|
For
the Sales & Marketing executives, communication
skills have always been very important.
In the current challenging market scenario,
convincing the potential (& present)
client, requires best of your communication
skills. So whether you are making a presentation,
conducting negotiations, writing a proposal
or even attending routine meeting, you need
to able to communicate effectively !
To
be a good communicator one needs to be good
at 4 skills; Reading, Writing, Listening
& Speaking. So
do you think you are a good communicator?
Take the following quiz;
For each question, circle the number in
the column that most applies;
|
Statement
|
Not
at all |
Rarely |
Some
times |
Often |
Very
Often |
|
1 |
I
try to anticipate and predict possible
causes of confusion, and I deal with
them up front. |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
2 |
When
I write a memo, email, or other document,
I give all of the background information
and detail I can to make sure that my
message is understood. |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
3 |
If
I don't understand something, I tend
to keep this to myself and figure it
out later. |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
4 |
I'm
sometimes surprised to find that people
haven't understood what I've said. |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
5 |
I
tend to say what I think, without worrying
about how the other person perceives
it. I assume that we'll be able to work
things out later. |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
6 |
When
people talk to me, I try to see their
perspectives. |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
7 |
I
use email to communicate complex issues
with people. It's quick and efficient. |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
8 |
When
I finish writing a report, memo, or
email, I scan it quickly for typos and
so forth, and then send it off right
away. |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
9 |
When
talking to people, I pay attention to
their body language. |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
10 |
I
use diagrams and charts to help express
my ideas. |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
11 |
Before
I communicate, I think about what the
person needs to know, and how best to
convey it. |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
12 |
When
someone's talking to me, I think about
what I'm going to say next to make sure
I get my point across correctly. |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
13 |
Before
I send a message, I think about the
best way to communicate it (in person,
over the phone, in a newsletter, via
memo, and so on). |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
14 |
I
try to help people understand the underlying
concepts behind the point I'm discussing.
This reduces misconceptions and increases
understanding. |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
15 |
I
consider cultural barriers when planning
my communications. |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Now
add up the scores you've circled.
The
score is ...out of 75.
|
Score
|
Comment |
|
56-75
|
Excellent!
You understand your role as a communicator,
both when you send messages, and when
you receive them. You anticipate problems,
and you choose the right ways of communicating.
People respect you for your ability
to communicate clearly, and they appreciate
your listening skills. |
|
36-55
|
You're
a capable communicator, but you sometimes
experience communication problems. Take
the time to think about your approach
to communication, and focus on receiving
messages effectively, as much as on
sending them. This will help you improve.
|
|
15-35
|
You
need to keep working on your communication
skills. You are not expressing yourself
clearly, and you may not be receiving
messages correctly either. The good
news is that, by paying attention to
communication, you can be much more
effective at work, and enjoy much better
working relationships! The rest of this
article will direct you to some great
tools for improving your communication
skills. |
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