Being able to communicate effectively is like being able to dance well: some people can find it easier than others and seem to be more "naturally" talented at it, but in the end, learning how to dance well takes time, practice, and dedication.
Some people go for it and rock the dance floor, other people spend their time while watching other people having fun on the dance floor.
Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order.
Samuel Barclay Beckett
known as Samuel Beckett [1906-1989]
known as Samuel Beckett [1906-1989]
Interestingly enough, the vast majority of dancing styles involve some kind of interaction between two or more dancers, that have to agree on the steps, the rules, and the frame for the dancing act to be performed.
In communication, it is pretty much the same, even if most people would argue that they don't think about this stuff and just... well, open their mouth and say something.
[Incredibly sexy and yet very dangerous:
a couple of adjectives that can describe both
Magenta's lips from The Rocky Horror Picture Show
and communicating without thinking about it]
So here you can find a short, simple (but not easy..., at least the first times) and clear 3-item checklist you can use from now on as a communication checklist for your day-to-day communication, in order to test, refine and train your communication skills, and to better understand why do you communicate in the first place.
It is perfect for friends, loved ones, acquaintances, colleagues, and for some networking as well. In order words, it will get you covered in the most diverse social settings.
It is perfect for friends, loved ones, acquaintances, colleagues, and for some networking as well. In order words, it will get you covered in the most diverse social settings.
[Communication is almost all about the tools you use
to convey your message...
to convey your message...
so be sure to pick the right ones...
A rural postman delivers from a pennyfarthing bicycle in 1900
Image credit: Daily Mail]
Item #1. Reason & Background
Why am I contacting this person?
What kind of expectations do I have about the interaction, while contacting this person?
Item #2. Purpose & Blueprint
What I am contacting this person for?
What kind of agenda, hidden or shared with my recipient, do I have while contacting this person?
Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson
known as Robert Louis Stevenson [1850-1894]
known as Robert Louis Stevenson [1850-1894]
Item #3. Human relationship sustainability check
How will my interaction with this person going to impact their day?
Am I going to add value, to make them happy, to improve their lives, to share knowledge, to care?
As it would happen while learning new dancing steps, in the beginning, these questions could be difficult to answer or it could take some nerves and effort to dig into them.
Over time, interaction after interaction, it will become more and more clear that doing it on a regular basis and keeping up with the good work is absolutely worth it.
Have fun!
As it would happen while learning new dancing steps, in the beginning, these questions could be difficult to answer or it could take some nerves and effort to dig into them.
Over time, interaction after interaction, it will become more and more clear that doing it on a regular basis and keeping up with the good work is absolutely worth it.
Have fun!
Tags: Human interactions, Communication, How to dance, Questions, Communication checklist, Quotes, Sustainability check for relationships
What to read next:
That dreaded, absolutely useless question that people ask over and over again while thinking that they are doing small-talk - I
Visiting the blog for the first time? Aloha!
