A recent workshop discussion led to this question: what kind of communicator are you, really? What are the best practices to adopt in order to be a great communicator? The class participants thought about what kind of attitudes we sometimes bring to communication, and came up with this list of best practices.

As you read the list below, be aware that we tend to judge ourselves not by our actual behavior but by our intentions: “I meant to listen; it’s just that I was so busy when you called…” While it is true that your heart is probably in the right place, the pressures of time, stress and multi-tasking can undermine those best intentions and leave you with less-than-desirable behavior.

Starting today, take a look at what you actually do, since this is what the people around you actually experience. Or, if you are feeling especially brave, ask someone you know and trust to give you some feedback on how well you approach communication. Specifically, how are you doing in your communication approach?

Here are some hallmarks of the approach great communicators consistently take:

• Be polite, respectful in communication. Do you say “please” and “thank you?” Do you check with the person to see if this is a good time for them? Or do you bark out orders on your way past them?
• Be sincere. Do you really notice the others around you? Do you see them as whole people with lives and feelings? Or just as someone who can do something for you–or get in your way? When you travel, do you take time to notice all the people who serve you, from the taxi driver to the flight attendant? Do you take a moment to reaffirm the people around you, and to show them sincere appreciation?
• Be professional. Do you watch your language or let it fly? Do you have good grammar? Do you speak clearly? Do you have an obnoxious laugh? Do you tell dirty jokes? Do you gossip? Or do you try to speak professionally everywhere you go, knowing that “you never know” who might be listening.
• Be patient. Yes, you are under stress. Probably so are those around you. When you travel, do you shout at drivers ahead of you? Or are you like the passive-aggressive traveller behind me in the “professional traveller” security line who kept grumbling criticism of those ahead of him? Those stressful times are exactly when you should remind yourself to breathe.
• Be empathetic. Sometimes it feels good to vent, but not so good for the person on the receiving side. Take time to ask yourself how that person facing you feels. A smile and thank you could really help someone, and cost you very little. A brief apology if you have been unkind may make both sides feel better.
• Think, plan and prepare before talking, typing or sending. Of course you are in a hurry. Of course you are thinking of three (or ten!) things at once. But before you shoot off that hurried e-mail, think it though. Before you call someone onto the carpet, be sure you are speaking with the right person, at the right time. Before you send that newsletter, e-mail, invitation, or any other document, clear your mind and re-read it. Watch out for incomplete sentences, typos, and fuzzy thinking.

Communication is a complex, important human skill that requires your full attention. Be a great communicator. Check your communication approach.

You have been given the task of setting up a plan to make sudden changes to, e.g., processes. How do you let people know and how do you communicate planning objectives that you have developed. What do you do first? What if there is resistance?

First Steps

• Communicate with and set up meetings in order to interact with those instigating the changes, e.g., directors, partners, consultants, users, etc.
• Ask questions to obtain knowledge about the subject matter and to obtain requirements about the task before the undertaking.
• Gather all the basic information you need through meetings and encounters.
• Once the necessary knowledge is gathered, meet again to reassess the objective.

After gathering all the necessary information, it’s now time to interact with the people affected by the changes.

Second Steps

• Define the goal and scope of the project; state the case.
• When communicating with users or anyone affected by the changes, be clear about what is needed, the why and specify what modifications, transformations, or adjustments will be forthcoming.
• Create and maintain ongoing status meetings. Inform attendees that there will be further meetings to share information, to hear any concerns, and to see if everything is on track.
• Remain organized by creating a short but concise document, like an Action Plan to share.

Communicating Planning Objectives

• Within an Action Plan, include its purpose with a summary and explain and clarify the details; be accurate and precise.
• Ensure you involve all developers and stakeholders.
• State the proposal, strategy, and design of the plan.
• Describe what exists, what is needed, and the goals.
• In particular, ensure you have noted the necessary personnel as well as the budget.

Handling Resistance

• Identify with those affected by the changes and acknowledge their fears and questions and make sure they understand why a new process is necessary. Justify the action required by explaining how this task came about. Explain what analysis was done and the negative effects if the task is not completed.
• Get management to support you and your task.
• Be aware of how those that are unsure perceive you. Be complimentary, cooperative, and transparent in your communication. This will generate and/or improve collaboration. Show them you respect them for their knowledge and questions, and that you will take their concerns into consideration and will get back to them at either the next meeting or as soon as possible.

Next Steps

• Set up a project plan with critical paths and milestones. Benefits of this allows for keeping the project on track, as well as anticipating and preparing for any possible incidents.
• Create a short-term plan as well as contingency plans for any unforeseen events.
• Set up blocks of time for work and availability to maintain communication with others.
• Maintain status meetings as work progresses to avoid any problems.

If you have had experience in leading a group to complete a task, please leave a comment as to how you handled the responsibility. Thank you.

How you speak, and the words and phrases you use, make a huge impact in the way you are perceived on the job, as well as in everyday life. For example, every time I hear someone say, “no problem,” I cringe. Why are you even bringing up the word problem? Instead, focus on the positive side of the phrase, by saying “you’re welcome,” “glad to help,” or “my pleasure.”

Here are some more positive phrases you might want to adopt, so that you are seen as a positive, can-do person.

• How can I help?
• What do you need?
• I’ll get it done.
• Of course.
• I will take care of that for you.
• I understand.
• When would you like this?
• I appreciate that.
• I’ve got your back.
• Well done.
• Thank you.
• My pleasure.
• Yes.
• You’re welcome.
• Here is what I can do…

In general, focus on what you can do, or can say yes to, instead of saying what you can’t or won’t do. It will make a world of difference in your communication.

A whiteboard provides a form of visual communication for many businesses from healthcare to technology, to manufacturing to marketing or education. A whiteboard is like a blank sheet of paper, only it is made out of metal and is an erasable board similar to a blackboard. Because it is used for information communication, one can say it is a form of documentation.

Uses

There are many uses of the whiteboard. It can be used for displaying

• project scheduling, task listing, check off lists,
• groupings, procedures, processes,
• mapping associations, diagramming, etc.

Advantages

A whiteboard has many advantages, which include ease of use, readability, be visually appealing, and the following benefits:

• Users can easily describe and walk viewers through each step of a process or procedure that has to be accomplished.
• Users can convey designs and prototypes more easily.
• Users can design new software and work out details while collaborating at the same time.
• Users can get inspired to generate more ideas and concepts, resolve issues, and map out plans.
• Users can provide story telling for deeper clarity of various theories and models, and much more.

Benefits

Users like it because during any meeting or presentation, the whiteboard can provide a lot of uses, such as:

• Helping viewers to be more organized by listing tasks.
• Allowing writing and rewriting, or adding and removing thoughts and ideas via a list, such as when trying to develop standards, new systems, or new strategies.
• Sharing information with everyone for easier reviewing in illustration form and which will in turn allow viewers to recall facts and information more easily as images and symbols can be used to enhance what is displayed.
• Allowing the numbering of events of a, for example, meeting or process and then circling and segmenting out small model cases to focus on to complete a task.
• Providing the ability to create charts such as flow and/or tree diagraming.
• Providing easier grouping of objects where associated items are combined and categorized.
• Creating a display of data bases and models of a system and how they are related.
• Allowing free-hand diagramming of related items, such as through the use of mapping
• Allowing the display of different ideas, questionable items, classification of systems, relations, processes, as well as timelines from beginning to end with all their critical paths.
• Providing the atmosphere for collaboration, viewing, thinking, and individuals contributing ideas, resulting in producing immediate feedback.
• Creating hierarchies for organizations and getting immediate reactions to what viewers see.
• Communicating a clear and understandable direction from what is pictured, or an analysis, or evaluation of what is on the board.

A whiteboard allows viewers to create a physical representation from all the information that has been written, created, or designed on the board. Viewers immediately see what the topic is and can quickly respond to the information. They provide immediate interaction among viewers. A whiteboard has many advantages and uses.

If you have anything to add to this post, please leave a comment. Thank you.

How much time do you spend each day communicating person to person? You may be solving a problem with a customer, leading your team on a project, holding a meeting, or discussing performance issues. I bet this is a huge part of your workday. Yet most of us give very little attention to what kind of communicators we are, or what habits we have built over time. Use these five suggestions to be sure your communication is clear and effective.

1. Make sure your nonverbals match your message. When all channels are tuned in to the same frequency, the message gets through more clearly. Whenever there is a mismatch, we tend to believe the nonverbal message. Often, our nonverbals are based on habit, and we may not even be aware of what messages we are sending. For example, if you have a serious message, but deliver it with a smile on your face, your listener is likely to discount your seriousness. Therefore, take time to be aware of your nonverbals, and decide whether they are helping or hindering your communication goals.
2. Eliminate barriers. Noisy rooms, distractions, or bad timing can cause your message to get lost. When you need to have a conversation, choose a good time for both parties, and find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted. Whether you are having a social conversation or a serious business discussion, finding the right time and place can make all the difference.
3. Eliminate weakening words. Kind of, sort of, could, might, maybe, hopefully, I think, I guess—all of these weaken your message. Consider the difference between these two sentences:

“I was kind of hoping we could sort of discuss this and maybe come up with a solution that I guess we could both hopefully live with.”

OK, that is an exaggeration, but you can see how the actual message gets lost when you add too many qualifying words. Instead:

“Let’s discuss this issue and identify a mutually acceptable solution.”

You probably won’t get rid of every qualifying word or phrase, but cleaning out the excess will help you be a more direct, impactful communicator.

4. Eliminate vague words. A little, a lot, many, not too much, soon, as soon as possible—any of these words can easily be misinterpreted, leading to major misunderstandings. Edit your words so that your meaning is clear.

Unclear:

“I would like you to clean up that report a little, and get it back to me as soon as possible.”

Much more clear and effective:

“Please make the changes we discussed, and email the expense report to me by 4:30 tomorrow.”

5. Check for understanding. You thought you were clear, but did your message get through? Before you end the conversation, check to be sure. It is a great practice to ask the other person what they heard, or to summarize your conversation, or recap what actions each of you will take as a result of the conversation. And take time to capture your own version of the conversation. Even a short statement such as, “I’m glad we could clear up this issue.” or “I will be waiting to see your final report.” summarizes your understanding of the conversation and what it means.

Communication is never perfect, but by following these guidelines you will have a great start to being a clearer, more effective communicator.

How do you provide educational content? How do you know if it is valid and usable? The answer is by providing good communication.

How do you do that? What if there was, e.g., some technical knowledge that needed to be shared? Communicating and delivering that information can be challenging. Many learners attend networking sessions, seminars, etc. to gain the knowledge they need. But if you are within a company getting ready to show a new product, how do you begin?

Be proactive – be proactive to save time and effort by communicating to all stakeholders through a learning/teaching event.

Take the initiative – set up the learning/teaching for sharing the information, and actively seek others to assist in creating the session and to provide more ideas and feedback

Be creative – create a brand focused on the, e.g., particular product. When describing the event, mention the brand – make it consistent and apply it to as many examples as possible.

For the event:

• Engage attendees by asking questions within the screen content to lead them to what they need to know; make it different and engaging. Also, be enthusiastic when speaking.
• Provide incentives at the end of short blurbs, chapters, or content. For the handout or manual, include encouragement along the side bar, or display it in blue at the end of the content and say, e.g., ‘Yay that was awesome – you just finished learning how to xxxxx..using…’.
• Use gaming activities to stay connected to the audience. To encourage attendees, create and include a puzzle or mini quiz to see if they grasp the main objective of the session. Another idea is to display a graph and have them try to find the focal point within the graph.
• Give attendees what they want and need, i.e., make it relevant, but also make sure it makes sense to them.
• Show simulations or transform the learning session into a story.

To prove that knowledge was transferred:

• Have attendees work with someone within a group setting. Let one person create a scenario and have the other one come up with a solution using the new product and discuss the results.
• Create teams and have them set up mini teaching sessions of the subject and see if the rest of the audience understands and enjoys it. Some may develop a video instead or a play, or maybe some will simply set up an email distribution for knowledge sharing. Have attendees decide which was the more practical solution or audience capturing interaction, memorable skit, or best game or user experience.

There are many ways in which to communicate knowledge. Any comments or criticisms received provide feedback and analytics to see if the knowledge was absorbed. This in turn will help in deciding which was the best method and/or alternative method for communicating educational content to a user. As an added note, don’t forget to look at which is the easiest to implement and which is most cost effective.

If you have had experience in this field or wish to add information, please leave a comment. Thank you.