As Easy As Breathing In and Out

Good communication is much like breathing?when you’re doing it right, no one notices. When you’re having difficulty, relationships and projects come to a halt. All human relationships depend on communication. Your impression of other individuals (and theirs of you) typically rests on your various interactions with those people; from these interactions you draw conclusions about how well they do their job.

Having an extroverted personality doesn’t necessarily mean that someone has excellent communication skills. The best test of someone’s ability to communicate is the responses received from others. Effective communicators routinely get positive responses and reactions from others.

In survey after survey among executives, managers, and human resource professionals, the two highest rated criteria for hiring decisions are attitude and communication skills. Rate yourself on how often you use these communication tips.


Overview and then elaborate.
Try never to give background information first. People will have difficulty understanding your “background” until you state your point. Make your point, and then circle back and support it with any necessary detail.


Match your tone to your intentions.
Carefully consider your phrasing and inflection. Does your comment sound like you’re accusing, blaming, appeasing, analyzing, or just plain leveling?


When spoken to, respond rather than react.
Reacting to someone’s comment or a situation implies a knee-jerk response without thought for the impact. Responding, on the other hand, means a thoughtful, appropriate reply that most likely will have the impact you intend.

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© Dianna Booher, Booher Consultants, Inc.
Author of 42 books (Simon & Schuster/Pocket, Warner, and McGraw-Hill), Dianna Booher, CSP, CPAE, delivers keynotes, breakout sessions, and training on communication and life-balance issues. Her latest books: Speak with Confidence®, Your Signature Life®, Your Signature Work®, E-Writing, and Communicate with Confidence®. For more information on Dianna and her programs, visit www.diannabooher.com or contact her firm, Booher Consultants, Inc., at 800-342-6621.

Communication Skills Articles