) often lose their audience and send a message that he or she is more important than the other person.  Make an effort to be clear and concise, ensuring you give the other person equal opportunity to share his or her opinions and thoughts.

Again, this week's challenge is a bit broad and vague, but try to at least take these few steps as a starting to point to improve your daily communication.  Good luck!