More effective communication

As we learn to communicate, one of the most important skills is listening. Jesus used a special phrase at the end of His parables, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." This has several implications:

• First, use the ears and mind that God gave you. A willingness to listen and understand is essential for those who want to learn and those who are interested in Truth. Remember that truth does not come from inside us, it comes from God, who is the source of all truth. If we don't listen and evaluate what we hear, we will certainly be deceived.
• Jesus' parables communicated truth at several levels. So this command to listen was appropriate for every individual in His audience, no matter where they were in life. Some of them were only able to understand the most basic aspects of the message - the earthly reality of the sower, the seed and the types of soil where the seed might grow. Others might have also received an intellectual message regarding how or where to invest their resources. But very few were able to receive the blessing of the spiritual message, the one Jesus later shared clearly with His disciples. This is part of the beauty of His parables because there was something for everyone. It was short, clear and completely true at every level while challenging the listener to respond to the Truth. If we listen well, we should also hear the message at many levels and be able to apply Truth at each level.
• The final aspect of listening is realizing that I am not the only one listening. "Let him hear" implies that I am partially responsible for others. First, I must not be a distraction to others. Second, I must help create an environment for listening and learning. Third, I can reinforce the message to others by my words, actions and attitudes. In other words, I must help others listen well.

We each need to work on thinking and communicating clearly but the first step is learning how to listen! Let's practice listening this week by:

1. not thinking about what I will say while others are talking
2. displaying a posture of listening by looking at others when they talk (and not looking at my phone or...)
3. responding to what others say by my facial expression and other physical cues
4. thinking about what others say at multiple levels
5. asking good follow up questions to help them clarify their ideas and/or my understanding

Let me know how it goes by posting a comment. Were you successful at listening? What were the biggest obstacles for you? What did you learn about others in the process?

Communication tools

What is communication? There are several important aspects including the message, the medium, the context and the filter. But the objective is being able to equate the intended message with the received message. If your audience does not understand what you intended to communicate, then there is a problem!

Leaders must know how to communicate effectively to many types of people and in many settings. I would encourage you, as a current or future leader, to understand what effective communication really means, evaluate your current communication skills and then work to develop those skills every time you have the opportunity. This includes facing your fears of public speaking!

In Matthew 28, Jesus gives His 'great commission': 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

How can we obey His commission without learning how to communicate? Making disciples and teaching must be basic training for every follower of Christ. Remember too that leaders are responsible for communicating the vision, working with people and managing conflict - all of these tasks depend on your ability to communicate effectively!

When we improve our ability to communicate, we increase our ability to lead.

Take a look at this website to begin: http://www.mindtools.com/page8.html The quiz, "How good are your communication skills?" is especially interesting. Then you can begin to put some of these skills into practice!