Compliments of the season!

I trust you are having a good Christmas celebration and preparing for the New Year which promises to be exciting and interesting. Since we are in the season of love, we are encouraged to share love, but more importantly, communicate love in such a way it will be felt. What is important is not what we really give during this season of love, but how we give it. That is why I decided to write on communication today to enlighten and inspire everyone on the proactive ways of communicating.

Let’s start by asking ourselves, what really is communication? Depending on who you are speaking to and what message you are trying to pass around, you are bound to get a different response. Do you have a business? Are you a politician or a student? Are you in a relationship or married? Are you searching for a job, writing a cover letter, preparing a resume, business plan, are you trying to woo a lady? Just name it, no matter what you are trying to do, being able to articulate and communicate is the key to your success. You may have a good product but if you don’t know how to package it well, you may have a hard time selling your product.

What then is communication? Communication can be defined as the imparting or exchanging information. It can also be defined as a means of connection between people at different places at different. It may interest you to know as rational human beings we connect with people every day. Just like I’m writing this article now, I’m connecting and communicating to a large of people across the world.

During the course of this article we shall be discussing the different types of communication, how we can use communication skill to enhance our product, and how communication can serve as icing on our cake.

We have different types of communication, we shall be discussing six types briefly:

Intrapersonal Communication: This is basically the type of communication we have with ourselves. This communication is basically an internal one where one engages his or heart, mind, body, and soul. Sometimes, it can take the form of intuitive analyses. Some of the people who practice this form of communication are public speakers and those who practice meditation.

Interpersonal Communication: This form of communication is normally practiced in the work environment and social event gathering where seminars, workshop and break out session is being organized. It is normally between a small group of individuals, typically in a face-to-face setting, where participants engage in a minimally restricted dialogue with each other. It helps to breed in harmony, understanding, cooperation, trust, and value.

Verbal Communication: This is referred to as the spoken words. This is the most conventional way of communicating. In order to be a good communicator, you must be able to speak clearly in such a manner that your audience will be able to understand you clearly.

There’s no communication if your audience have a hard time hearing and understanding you. It should be noted that there’s a big difference between engaged listening and simply hearing. When you really listen, you’re engaged with what’s being said. You’ll hear the subtle intonations in someone’s voice that tell you how that person is feeling and the emotions they’re trying to communicate. When you’re an engaged listener, not only will you better understand the other person, you’ll also make that person feel heard and understood, which can help build a stronger, deeper connection between you.

Written Communication: This is another great tool for communicating. This form of communication can take the shape of emails, social media and any information that involves writing, for example, legal documents. The ability to write a great is a great skill that is in demand. The limiting factor in this form of communication is that it can be used against the author. For example, when the wrong email is sent to the wrong person or an unbecoming post is shared on social media platform, it can come back to haunt the writer.

Non-Verbal Communication: This is a great communication tool that involves less stress. It is mostly conveyed using signs and symbols. This form of communication is best conveyed using sign language and attitude. Sometimes, the best way to communicate is remaining silent because silence can be golden. It’s instructive to know that in communication what is important is not what is being said but what is not being said. Therein, lies the message.

Visual Communication: This form of communication involves using pictures and symbols to convey a message. Depending on what you are trying to say, sometimes, the best way to convey a message or teach is by using pictures. For example, journalist or photographers can use cartoon images to send the desired messages to their audience. It’s being said that pictures say a thousand words more than spoken or written words. According to this school of thought, they believe pictures travel faster than any form of communication. This form of communication is less used compared to other media of communication. Another interesting part of this brand of communication is that it can be used for presentations.

Below are list of several types of visual elements that are being used by marketers or companies of interest. Colors (such as brand colors), Design (logo and brand design), Advertising (Animations, Illustrations, Typography, and Presentations).

The big question now is how can you use effective communication to promote your product? Communication can either make or mar somebody depending on how it’s been used. Communication is the most resourceful tool in the hands of any creative being who is able to think out of the box. Communicating with people is not hard, what is difficult is understanding people and knowing how to meet them halfway in addition to knowing what they need. A resourceful promoter or marketer can literary make people buy a product if the proper words and communication skill is being used.

In some social parlance, it is being said that men are always attracted by what they see while women are attracted by what hear. The same mindset can be applied in communication. In communication, perception is everything, if people are not swayed how they perceive you and your message, it will be hard to convince them to patronize you. Your ability to relate cordially with people and understand their needs is critical to the success of your product.

In politics, you must understand the pulse of the people, you must say the right words even though it means being politically correct. In politics, if you are insensitive to the needs of people, you are as good as an expired product because you’ll have no electoral value.

Communication can serve as a good icing on a cake if used effectively. Using the six levels of communication mentioned above, you can literally get anything you want. To make a beautiful presentation, the beginning and ending of your message is very important. Always leave your guest gasping for more information. All you need to do is to do your research and know which one suits your audience most. Also, bear in mind, the tone, pitch, and the right words are very crucial in conveying your message.

Communication skill is a very important skill to possess in our contemporary society. Everyone needs it. An individual in search of a job needs good communication skill, those working in cooperate organizations need good communication skills, human resource personnel and leaders also needs it. Let’s see how communication applies to the above-mentioned people.

To demonstrate good personal relation and communication skills, a rational minds must do the following:

Listens attentively and pay attention to constructive feedback
Speaks confidently in public settings
Motivate others
Delegates tasks effectively
Provides well thought out solutions
To show your research/planning skills, a journalist and meteorologist must be able to show his or communication skills by being able to:

Accurately forecasts outcomes
Identifies and allocates resources appropriately
Identifies problems & develop solutions
Gathers information & assess current situations

Adverse effects of communication skills: Everything that has advantage also have disadvantage. Ineffective or incoherent communication can make a lively conversation boring. Some of the adverse effects of communication can lead to the following:

Lack of focus. You can’t communicate effectively when you’re multitasking. If you’re checking your phone, to communicate effectively, you need to avoid distractions and stay focused. You must stay focused like an eagle to get the best out of anything.

Inconsistent body language: This works like non-verbal communication. Most times, people get the exact message from a speaker via his or body language. As stated earlier, sometimes in communication, what is not said has more information than what is being said. For example, you can’t say “yes” while shaking your head no.

Negative body language. If you disagree with or dislike what’s being said, you might use negative body language to rebuff the other person’s message, such as crossing your arms, avoiding eye contact, or tapping your feet. You don’t have to agree with, or even like what’s being said, but to communicate effectively and not put the other person on the defensive, it’s important to avoid sending negative signals.

I hope I have been able to shed some light on the art of communication. Be inspired!!!

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with New York City Department of Correction as the legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success.

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