Business

The Power of Using Correct Communications Skills

Published

1 year ago

November 18, 2022

Effective communication at work can be transformative for individuals, teams, and businesses. We’re here to show you why communication is vital in the workplace and how to start building your and your team’s communication skills today.

Communication skills are, however, more than just verbal or written in nature and include several non-verbal cues such as kinesics, proxemics, and paralinguistics, in addition to human centricity and being able to communicate in a soft touch low feel world successfully.

It is about communicating positively with clarity, developing strong, active listening skills, being able to read other people’s behaviors, effectively managing conflict, navigating difficult conversations successfully, and being empathetic and adaptable.

Communication in the workplace is important because it boosts employee morale, engagement, productivity, and satisfaction. Communication is also vital for better team collaboration and cooperation. Ultimately, effective workplace communication helps drive better results for individuals, teams, and organizations.

To take it a step further, specifically as a manager, building good communication skills has profound short- and long-term benefits for your organization. Effective communicators can motivate their team to get more done with better results and fewer misunderstandings. And who doesn’t want fewer misunderstandings?

All of these things can contribute to the company’s success — and your success as a leader.

Not all work communication is made equal. We’ve all had the experience of sitting through a tedious, lengthy meeting with the thought, “This should have been an email.”

Different communication channels are ideal for different types of communication. Depending on the type of information conveyed, those other channels can enhance — or detract — from how it is received. Effective communicators will develop different skills and tools to match the type of communication needed.

1. Leadership communication

2. Upward communication

3. Updates

4. Presentations

5. Meetings

6. Customer communications

7. Informal interactions

Every year communication tops the list of skills in demand by employers. There’s a reason. Communication is what makes our professional and personal relationships go smoothly. It’s how we show care, catalyze change, and get things done.

That’s reason enough to improve — and keep improving — these critical skills. Luckily, we can all learn to communicate better.

Presentation Skills

Although presentation skills may not be used frequently by most of us, however, there are times when we do need this skill to present information to a group of people, either in a formal or informal setting.

Written Skills

The ability to write and convey effectively is the key to communication. This skill is not just limited to authors or journalists. A poorly written communication can be pretty frustrating for the reader and may also communicate the message inappropriately or incorrectly. Written skills are of great significance in a corporate setup, where communication occurs via email.

Personal Skills

While we may not realize the importance of personal skills such as maintaining a healthy body and mind, they enhance communication. For instance, improving your self-esteem and building your confidence helps you feel more positive about yourself, including your ability to communicate effectively. If you have an in-depth understanding of yourself and a more relaxed and positive outlook toward life, you are more likely to be charming, which further aids the way you communicate. Lastly, good communication skill is also directly linked to assertiveness – standing up for what you truly believe in.

An individual who has the experience of such skills and has worked in this line to help many people to get the benefits from it is our inspiration for today’s article – Linda K Clemons. Linda has studied Marketing and is certified in Analytical Interviewing. Professionally she has achieved the titles of Top Sales Producer, Entrepreneur, Trainer, and Speaker.

Business

Turning Tragedy into Triumph Through Walking With Anthony

Published

18 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Rosario Farell

On the morning of February 6, 2010, Anthony Purcell took a moment to admire the churning surf before plunging into the waves off Miami Beach. Though he had made the dive numerous times before, that morning was destined to be different when he crashed into a hidden sandbar, sustaining bruises to his C5 and C6 vertebrae and breaking his neck.

“I was completely submerged and unable to rise to the surface,” Purcell recalls. “Fortunately, my cousin Bernie saw what was happening and came to my rescue. He saved my life, but things would never be the same after that dive.”

Like thousands of others who are confronted with a spinal cord injury (SCI), Purcell plunged headlong into long months of hopelessness and despair. Eventually, however, he learned to turn personal tragedy into triumph as he reached out to fellow SCI victims by launching Walking With Anthony.

Living with SCI: the first dark days

Initial rehabilitation for those with SCIs takes an average of three to six months, during which time they must relearn hundreds of fundamental skills and adjust to what feels like an entirely new body. Unfortunately, after 21 days, Purcell’s insurance stopped paying for this essential treatment, even though he had made only minimal improvement in such a short time.

“Insurance companies cover rehab costs for people with back injuries, but not for people with spinal cord injuries,” explains Purcell. “We were practically thrown to the curb. At that time, I was so immobile that I couldn’t even raise my arms to feed myself.”

Instead of giving up, Purcell’s mother chose to battle his SCI with long-term rehab. She enrolled Purcell in Project Walk, a rehabilitation facility located in Carlsbad, California, but one that came with an annual cost of over $100,000.

“My parents paid for rehabilitation treatment for over three years,” says Purcell. “Throughout that time, they taught me the importance of patience, compassion, and unconditional love.”

Yet despite his family’s support, Purcell still struggled. “Those were dark days when I couldn’t bring myself to accept the bleak prognosis ahead of me,” he says. “I faced life in a wheelchair and the never-ending struggle for healthcare access, coverage, and advocacy. I hit my share of low points, and there were times when I seriously contemplated giving up on life altogether.”

Purcell finds a new purpose in helping others with SCIs

After long months of depression and self-doubt, Purcell’s mother determined it was time for her son to find purpose beyond rehabilitation.

“My mom suggested I start Walking With Anthony to show people with spinal cord injuries that they were not alone,” Purcell remarks. “When I began to focus on other people besides myself, I realized that people all around the world with spinal cord injuries were suffering because of restrictions on coverage and healthcare access. The question that plagued me most was, ‘What about the people with spinal cord injuries who cannot afford the cost of rehabilitation?’ I had no idea how they were managing.”

Purcell and his mother knew they wanted to make a difference for other people with SCIs, starting with the creation of grants to help cover essentials like assistive technology and emergency finances. To date, they have helped over 100 SCI patients get back on their feet after suffering a similar life-altering accident.

Purcell demonstrates the power and necessity of rehab for people with SCIs

After targeted rehab, Purcell’s physical and mental health improved drastically. Today, he is able to care for himself, drive his own car, and has even returned to work.

“Thanks to my family’s financial and emotional support, I am making amazing physical improvement,” Purcell comments. “I mustered the strength to rebuild my life and even found the nerve to message Karen, a high school classmate I’d always had a thing for. We reconnected, our friendship evolved into love, and we tied the knot in 2017.”

After all that, Purcell found the drive to push toward one further personal triumph. He married but did not believe a family was in his future. Regardless of his remarkable progress, physicians told him biological children were not an option.

Despite being paralyzed from the chest down, Purcell continued to look for hope. Finally, Dr. Jesse Mills of UCLA Health’s Male Reproductive Medicine department assured Purcell and his wife that the right medical care and in vitro fertilization could make their dream of becoming parents a reality.

“Payton joined our family in the spring of 2023,” Purcell reports. “For so long, I believed my spinal cord injury had taken everything I cared about, but now I am grateful every day. I work to help other people with spinal cord injuries find the same joy and hope. We provide them with access to specialists, funding to pay for innovative treatments, and the desire to move forward with a focus on the future.”