Dynamic Communication

Become a Great Conversationalist

Effective communication is vital to personal success and it is an up close and personal endeavor. All of the great communicators I know are great conversationalists. I have one great piece of common sense advice that will help you achieve personal success through effective communication: listen more than you speak. People like to talk about themselves and the best way to get to know them is to ask questions. When you meet people for the first time, ask "get to know you" questions like: "What do you do?" "Where do you live?" "Are you married?" "Do you have children?" Listen to the answers and file them away for future use.

Prior to seeing an old client the other day, I spent time remembering what I knew about him: we have several common acquaintances; his son is a music major at Ithaca College; his company was recently acquired. I kept things moving for an hour by asking questions about these topics, listening, and following up on his replies. After that, I was in a good position to ask the two questions that were my main reason for the conversation. "How are things going with your team? How can I help you?" This was a sales call, after all.

Write Clearly and Succinctly

Your objective in writing to achieve personal success is to communicate - not to impress others with your vocabulary. At my niece's graduation party recently, I mentioned that I was going for an "avuncular hip" writing style which caused her to ask, "What does that mean?" I replied, "Avuncular means uncle-like. I wanted to sound like a hip uncle." "Why didn't you just say so?", she asked. Everybody knows what "uncle-like" means. Trying to show off my vocabulary prevented effective communication.

Good writing will set you apart and help you achieve personal success. Most people tend to be unclear and ramble on. You can catch people's attention by writing in a clear, concise manner with short, simple sentences. Write fast. Get your thoughts on paper or the computer screen as quickly as possible. Then edit and rewrite until you've said exactly what you want to say. One of my first bosses told me that rewriting is the secret to good writing and I feel that advice has served me well on the road to my own personal success.

Present with Impact

Finally, many careers have been built and personal success achieved on the merits of one good presentation. Unfortunately, many people are afraid of presenting which causes them to miss important opportunities. Don't let this happen to you. Presenting can be broken down into manageable steps that can help you achieve personal success.

1. Determine your message. Begin by determining what you have to say. Get crystal clear on the message you have for the audience.

2. Analyze your audience. Why are they there? How much do they know about your topic? Are they familiar with any jargon you might use? What is there general attitude towards you and the information you will be communicating?

3. Organize your information for impact. I start by writing my closing first. I use this closing to help me choose the information I am going to include in my talk. I ask myself, "Does this information add to my main point?" If not, I leave it out. Then I write my opening with two goals in mind: to get people's attention, and to inform them on what my talk is about. Once the closing and opening are written, the content comes naturally.

4. Create supporting visuals. Once I've decided what I want to say, I develop my visuals. Your visuals should support your presentation - not drive it. There is nothing more boring that watching and listening to someone read his or her slides.

5. Practice out loud. An early mentor once told me, "Bud, preparation makes up for a lack of talent." It also enhances your natural talent. Never skip this step because it is likely to result in a poor talk, which may not be a career killer, but is a missed opportunity.

Understanding and using these keys to dynamic communication can help catapult you towards achieving personal success. And they will make you a whole lot nicer to be around, too.