Effective Communication Skills

Is all communication persuasive? Sometimes, it seems it is. At the least, we can say much of our communication includes a persuasion component.

Consider this article, which takes an editorial rather than an overtly persuasive approach. Yet, the underlying premise is that strategic communication works more effectively than communication without a conscious purpose. So, I’m trying to persuade you that one approach (the strategic) to communication works better than another.

Consider, too, the three most intriguing words in the English language: “I love you.” At the same time, these words can be both self-sacrificing and self-serving. In the self-serving sense, we use the words because we want something from the person to whom we’ve uttered them.

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Inspiring and Energizing with Strong Verbal Communications
“Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can’t, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep saying it.”

Robert Frost, early 20th century American poet
We can’t inspire and energize people with memos, mission statements, data and analysis, charts, goals and objectives, measurements, systems, or processes. These are important factors in improving performance. But that’s management, not leadership. People are inspired and aroused by exciting mental pictures of a preferred future, principles or values that ring true, and being part of a higher cause or purpose that helps them feel they’re making a difference.

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