Comunicaciontit

Communication

Comunicacion

Definition:

 (This first section contains an explanation of this competence and some comments about why it is important)

The ability to express ourselves and be understood by others, through understandable, familiar language tailored to our audience, and by listening and conveying ideas effectively, using the right channel at the right time and providing concrete data to support observations and conclusions.

REFLEXIONAR

REFLECT

Comunicacion_Evaluacion

Evaluation

(The behaviors observed in people who possess this competence are listed)

  • Their messages are concrete and have clear content.

  • They convey their intended message with simplicity and clarity of ideas.

  • They don’t waste time beating around the bush or with ambiguities.

  • They approach conversations clearly, honestly and effectively.

  • They identify the right moments to say things.

  • They choose the right communication channel.

  • Communication is bidirectional; they convey the message and listen to the other party. 

  • They listen actively while a person is speaking, without interrupting them.

  • They adapt their language and style to their audience.

  • They ensure the other party has understood the message.

  • They know how to accept criticism or comments with an improvement-oriented attitude.

 

Behaviors in the assessment questionnaire

 

  • They listen actively while a person is speaking, without interrupting them.

  • They convey their intended message with simplicity and clarity of ideas.

  • They adapt their language and style to their audience.

  • They know how to listen and ensure the other party has understood the message.

(This is a list of negative behaviors observed in people who do not possess this competence to a sufficient extent)

 

  • They don’t think before speaking. They don’t have a clear picture before expressing an idea or line of reasoning.

  • Their messages are ambiguous and they can’t get their ideas across clearly.

  • They don’t express themselves clearly; they go off topic and don’t focus on what is important.

  • They don’t finish sentences or lines of reasoning.

  • They communicate things at inopportune moments or in an inappropriate way or place.

  • They don’t know how to convey their message in an engaging way.

  • They lack substance and don’t give examples.

  • They are inflexible when tailoring their speech to their audience.

  • They interrupt the other party or think of an answer before he or she has finished speaking.

  • They get distracted and think of other things while the other party is speaking.

  • They lack sensitivity to interpret people’s problems.

  • They don’t look at the other party while he or she is speaking or listening.

  • They don’t capture the substance of a message.

  • They don’t listen to others’ arguments and interpret them according to their own point of view.

  • They use an inappropriate tone when communicating.

  • They don’t communicate their ideas due to shyness or other personality traits.

(Suggestions for questions that mentors can ask students to reflect on and, therefore, propose ways they think they can improve)

 

  • Name a person you admire for his or her communication skills. What makes you think he or she is a good communicator? What specific things can you learn from him or her? What does he or she do that you could also do?

  • Do you think you are a good communicator? What are your strengths and weaknesses when communicating with others?

  • Are you able to put your thoughts and feelings into words?

  • Are others able to understand what you really mean to say? Do they understand your ideas and arguments?

  • In what situations would you like to improve your communication skills?

  • Do you watch your language? Do you regularly read good books and articles to enrich your vocabulary and expression?

  • When you talk to a person, do you try to focus your attention on what he or she is saying?

  • When you talk to people or give a presentation, do you look into the eyes of the listeners? What do you do with your hands? Do you have them in your pockets or behind your back, or do you cross your arms?

  • Do you interrupt conversations by looking at your mobile phone every time you receive a message or WhatsApp?

  • When you are going to have an important conversation, do you put your phone in flight mode so there are no interruptions?

  • Do you ask people you trust to tell you how you communicate? Do you know how others perceive you when you speak? For example, are you warm or distant? Arrogant or modest? Are you sometimes aggressive or passive when you speak?

  • Before communicating with someone, do you think about the most appropriate channel for communication (in person, phone, email, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)?

  • Do you dedicate the time required for each conversation?

CAMBIAR

CHANGE

Comunicacion_PlanAccion

Improvement Plan

  • A complex but affordable communication exercise is the elevator pitch; in other words, a pitch to sell yourself or your product that takes the time it takes to go up an elevator (one minute).

  • Prepare an elevator pitch in which you summarize who you are and what you do. Then, do it in front of a camera (webcam, mobile phone, etc.). Watch the video to identify areas for improvement.

  • Do this exercise once every two days for two weeks (or once a day for a week) and note the changes you have made.

  • Apart from being a good way to make new friends, some extracurricular activities can present an opportunity to improve communication.

  • These include the drama, debate and film clubs, UNMUN, the FORUN congress and even some elective subjects (in the Third and Fourth Years) that address these topics. Choose which to sign up for depending on the time you have available and the commitment required.

  • Actively participate in them and contribute your ideas to improve them.

  • Good communication requires in-depth, even intimate knowledge of the subject being addressed in presentations, debates, etc. The important thing is that you have a clear understanding of the topic at hand.

  • Therefore, before speaking, use reliable sources to research the topic so that you can convey confidence. Use diverse sources to ensure impartiality and develop a critical spirit to express your opinion rather than repeating what others say.

  • If it is a controversial topic, take a note of the sources to avoid confusion and allow others to check them.

  • How do some teachers manage to capture our attention? How do TED speakers draw us in? What did great communicators do?

  • Every time you go to a talk, a class or another situation where someone is going to communicate to an audience, observe how they do it: their gestures, changes in tone of voice, hand movements, etc.

  • Watch online videos of some of the world’s most famous leaders and how they communicated so well.

  • Great communication is usually preceded by good personal communication; making ourselves understood by the people around us can be even more difficult than captivating an audience.

  • To achieve this, you must first learn to listen well. Listen by focusing 100% of your attention on what the other person is saying. This is a fundamental step in genuine communication. Try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes to understand why he or she is saying something. Set yourself the goal of recalling a conversation half an hour after it happened to determine whether or not you were listening.

  • The next goal is to ensure others understand the information you convey. If there are discrepancies between what you intended to say and what others understood (for example, when engaging in teamwork), ask those who misunderstood your words to explain what led to the confusion and then correct it.

  • Always have conversation starters ready for group or personal conversations. This involves staying informed about current affairs and developing your own opinions about them.

  • Spend 10 minutes a day reading the newspaper (online or printed) and focusing on the most relevant news stories. Then do some research on them in other media sources to gain more information and perspective.

  • Reflect on controversial issues (immigration, politics, laws, etc.) so that when they arise or you bring them up in conversations, you can talk about them based on your own opinions.

  • Read the document Aprendiendo a escuchar (Learning to Listen) by Professor Rodríguez Porras to learn more about how to listen effectively.

  • Using what you now know, make it a point to have a long conversation with a person you trust and practice listening to them properly. It doesn’t have to be forced. Just focus on him or her. If you do this frequently, you will internalize the advice.

Artículo

Una buena exposición mejora si lo acompañan buenos elementos de apoyo como vídeos, imágenes o una presentación de Power Point que realce la calidad de la presentación.
Pregunta a los profesores acerca de cómo hacer presentaciones de alto impacto, y júntate con las personas creativas para aprender de ellas. Encárgate de preparar la próxima presentación de Power Point que tengas que defender.
Investiga y selecciona archivos de imágenes sin copyright, vídeos e imágenes vectorizadas para que nunca te falte apoyo visual.
Aprende a elaborar gráficas de tal manera que sean comprendidas por el público sin una amplia explicación por tu parte.

Cuando el tema tratado es peliagudo por lo personal o lo profesional y notes que has sido herido, no contestes inmediatamente, ya que lo que se te va a ocurrir contestar es ponerte a la defensiva. Una vez pasado el primer argumento, tampoco contestes, ya que hay que evitar la réplica que solo lleva a una escalada.
Cuando notes que ya tienes más dominio sobre ti, contesta con calma y, si el agravio ha sido fuerte y ves que no se te pasa, di directamente que no estás en condiciones de hablar objetivamente y cambia de tema con tranquilidad.
Si te sueles tomar muchas cosas demasiado a pecho, piensa en las últimas veces que tuviste enfados, por qué fueron y al ver las razones, ríete de tus pensamientos. Con este sistema irás mejorando en el control de tus respuestas y ganarás en comunicación.

Tomarte un tiempo verdaderamente largo para explicar el tema de tu charla.
Hablar lento y dramáticamente. ¿Por qué ser un conversador cuando puedes ser un orador?
Asegurarte de que los demás se den cuenta de manera indirecta de lo importante que eres.
Conectar con tu libro repetidamente. Mejor incluso, citarlo.
Apiñar en tus diapositivas enumeraciones en viñetas y varias fuentes de texto.
Usar mucha jerga técnica sin explicarla para que suenes atractivo.
Hablar durante mucho tiempo acerca de la historia de tu organización y de sus gloriosos logros.
No preocuparte de mirar cuánto tiempo llevas hablando.
Sonar como si estuvieras recitando de memoria.
Nunca, absolutamente nunca, mirar a los ojos a nadie en la audiencia.

PROFUNDIZAR

DEEPEN

Comunicacion_Recursos

Resources

Note: In this article, the founder of the TED Talk program presents the advice he gives people who are invited to give TED talks. He has refined these tips over the years.

Note: Through anecdotes, this article talks extensively about the problems that arise in personal relationships when we don’t know how to listen or we try to get our own way.

Note: In this article, the famous researcher gives a summary of her book Reclaiming Conversation, in which she reveals how face-to-face personal conversation is the most important thing in our relationships with others, and the danger posed by mobile phones to this aspect.

Note: Without getting into too much detail, the author reveals a presentation method based on the contrast between “what is” and “what could be.”

Note: With a dozen key skills to keep the audience in your pocket and an extra tip to master the art of public speaking, this article lays the foundation for carrying out presentations.

Note: Learning how to listen when your first reaction is to take it as a personal attack really helps you improve. How do you avoid getting defensive? Mark Goulston explains how.

Note: The authors offer a succinct overview of the relationships between the three Aristotelian branches of oratory.

Note: A great talk that explores ways of speaking and listening to ensure that a real conversation takes place.

Note: The speaker makes us reflect on the importance of conversations: both the ones we have and the ones we never have. This talk will move you to speak in a profound, sincere way to build a better life.

Note: This TED talk explains how to modulate our voice according to different situations and reveals the power this can have on the impression we make on others, how our message is understood and how people remember us.

Note: A talk dedicated exclusively to the position of the hands and the meaning behind it, and why it is important to train them to convey what we want to say or how we feel.

Note: The speaker uses her own experiences to explain why posture can change the way we think and receive information.

Note: This researcher takes an entertaining approach to debunk some of the myths surrounding body language positions and explain their true meaning, as well as revealing what others actually mean when they adopt certain positions.

Note: In this talk, Russ Harris explains the benefits of feeling insecure and how to cope with anxiety (in English without subtitles).

  • The King’s Speech, Tom Hooper

Note: This film addresses communication skills. At the beginning, the protagonist, George VI, struggles to express himself due to a stutter and a lack of self-esteem. As his sessions with Lionel Logue progress, he learns to develop his skills as he opens himself up to the therapist. The themes include interpersonal communication, self-confidence and oral presentation skills

  • Selma, Ava DuVernay

Note: This film focuses on the events surrounding the Selma to Montgomery marches led by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965. The communication skills possessed by the late pastor, such as the power of persuasion and active listening, are represented in the protagonist. It provides a good example of how to deal with interpersonal communication, in this case during times of heightened tension, and oral communication in front of a crowd.

  • Invictus

  • Steve Jobs