Promoting Good Communication
Good communication encourages creative interaction among all members of your team. Your communication strategy should support, encourage, and reinforce your goals, and should do so within the culture of the organization. To do that, you need to develop healthy habits and encourage them among everyone else.
Be Positive
In today's world, culture reinforces cynicism. Certainly when something is wrong, you need to directly address it and change things for the better. Rose-colored glasses are actually negative because they cause you to ignore that which needs change. But cynicism isn't corrective. Instead, it is an attitude that things are wrong because life is like that. Cynicism becomes an excuse to do nothing but sit at the sidelines, disdainfully watching life go by.
To combat cynicism, work to be positive in your communication. Focus on improving situations instead of simply pointing out what is wrong. Work with others. Get their ideas and help on how to make things better. Avoid criticism where you can. If you don't have something positive to say, something that can help improve things, then say nothing.
Have Fun
Let your communication be upbeat and enthusiastic whenever possible. The more your audience enjoys listening to you, the more they will retain. Again, this has to be genuine and not the relentless cheerfulness that often passes as being positive.
For a humorous view of the relentlessly positive, you might read the classic
Fun and enthusiasm come from action, so take some. Be bold and courageous, and then when you communicate what you do, your gusto will be catching.
Be Open
Communication is a two-way activity, so you need to be receptive to what others have to say. Whenever possible, ask open-ended questions that allow the person you are speaking with to talk with you. Once you have asked the question, truly listen to the answer.
When you become engaged in conversation with another person, allow him or her to complete the full thought before you respond. Listen to the total idea or statement; don't jump on one word or phrase. Hear the person out and then offer your responses.
Allow yourself to recognize the importance of this topic or information to the speaker. Even if you think it is unimportant, demonstrate to the person that you value and respect her contribution.
