[VIDEO] STOP COMMUNICATING INEFFECTIVELY 1. Show enthusiasm 2. Avoid fidgeting 3. Get to the point 4.

Who's the message, you or power point 5. Words that create distraction 6. Who are you talking to Effective Communication Communication is the process of sharing information, thoughts and feelings between people through speaking, writing or body language. Effective communication extends the concept to require that transmitted content is received and understood by someone in the way it was intended. All communications, intentional or unintentional, have some effect. This effect may not be always in a communicator's favor or as desired by him or her. Communication that produces the desired effect or result is effective communication. It results in what the communicator wants. Effective communication generates the desired effect, maintains effect & increases effect. Effective communication serves its purpose for which it was planned or designed. The purpose could be to generate action, inform, create understanding or communicate a certain idea/point etc. Effective communication also ensures that message distortion does not take place during the communication process. Show enthusiasm Enthusiasm is an incredibly powerful tool to create momentum. Enthusiasm can also be used to combat fear and nervousness and it can even create temporary energy and willpower. Being enthusiastic also creates an overall feeling of happiness and well-being that makes it worthwhile regardless of its positive sideeffects. Enthusiasm is like any other skill. If it is continually practiced and exercised, it gets better. Enthusiasm rarely comes naturally and it must be the result of conscious effort. Practicing the ability to use enthusiasm can keep you excited and driven even in horrible circumstances. Without this ability, even great circumstances are viewed through the lens of sarcasm and cynicism. Enthusiasm is a great communication tool. Enthusiasm grants you licence to a lot more confidence than you might otherwise have without appearing arrogant or boastful. By leveraging enthusiasm, it is far easier to communicate with others. The quality of communication is greatly improved. Genuine enthusiasm can only be sustained about something you are truly passionate about. Anyone can get themselves hyped up over a boring situation for the moment, but sustained enthusiasm can only come when you deeply care about something. If you arent that interested in the outcome of something, you

wont be able to create enthusiasm. Enthusiasm and energy are very closely linked. Being energetic makes it far more likely for you to be enthusiastic and enthusiasm can literally create the energy you need to get going. Acting incredibly enthusiastic will start by masking any nervousness in your body language and speaking. Once youve started to create that enthusiasm within yourself, fear and nervousness will be blocked out of your mind. Avoid fidgeting Fidgeting is the act of moving about restlessly. Fidgeting may be a result of nervousness, agitation, boredom or a combination of these. First and foremost, fidgeting makes you look nervous or even in some cases rude. Second of all, it puts other people on edge, and when they see you picking things up or biting your nails it distracts them from what they're doing and makes them wonder what you're about to do next. Third, if you're absent-mindedly fiddling with things or picking at things, then you never know what kind of damage you can cause breaking something or even hurting yourself when fidgeting. It's simply not good body language and if you do it in important social situations such as dates or interviews then it can cost you that social interaction. Recognize when and where you fidget. Understanding how you fidget and how it affects your life is the first step to making a change. Distract yourself. Keep your hands busy in a way that doesn't look like fidgeting then this can be a good way to stop yourself. Often the reason we fidget is that we have restless energy, and often that energy comes from a pent up feeling that we should be, or want to be, doing something else which is partly why it is perceived as so rude. You'll find your mind is often racing when you're fidgeting and that you feel like you have other places you need to be. However for whatever reason, you are currently in this situation and currently there is no way to politely get out of it. Instead of worrying about it then, accept it for what it is and just lean back and enjoy yourself. Another reason people often fidget is because they're bored and in this case it can happen unconsciously. Try to engage then in what is happening around you and try to find what you're being told interesting all information has some value and if you can find an angle that makes it interesting to you then you can start paying more attention and stop fidgeting. If you keep fidgeting just out of habit then you need to just stop yourself doing it each time. Break the cycle each time and you'll eventually break the habit. Reduce caffeine or sugar intake. Too much caffeine or sugar creates energy bursts and troughs, leaving you craving more. During increases in energy, you are likely to fidget. Get to the point There are 7 Cs of effective communication.

1. Completeness - The communication must be complete. It should convey all facts required by the audience. 2. Conciseness - Conciseness means wordiness or communicating what you want to convey in least possible words. Conciseness is a necessity for effective communication. It highlights the main message as it avoids using excessive and needless words. It must be short and essential message is expressed in limited words. It is more appealing, comprehensible and non-repetitive in nature. 3. Consideration - Consideration implies stepping into the shoes of others. Effective communication must take into consideration the audiences view points, background, mind-set, education level, etc. Ensure that the self-respect of the audience is maintained. Empathize with the audience and show optimism. 4. Clarity - Clarity implies emphasizing on a specific message or goal at a time. It makes understanding easier. Complete clarity of thoughts and ideas enhances the meaning of message. Clear message makes use of exact, appropriate and concrete words. 5. Concreteness - Concrete communication implies being particular and clear rather than fuzzy and general. It is supported with specific facts and figures. Concrete messages are not misinterpreted. 6. Courtesy - The sender of the message should be sincerely polite, judicious, reflective and enthusiastic. Courtesy implies taking into consideration both viewpoints as well as feelings of the receiver of the message. Courteous message is positive and makes use of terms showing respect. 7. Correctness - Correctness in communication implies that there are no grammatical errors in communication. The message is exact, correct and welltimed. It checks for the precision and accurateness of facts and figures used in the message. It makes use of appropriate and correct language in the message. Who's the message, you or power point/Who are you talking to Eye contact is a powerful communications tool. It demonstrates interest, respect and comprehension. It enables you to connect with your audience, project sincerity or openness and keep your listeners attention. When you maintain eye contact, you present an air of confidence in yourself and what you are communicating. People who are listening to what you are saying will take you more seriously, and will take what you say as important. If you lose eye contact or focus on everything else but the person you are speaking to, you may not be taken seriously and the truth in your points may be lost. Failing to maintain eye contact during a conversation can send mixed signals to the person you are speaking with. It is often construed as a tell-tale-sign that you might not be forthcoming or truthful in what you are saying. It can also indicate lack of interest or short attention span. Eye contact can relay our inner most intimate thoughts and desires. It can let the person we are speaking to know our

emotional connection and interest in what we are conversing about. A longing stare or the ability to smile with your eyes like a super model can often deliver the subtle message of interest. On the flip side, anger, disgust, and dissatisfaction can also be easily delivered with through our eye contact. We are equipped with a powerful tool in eye contact. It can be used in positive ways to effectively express confidence, intellect, honesty, love, desire, friendship, compassion, sympathy and more. While negatively, eye contact can reflect lies, anger, lack of remorse and a callous non-genuine attitude. Our eyes can enhance a conversation and deliver our words more effectively. Consider how long you look into someones eyes when you speak. Most people can only look into someones eyes for at most three seconds before either person glances away. This is because eye contact expresses intimacy. And as a direct glance becomes longer, the feelings become more intense. So, for a professional speech, only look directly into someones eyes for about a second. A longer glance might make someone uncomfortable or could be construed as inappropriate flirting. If you find yourself nervous about looking people directly in the eye, start small. Just give someone a brief glance or look around their eyes instead of directly into their pupils. With practice, you will become more comfortable with giving people direct eye contact. You will find your shyness start to dissolve. Words that create distraction Crutch words are the unnecessary words that we use to fill the dead spaces while speaking, or if were unsure of how to begin. Common crutch words are uhm, err, ahm, actually, you know, like, etc. We use them when we grope for words or thoughts. Another reason is we feel uneasy with the short silence in between sentences. We want to sound smooth or glib. We end up with these useless pause or speech fillers. It can sound annoying or irritating and may distract your listeners. You may appear inarticulate, unprofessional or unknowledgeable. By eliminating speech crutches, your point becomes clearer. Slow down. So when you try to speak faster than you think, the coordination jams up. You open your mouth and there is no suitable word or phrase that pops right out of your head yet. Automatically, you would mumble crutches to fill up the gap while your mind busily gropes for the appropriate word or phrase. Learn to pause. Dont fear the silence. Pauses help to emphasize points and give listeners time to understand what you are talking about. Grasp the subject and the words will follow, an adage from Cato the Elder. The most effective way to avoid word crutches is to know your material inside out. Know it like the back of your hand. Simply, it means be well prepared. Perhaps its clich, but practice, practice and practice! The more you practice, the smoother your transitions will be and you wont feel the need to insert crutch words.