How to Have Effective Communication and Overcome Communication Challenges

The challenge with communication is that you have to involve another person in the exchange with you making effective communication seem illusive and unattainable. Have you ever had one of those interactions where you wish and hope the other person could see your point of view, even just momentarily? 

Just for a minute. 

Like please hear what I am saying. You are begging in your mind. I am pleading with you. Just hear me and hear my heart.

I had one of those interactions the other day. With someone I least expected to have a difficult conversation with. So needless to say, I was caught off guard. Extremely off guard.  

I did plead with the person to hear me and my heart. Like pleaded. But there was a wall already created. A wall already erected. A wall that was cemented. And appeared like it would never come down.

How can you break through the wall when it seems too high, too strong? It seems like you could never get over it or go through it?

It all goes back to the art of communication. There is an art to communicating, which means that it takes some skill to perform well at it. It has to be practiced. To achieve effective communication, you have to work at it and not give up when you have an incident that did not go according to how you planned it.

Can you empathize with where someone else is in life? Empathy is different from sympathy.  Empathy is the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without experiences these events in your own life. 

Are you able to exhibit empathy even if the person is different from you? 

Even when the person communicates different than you? 

Even when the person offends you?

To get to another level in my communication, I have to take out emotions when I am in the professional space. Yes, I want to use my emotions to assist me in relating to someone else but I can not let my emotions ‘tell’ me how to interact. I have to reflect those emotions within myself and then logically think through the situation.

This sometimes returns my thoughts back to myself and where I need to improve myself in the area of communication. We all can make changes towards improvement. It is hard and difficult but it can be done.

Have you ever had an interaction and afterwards you felt emotionally spent? Like if something else happens, that is it. I will let the next person know what a terrible day this has been and why I do not have time to deal with them right now.

How to solve the challenge with communication

Take a breath!

This is how you get to that next level. The next interaction has to be a wonderful interaction. You have to focus on making it that way. You can’t loose with the next person. 

If anything, you have to strive that much harder to be that much better with your communication, because you are already strained.

Due to my position in my profession, I have had people walk out of my office with much attitude and words exchanged. Then have to deal with other individuals at the office or clients. Or deal directly with my children. 

I have had to deal with clients who have spoken about how they haven’t liked or agreed with a decision I have made professionally and then had to deal immediately with colleagues who need an answer for another challenge they are dealing with.

Let’s solve communication challenges and allow ourselves to have effective communication every time!

1. Stay present in order to have effective communication!

2. Live in the moment to foster effective communication!

3. Stay focused on the matter at hand to create effective communication!

Focus on who is with you at the time. AND LEAVE IT WITH THEM! Don’t take their dealings into your next interaction with someone else.

Some call this compartmentalization. Sectioning off your interactions into little boxes. I am not telling you to forget lessons learned from one situation and not apply it to the next. I am asking you to treat each individual as an individual. And your interaction with them as fresh and new.

You can do this. It is possible.

Effective communication is all about the NOW! Who are you talking to now? What are you discussing now? Where are you now?

This week try to interact with every person without thinking about the next interaction you are going to have. Focus on the now.

What did you find challenging about this? Let me know in the comments below! We can help each other grow. And pass this post along to someone who already is great at communication or someone you admire in communication.

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Remember to: 

Be you, be focused, be well!

This has been another Flourish Friday post so get ready and Find your Flourish!

Shanna

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