Coaching Tip: Help for Time-Starved Communicators

Coaching Tip:  Help for Time-Starved Communicators

Even though we live in an age with more communication tools than ever (Facebook, email, Twitter, texting), we are not necessarily more connected with the people around us.  Many of us yearn to be more connected with our loved ones and friends.  In addition, we long for more effective and efficient communication in the workplace.  The amount of busyness in a person’s life can hinder their ability to communicate effectively.  Here are some tips to help, if you are a time-starved communicator.

Consider the important people in your life, and what form of communication works best for them.  Then think about how often you would ideally communicate with them.  Does your boss like a or weekly status report over email?  Does your mother like a phone call once a week for thirty minutes?  Do your kids each crave ten minutes of your undivided attention at bedtime?

Once you’ve identified these things, look at what needs to change in your life to make room for your communications.

Ultimately, communicating effectively saves you time.  Be intentional, and make your communications work for you, not against you.

Reminder: Behaviors drive results. Overall what are the results you want?

To your success and happiness
Corinne McElroy
Leadership Coach
www.edgeofchange.com

Why is effective communication so powerful?

The answer to that question can be found in a quote by Kim Krizan from the movie “Waking Life,”

“Language comes from our desire to move beyond our isolation and have some sort of connection with one another. Words by themselves are lifeless, they’re inert. They’re nothing more than symbols. So much of our experience is intangible; so much of what we perceive cannot be adequately expressed. And because of that, when we communicate with one another, and we feel we’ve connected, that we’re understood— it’s almost like having a spiritual communion with that person.”

What we all want from one another is to connect. When we connect, we feel a special affinity toward the person who we believe really understands us.

Communication is how your message is delivered and how it is received. It is two-way, involving both the sender, and the receiver.

Effective communication involves more than words, it includes your body language, what “voice” you use, and the art of listening.

To your success and happiness,
Corinne McElroy