“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.”  ~ Anthony Robbins Quotes.

The way I communicate with myself and others shapes my world. What I say can bring either happiness or sadness, and I choose to communicate in a way that makes me happy. I create happiness for myself.

I am honest with myself because truth can pave the way to greater joy. I am the master of my own future, and I speak only good things about my future. I communicate with myself lovingly and joyfully.

When I speak to others, I am honest, but I am also kind. Love brings happiness, and it’s important that I show a loving attitude when I communicate. What I say to another person can impact his life, and I want to have a joyous impact.

My happiness comes from within. I create it through my communication with myself and the world around me, and I master it by reminding myself how valuable and blessed my life is – both to me and others.

Regardless of my circumstances, happiness is a gift I give to myself. I am responsible for my own happiness. I always choose love and joy. I see the value in myself and others, and I emphasize it wherever I go.

Each time I speak or communicate in any way, I think about the impact of my words and actions. I make good choices in how I share my thoughts and feelings, and it brings more happiness into my life.

Today, I plan to be honest and loving in my communications with myself and others.


Self-Reflection Questions:

1. How can I better communicate what I need to others?

2. Am I open and honest with myself?

3. How can I bring more joy to myself and others in my communications?

Here are 6 practical tips you can use to improve your interactions/communications with others.

1. Treat every person you interact with dignity and respect. With this mindset and attitude, you will be able to see that everyone has valuable insight. See people from positive point of view and draw out the wealth of knowledge in others.

2. Seek to discover and learn something new from others. When you take time to understand others, you will be amazed by how much fresh things you can learn from others.

3. Be aware of your tone when speaking with others. Communicate your thoughts in a positive way, use a respectful and calm tone. This is the secret of getting people to listen to you in a respectful way.

4. Don’t raise your voice or use profane language. You can get your points across by using respectful and calm tone.

5. Stay away from destructive criticism. Focus on problem-solving and encourage people into finding solution instead of blame. This will make it safe for people to share their thoughts and feelings.

6. Create TRUST. With trust, people won’t be afraid to share their ideas with you and ask for you’re your input. When there is trust, there is partnership and constructive ideas will flow freely.

Internalize these tips/skills by practicing them daily. These skills will enable you to deal with people with even the most difficult personalities. You’ll be able to encourage them to work cooperatively with you.

When someone is charging at you full of negativity, your calm demeanor will be able to mollify them, lead them to find a common ground and promote constructive communications.

In essence, active listening is about giving full attention to a person who is speaking to you without interrupting him or her. The intention is to fully understand the total meaning of what’s being said by repeating back what the person said.

By listening actively, you respond to other people’s needs, make them truly feel that they’re being heard and understood. This promotes respect and understanding between the communicating parties.

Active listening is NOT the same as being quiet. An active listener will always encourage others to talk and will clarify any points they don’t understand. This is how they understand the full meaning of what’s being said.

Here are some active listening techniques you can use to improve your communications:

1. Be attentive. Pay full attention to the person who’s speaking to you without trying to think what you’re going to respond or anticipate what they’re going to say next.

2. Show respect. Never tell a person that you already know what he/she’s going to say. Even if you think you know what the person’s going to say, try to listen to what’s actually being said. When you show respect, you will get respect as well.

3. Keep cool and avoid confrontation. Active listening is about understanding fully what’s being said. Don’t try to turn it into a debate or win an argument.

4. Put your ego aside. Don’t use your ego or personal beliefs to interpret what other’s saying.

5. Don’t jump to conclusions. Assumption is the mother of all screw ups! Never try to make any assumption or judgment about what others say. If in doubt, find out the facts and clarify by asking questions.

6. Use body language appropriately. When you’re actively listening to someone, your body language will show whether you’re paying attention or not. Look the speaker in the eye while they’re talking and try to maintain eye contact as long as it’s comfortable for both of you.
Nod your head when necessary to show that you’re paying attention.

7. Repeat back what you heard. This shows that you truly understand the speaker and give the person a chance to correct any misunderstanding that you may have.

Active listening techniques are not difficult to learn. With some practice, everyone can be a better communicator. It’s worth the effort to learn active listening as it can help you improve relationship with your family members, friends, co-workers and business partner.

Have you ever been criticized by someone and felt completely demoralized? While many people intended to give constructive criticism, but due to poor communication skills, it ends up hurting the person’s feeling instead. The intended message become misinterpreted by the receiving end.If you’re a manager and have a group of people under your supervision, it’s highly likely that you’ll need to give constructive criticism at one time or another. When the time comes for you to give helpful advice, keep in mind that positive criticism gets much better results than negative criticism.

Here are some tips you can learn on how to deliver constructive criticism that helps promote positive changes in people:

1. When giving criticism, always remember to start with something that’s positive and then discuss the problem, and finish with a compliment. When discussing the problem, refrain from attacking the individual. Focus on the problem or the situation, not the person.

2. Be direct and specific. Don’t go around beating the bush. Deal directly with the problem and offer a workable solution. That way, you can avoid undesired misunderstanding. When you need to correct someone, ask him or her to explain their point of view of how to deal with their problem.

A difference in point of view or expectations could be causing the problem as they may not know what you expect of them. State your expectation clearly and make sure they understand what you want them to change or improve.

3. Once you’ve established the understanding, let the issue rest and give the other person a chance to implement the changes. Most people would like to correct their problems if they don’t feel threatened.

4. Never ever criticize people in public! Set a time and speak to the individual privately. Showing respect by not humiliating others will lead to more open and effective communication.

Hope you find these tips useful. Keep in mind to always strive for mutual respect and make it safe for others to share their point of views. With that positive climate, constructive criticism can be delivered as intended.

P.S. Do you want to be able to unleash your natural ability to influence anyone to follow your lead, command new respect with everyone, and negotiate with stellar success? Then, check out this course: “Conversational Hypnosis“.

In the competitive and fast-paced society we’re living in today, conflicts and clashes in relationships are simply inevitable. I’m sure you have had experienced conflicts with your colleagues, friends and even the loved ones in your life.

As a matter of fact, conflict is okay and it will happen at some point in life, nobody can avoid it. It’s how you handle the conflict that makes the difference. The way you deal with a conflict will either bring peace or create further conflicts.

Poor communications that result in misunderstandings are often the root cause of conflict. Therefore, effective communication skills are crucial when it comes to dealing with conflicts efficiently, fairly and resolutely.

Here are a few tips to help you improve your communication skills:

1. Shut Up and Listen.

When the other person is talking, pay attention and listen carefully! Most people are trying to interrupt when other person is talking or thinking what they’re going to say next. Next time when you’re communicationg with someone, try to shut up and listen when the other party is talking. Do not interrupt, do not judge and do not get defensive. Just listen!

Learn to paraphrase. When others finish talking or have expressed their opinions, restate what you’ve heard to show that you understand them. If you do not agree with the person, do not suggest that he or she is wrong. Acknowledge others’ opinions, share your views and then compare the differences objectively.

When you find agreements, build upon them. When you find differences or disagreements, compare them. That’s the foundation for effective communication.

2. Stay Focused on the issue at hand.

When you’re dealing with a conflict, do not try to bring up the past conflicts! Doing so will only create more conflicts. Stay focused on the present issue, try to understand one another and find a solution. Remember: Agree, Build and Compare differences.

3. If You’re Wrong, Own It!

Effective communication involves admitting when you’re wrong. Many of us see admitting wrong-doing is a weakness. Personal responsibility is a strength rather than weakness. When conflict arises, usually both party have their fair share. Stepping up to own your share of responsibility is magnanimous and can diffuse the situation immediately. It shows maturity in you and set a great example for others.

The courage to admit wrong-doing will make it safe for others to express their views and respond in kindness. This will more likely lead to mutual understanding and solution.

4. Think Win-Win.

When communicating in a conflict situation, think win-win! Instead of trying to win an argument, listen empathically to what other has to say first, then share your views. Focus on the things that both of you can agree upon, and build on it. Then, compare and compromise. Effective and healthy communication involve finding a solution that both sides can be happy with.

I hope these effective communication tips are useful for you.

Communication is perhaps one of the most important skills in life. There are many techniques that can make you to become a good communicator, you can go though watching all the talk shows; listening to all the radio programs; joining clubs dedicated to public speaking; etc. There are certain rules still apply when it comes to interaction through words, although it’s your mouth that’s doing the work, your brain works twice as hard to churn out a lot of things when you talk. So the better way to start improving your communication skills is to know the very person closest to you: YOURSELF!

Here are 8 ways that can help you improve your communication skills:

1. What you know.
Education is all about learning and internalizing the basic knowledge, but to be an effective communicator is to practice what you’ve learned. Knowledge is only useful when it’s applied. Of course we all have our limitations, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn to keep up and share what we know. Don’t be afraid to share what you think as this becomes a habit, you’re shaping yourself up for a better communicator as well.

2. Listening.
This is perhaps one of the most difficult things to do for many people. Most people forget that they actually have two ears and one mouth. Learn to listen more if you want to be a better communicator. Sometimes listening to the sound of your own voice can teach you to be a little more confident with yourself and to say the things you believe in with conviction.

3. Humility.
We all make mistakes, and sometimes we tend to slur our words, stutter, and probably mispronounce certain words even though we know what it means, but rarely use it only to impress listeners. So in a group, don’t be afraid to ask if you’re saying the right word properly and if they’re unsure about it then make a joke out of it. I promise you it’ll make everyone laugh and you can get away with it as well.

4. Eye Contact.
Some people struggle to make eye contact with others, which is a basic component of social interaction. Failing to make eye contact suggests to some that you’re shy; to others, it indicates rudeness or boredom or you’re trying to hide something. Just look directly at the person in a relaxed manner.

5. Joke.
A little bit of humor can do wonders to lift the tension, or worse boredom. This is especially true when making your speech in front of a group of people. With an appropriate joke, people will feel that you’re an approachable person, of course be careful with your joke. Stay away from jokes that are related to sex, ethnics, or religion.

6. Like to be around with people.
Interaction is all about mingling with other people. You’ll get a lot of ideas, as well as knowing what people make them as they are.

7. Me, Myself, and I.
Admit it, there are times you sing to yourself in the shower. I know I do! Listening to the sound of your own voice while you practice your speech in front of a mirror can help correct the stress areas of your pitch. And while you’re at it you can spruce up as well.

8. Smile.
A smile says it all much like eye contact. There’s no point on grimacing or frowning in a meeting or a gathering, unless it’s a wake. You can better express what you’re saying when you smile.

1) Listen without judgment. The key to good communication is listening well. Save your judging for later after you have heard and understood what was said.

2) Listen with the willingness to be swayed to the other person’s opinion. No obligation to actually being swayed, but stay open to the option.

3) Listen without thinking about what you will say next. Take time before you respond.

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