“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People
At MatDespatch, we communicate a lot with other businesses, customers, and our riders. Through 5 years of managing the business, we understand that communications is not everyone’s strong suit, although it has been generally agreed to be one of the most important skills of the 21st Century. Good communication can save time, helps to avoid misunderstanding, resolve conflict, and build relationships that are of better quality.
Everyone today can express themselves more freely and easily. Whether it be through messaging services or social media, communication shapes the way we live in this era of technology. But everyone being able to communicate does not mean that we are all great at communications. Here are some pointers we gathered specifically to address problems with communications that could help individuals and business owners in Malaysia.
First, let’s look into how to improve everyday conversations. Celeste Headlee is an author and radio talkshow host. What’s interesting about her is that she emphasizes on being genuine in communications. According to her “There is no reason to learn how to show you’re paying attention if you are in fact paying attention”.
In the TED Talk Celeste says every conversation now can turn into an argument and she provides a few tips to avoid that.
- The most important thing is to listen. You can never get in trouble by listening.
- Never make a conversation about you.
- Give your whole attention to the conversation
- Use open ended questions
- Don’t clutter conversations with unnecessary details
Recommended: Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
Often in business and in life we have to deal with conversations that are emotionally charged and often gets uncomfortable. They may not be plenty but when the time does come, we often miss important chances to make the best out of it. This book is the answer to that.
A New York Times bestseller and a highly-rated book by casual readers and communications experts, this book looks into communications analytically with great examples. The findings of this book were the result of 15 years of research at the Harvard Negotiation Project but it is not something technical or complex to read. In this book, the authors discuss the importance of knowing that there are deeper conversations within the conversations we are having and avoid making errors most people make when dealing with these difficult conversations.
There is a lot to be read however a line that authors gave significant highlight is this: “The single most important rule about managing the interaction is this: you can’t move the conversation in a more positive direction until the other person feels heard and understood.”. This book is a practical guide for you to have a better and more fruitful conversations, not just the difficult ones.
Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most is currently available in all major bookstores in Malaysia.
Expert Suggestions
“Communication is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding a bicycle or typing. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life.” – Brian Tracy, Business Coach
“People are not mind readers; a good communicator will spend some time explaining the whole story” – Dr Lynda Shaw, Neuroscientist
“Unfortunately, most of us want to be liked by others so we tend to agree, even if the right thing is to disagree, or more importantly, to say “no” – David Politis, Marketing Expert
This article is an initiative by MatDespatch.com to help and guide businesses in Malaysia to ease their journey in the business world. If you have any suggestions or comments, kindly email qayyum@matdespatch.com.Spread the love