The Ultimate Guide to Communication

The key to any relationship is communication.

当然，这包括浪漫的关系，但它也适用于友谊，同事关系，经理团队的关系，甚至是品牌客户的关系。

Any scenario that requires you to convince, inform, entertain, or engage with another involves communication.

The topic of communication is quite broad, right? I mean, it encompasses an entire college major at most universities. But we won’t be coveringeverythingabout communication in this guide.

下面，您将阅读有关其适用的通信去工作场所and给您的客户— two pretty important topics, right?

We’ll also be sharing ways to improve your communication and learn how your colleagues and customers communicate, too.

继续阅读以开始，或使用下面的章节链接跳跃。

In simpler terms, communication is said to be the “creation and exchange of meaning.” Communication is also a process … a series of actions. It’s not a single phenomenon, and it varies based on method, channel, and person.

As a partner, friend, coworker, boss, and brand, you have a responsibility to learn how tobest交流。让我们来谈谈如何有效沟通。

如何有效沟通

并非所有的沟通都是良好的沟通。实际上，（在某些情况下）完全不进行交流要比交流不佳更好。

Not adhering to effective communication practices can exacerbate or worsen a communicative environment, break trust, and make messages harder to receive.

有效的沟通技巧

Effective communication isn’t just speaking clearly and honestly. It also involves creating a safe, comfortable space for communication — even if you’re not the one talking. Employ these effective communication skills to give and receive information successfully.

1. Listening Actively

有效的沟通少于谈论，而是更多关于聆听。积极的聆听不仅仅是听到对方说些什么。它还涉及了解他们的情绪和观点。

The goal of effective communication is to empathize and understand the person or party with whom you’re communicating. Here’s how:

• 专注于另一个人。不要看手机，环顾房间，或者开始与其他人说话。如果您不关注，您将无法掌握语音变化或非语言提示。
• 展示兴趣通过点点头或说“是的”，对方说的话。
• Try not to judgeor assume as the other person speaks. We talk more about these barriersin the next section。
• 问问题and provide reinforcing feedback, such as “What I’m hearing is…” or “Is this what you mean?”

当您练习活跃，互动时，您就会与对方的说法和感觉完全同步。这就是有效沟通的重点。

2.主张自己

自信意味着要考虑您的思想，观点和感觉，并以一种清晰，尊重的方式进行交流。这并不意味着贬低或激进。（我们更多地谈论了不同的沟通方式the next section。)

主张自己可以帮助您在同时同情他人的同时，保持明确的目标。就是这样：

• 清楚自己的价值观and opinions before you engage with someone else so that you don’t get confused or change your mind to make a conversation easier.
• Positively express negative thoughts或意见。尽量避免彻底的愤怒，贬低语言或态度。
• Be comfortable足以说“不”或“我不同意”。

Although effective communication is about understanding the other person, it doesn’t mean we should forget about our own perspectives.

3.最大程度地减少压力和沟通障碍

Whether you’re speaking or listening, minimizing stress in communication helps create a healthy, effective environment. Here’s how:

• 失速或暂停收集您的想法。这可以帮助您在思考之前避免爆发或说话……并说出您可能后悔的话。
• Make one pointat a time so that you or the other person don’t get confused or overwhelmed.
• Don’t interrupt或在对方讲话时发表不必要的评论或噪音。
• Try to stay objective and upbeatas you speak and listen. Keep the mood and tempo of the conversation elevated.

It’s also important to recognize and remove any communication barriers like the ones we describe below. Anyone with a perceived “upper hand” in a relationship — like managers, executives, or parents — should especially keep these in mind.

通信的常见障碍unication

Here are a handful of common communication barriers that may be hindering communication in your relationships. I’ve also included an example of how these might apply in the workplace.

Language/Cultural Communication Barriers

当两个政党不会说相同的语言或对同一语言有不同的理解时，就会发生语言或文化障碍。

Example: An international intern is shirking his duties to coworkers. The team lead gives feedback by saying “You’re passing the buck.” The intern doesn’t understand the jargon. He isn’t sure how to improve in his role and continues making his mistake, further frustrating the team and team lead.

当今的工作场所环境比以往任何时候都更加多样化，这意味着在各种文化中进行协作。消除文化或语言障碍的最佳方法是选择普遍理解的通用，清晰的短语。如果您正在与说另一种语言的人交谈，请尝试使用翻译人员或经过验证的翻译工具。

Psychological / Attitudinal Communication Barriers

Psychological barriers happen when one or both parties carry cultural assumptions or are restricted by emotional hurdles or taboos. They also happen when there’s a lack of trust, attention, or empathy.

Example: A female employee is returning from maternity leave and needs a place to pump breast milk. In her previous job, her male manager wasn’t accommodating to her needs as a new mother, so when she approaches her current male superior with her request, she’s defensive and nervous … thus creating a tense, tough conversation.

在这种特定情况下，如果男性上级意识到她以前的经历，他将能够注入更多的同理心和耐心，以使员工更舒适。否则，他可能对她的防御能力感到不舒服。尽管女员工无法帮助她以前的经历，但她可以在没有任何假设的情况下尝试与新经理联系。

每个人的想法都不同，他们的成长经历也不同。当涉及心理和态度障碍时，双方责任承担搁置期望和偏见，并优先考虑同理心，耐心和理解。

物理沟通障碍

物理障碍指的是物理上以清晰沟通方式的任何东西。这些障碍通常通过电子邮件，社交媒体，文字或电话通信（任何不是面对面的东西）或出现障碍时存在。

Example：远程员工正在等待有关新项目的重要反馈。他的优越性通过电子邮件回答，即使她对结果感到非常满意，但她的上升方式可以被解释为寒冷或苛刻。远程员工认为她对该项目不满意，并对他的想法和进步失去了信心。

在当今世界，基于数字和文本的沟通非常普遍，尤其是在远程工作中。

Receivers can avoid these barriers by not assuming the meaning behind a message or by simply asking for clarification. Also, senders can make their messages easier to receive by adding clarifying punctuation or words when communicating nonverbally.

Lastly, always be aware of personal handicaps with which others might be dealing.

The Four Communication Styles

人格测试，例如碟片和迈尔斯·布里格斯，可以帮助他人更好地了解您的需求，优势和劣势。

The same goes for communication styles. Understanding the different styles below gives you a better understanding of how and why others communicate the way they do.

Passive Communication Style

被动沟通者行为无动于衷，经常屈服于他人。在外面，它们看起来很温柔，安静或灵活。他们可能不擅长saying "no”or dealing with conflict, but they’re easy to get along with as they typically “go with the flow.”

您可能会从被动沟通者那里听到的短语是：

• “对我来说没关系。”
• “这是不值得战斗的。让我们保持和平。”

激进的沟通方式

Where passive communicators are meek and quiet, aggressive communicators are loud, brash, criticizing, and physically aggressive. Their communication style reverberates through their behavior, volume, and wording. Aggressive communicators issue commands, interrupt, and often talk down to people.

Phrases you might hear from aggressive communicators are:

• “You’re wrong.”
• “这是你的错。修理它。”

Passive-Aggressive Communication Style

The passive-aggressive style displays a mixture of both. On the surface, this type of communicator might seem passive, but they probably harbor an aggressive side underneath. Behaviorally, they might seem agitated and display facial expressions or nonverbal cues that don’t match what they’re saying.

Phrases you might hear from passive-aggressive communicators are:

• “无论如何，如果团队不同意，请不要怪我。”

• “That’s fine.”(and then proceeds to do the opposite)

自信的沟通方式

据说自信的沟通者遵循最有效，最健康的沟通方式。这些沟通者可以表达自己的需求，意见和命令，同时还可以考虑他人的需求和意见。

They typically communicate to reach a compromise or win-win situation, and will often employ “I” statements to take ownership of feelings while still expressing a need or desire.

您可能会从自信沟通者那里听到的短语是：

• “I respect your opinion, but I disagree and here’s why …”
• “I feel frustrated when you miss deadlines.

当对话变得艰难时，了解自己的沟通风格以及团队和同事的知识可能会有所帮助。它还可以提醒您如何提高自己的沟通技巧并挑战他人做同样的方法。

四种类型的交流

沟通不仅限于面对面的对话；它适用于任何信息交换。在下面，我们浏览四种主要交流类型，以及您如何在工作场所看到它们。

口头交流

This type of communication is exactly what it sounds like: verbal conversation that includes sounds, words, and language. Verbal communication is said to be the most effective way to express emotions, feelings, opinions, and needs. If used correctly, words can help you be very straightforward and concise while leaving little room for question or assumption.

There are four types of verbal communication.

• 人际，，，，which is when we communicate to ourselves through our thoughts or out loud.
• Interpersonal当我们与som一对一的交流eone else.
• Small group，，，，which is when two or more people are involved. Team meetings, small presentations, and press conferences are examples of small group communication.
• Public这是一个人与大型团体进行交流的时候。公开演讲，全公司会议以及bob全站appTV commercialsare examples of public communication.

Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication happens when messages are sent and received without words. It typically applies to body language, tone of voice, inflection, facial responses, and other gestures.

It also includes creative or aesthetic means of communication such as dance, painting, and pottery. (Note: Nonverbal isn’t the same as visual, which is explained below.)

一些例子非口头交流include:

• Making eye contact (or lack thereof)
• 握手
• Crossing or uncrossing legs
• Folding or unfolding arms
• 烦躁
• Hugging
• 移动的眉毛
• Smiling or frowning

书面交流

Written communication is any message sent through written words or text. This form unique because, unlike verbal or nonverbal communication, written communication can be edited and changed before messages are sent.

Written communication also encompasses components of visual communication when sent through electronic means, such as phones or computers.

书面沟通的示例包括备忘录，电子邮件，信件，报告，文章或博客文章（如这样！），社交媒体帖子和印刷广告。

视觉交流

Visual communications involves sending and receiving a message with the help of visual aids. While visual communication encompasses some written communication, it mostly refers to symbols, images, and video.

电影，电视节目，视频和戏剧都是视觉交流，因为接收器需要手表他们接收他们的消息。图标和表情符号are also considered visual communication. The most common form of visual communication, though, is the internet, which sends us messages using a combination of text, colors, images, symbols, and design.

沟通in Business

无论您是否知道，您现在都通过阅读本指南来进行交流。您是我通过博客文章撰写和传输的此消息的接收者。

沟通发生在我们周围，这在业务中尤为重要。我们不仅与同事和队友不停地交流，而且通过营销，，，，广告，销售和支持努力，我们还向客户和消费者发送和接收消息。

沟通in the Workplace

本节是关于internal communication，意味着在工作场所内发生的沟通。这种沟通可以指与您的老板，与队友的项目合作，或者阅读公司的内部Wiki以了解另一个团队的更新。bob全站app

无论如何，这里有一些有关工作场所交流的技巧。

沟通as a Manager

作为经理或团队负责人，您正在处理很多事情，对吗？您不仅有自己的责任，而且还必须监督和组织团队的责任。

管理中最困难的部分之一可以弄清楚如何系统化和分类团队内部和周围发生的重要沟通。

Building an internal communications strategy can help you manage this. Here’s how.

1.为特定类型的通信分配通信媒介。

It’s hard to speak up at work. People aren’t always sure who to trust. They also aren’t sure which information will stay private, and which information will come with consequences if shared.

作为经理，这是您创建一个安全，健康的环境以进行有效沟通的地方。一种方法是为特定类型的通信“分配”特定媒体或渠道。

For example, constructive criticism or feedback should take place in-person and privately. Instead of sending random emails or criticizing employees during team-wide meetings, consider scheduling one-on-one feedback sessions every quarter. This reassures your employees that hard conversations will remain private, and it also builds trust by showing your employees that you respect them enough to speak in-person.

Here are some other types of communication that might need their own medium or channel.

• Praise
• 协作或项目更新
• Strategies or Processes for Cross-Team Collaboration
• 问题或问题
• 重要的业务更新

2. Encourage your team (and other teams) to adhere to these processes.

Once you define these communication processes, write them down and share them with your team. Encourage your team — and other teams — to adhere to the processes in respect of themselves and their colleagues.

Where appropriate, record your communication. This creates a record for others to reference and makes it easier to review and improve your processes … which is the next step.

3. Review every six months to see how you can improve.

一年两次左右,调查你的团队和同事s to make sure your internal communications strategy is working for everyone. Carve out time to receive feedback from your own employees. Remember, communication is a two-way street.

几代人和文化的交流

无论您是全新的员工​​还是首席执行官，都必须了解we all communicate differently。In the beginning of this guide, we reviewed some common communication barriers, namely cultural barriers.

The vast diversity of today’s workplaces (something to be celebrated!) means that people of all backgrounds, upbringings, and ages are collaborating. It also means that workplaces will have a myriad of communication styles and preferences.

Here’s how to prepare and stay aware of those differences.

• 教育自己关于他人的交流方式。根据我们的成长和教育，我们都希望以不同的方式获得赞美，反馈和指导。花点时间询问您的员工和同事如何最好地与他们交流。

• Define communicationas it applies to每种文化。What does silence mean to each employee? How do they prefer to collaborate? What does disagreement look like? How do they like to receive praise? Start the discussion and foster an open environment within your team and company. Stay diligent and work to meet everyone’s preferences.

沟通to the Consumer

本节是关于外部通信的，这是指您的企业与消费者和客户进行的沟通。这种沟通包括营销和广告工作，销售推销，支持对话以及任何公共关系和危机沟通。

When it comes to any communication you have with the consumer, it’s wise to have a strategy to keep your业务功能保持一致and keep品牌沟通strong.

Whether your posting on social media, publishing a press release, or building a new marketing campaign, all communication to the consumer — whether words, images, or video — should be consistent in tone, personality, and overall品牌。

Over to You

沟通reallyis任何关系的关键。这可能是一个广泛而模糊的话题，但仍然能够在工作场所掌握。优先考虑团队和公司之间的沟通可以帮助解决冲突，加强协作，澄清优势，并准备与客户和客户做同样的事bob全站app情。

Editor's note: This post was originally published in August, 2017 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.