Careers have been ruined because of poor communication skills. Even when you were the best candidate for the job, you lost because of poor communication skills without knowing the true reasons of why you were overlooked. There are some people that have natural communication skills because of where they were born and brought up. Better education, better neighborhoods, helpful and influential parents are some of the reasons some get a head start. You can overcome all of these by becoming a student of Effective Persuasive Communication. Have you ever noticed that some people seem to get all the breaks and you get left behind even though you knew you could do the job?
Just because you knew you could do the job did not convince those above you who make the decisions. It’s true in social networks also. Many of us are judged by how we act, look and communicate. In men, at very early ages we are judged by how strong we are, how good looking we are, how smart we are, how athletic we are, how fast we are, how rich we are, how we interact with girls, how confident we are, who are parents are and the list goes on. Everyone finds their place in life.
Some stay with that lot in life and others choose to change. Will you change today?
Look at the recent political debates that went on for the President of the United States. Their political careers were at stake and maybe their future in other endeavors because of poor communication. George W. Bush is a poor communicator and it showed up more than ever during these debates and the last several months of his Presidency. I cannot understand with all his power and money why he could not get help with his speeches and spontaneous remarks. President Obama on the other hand was a great communicator. He told the people what they wanted to hear in a clear, easy to understand dialogue.
You need to communicate and leave a message that is easy to understand to grow in an organization. The same holds true in any facet of life. Become an expert in your field and be prepared. Great athletes are always prepared on the field. Boxers are always prepared in the ring. Great comedians are always prepared on the stage. They are even prepared off the stage.
I once interviewed some of the funniest and successful comedians of all times, Milton Berle, Rich Little, Art Linkletter, Sid Caesar, and Don Rickles to name a few. I asked them how they continually were funny all the time. All of them said the same thing, prepare before every event even if it’s a lunch, dinner or cocktails not just a performance on stage. Milton Berle showed me his file cabinets full of jokes and stories. He had them categorized into genres so he could quickly pull out the material he wanted for the event. He also told me that even if he was going to a lunch with friends he would prepare several jokes and stories that he thought would fit the lunch date and events of the day. When the opportunity arose he could quickly tell a joke or story as if it was spontaneous. Of course it does help when you are naturally funny but we can all achieve better results if we plan.
You are an interesting person and we need to hear from you. You need to communicate and leave a message to grow in an organization. Become an expert in your field. It doesn’t take a lot of work. Read, use the web, research, make a glossary of words, interview others in the field, even in your own company. Have you ever noticed that when you are trying to have a conversation with someone they may be looking around and are only half there. The problem is most people are just waiting to get their turn to speak in a conversation and are not listening to you. You have probably done the same. You are trying to think about what you are going to say next as soon as the other person shuts up. You can overcome these obstacles and be the center of attraction.
Know your audience and speak to their level. Some say that you need to address most audiences at a 7th or 8th grade level for comprehension to sink in and be retained. In other words don’t try to impress with large words and heavy subjects. Listen to some of the masters to get a feeling of the cadence and timing. Try to find some Zig Zigler or Earl Nightingale CD’s. Earl Nightingale was the co founder of Nightingale-Conant, the largest producer of tapes and CD’s of great speakers. Earl Nightingale was also the voice of Sky King and many others on radio for years. Just his voice alone on radio could transport you into the story. Also listen to Anthony Robbins, Tony Alessandra and Patricia Fripp. Listen to their tone, cadence, and how they add in humor, stories and word pictures. Once you find your voice you can now tell your stories with great interest and have people waiting for your next word.
Remember to always be prepared with jokes, stories and humorous quotations to fit the occasion. Try starting off a story with some questions, quotations or startling remarks to gain attention. One person told a story by starting out with, “My husband is a killer, he has killed before and will kill again”. That statement got everyone’s attention. She was talking about her husband the bug exterminator. You could ask several questions to gain attention. For example: Have you ever fallen over 100 feet tied to a tree by vines? Have you ever experienced being dropped in a free fall only to be snapped up a few feet from the ground? Have you ever had your breath taken away and thought you were going to die? These questions were posed by someone who experienced bungee cord jumping in the jungles of Borneo while being tied to a tree by vines. Sometimes a quotation by a famous person can get the attention you are looking for to tell your story.
Next make about 3 or 4 points for a 5 minute speech. You don’t want to bore the audience. Let them digest your points. End by summarizing your message and either appeal or urge your audience to action. If you are in a small group and just want to be noticed or be part of the group, prepare some jokes or stories that you think will fit in. A good source for quotations is “The Treasury of Quotes by Jim Rohn”. Check out the web for sources for jokes and stories and put them into your own style.
Good luck and always keep your ears open for good material. Write them down and make your own file cabinet full of fun and laughter.
