Top Ten Reasons to Learn Communication Skills

Study after study shows that effective communicators have longer marriages, deeper friendships, better relationships, more successful college and career experiences, make more money and are generally happier than their less articulate counterparts. Most people know communication is important, but they don't fully understand to what degree. Eighty-seven percent of everything we do during the day is communication related; communication is far more than just making speeches or having good manners. While you may manage to live your entire life without making a speech, you will not get through one day without communicating something to someone! Here are the top 10 reasons you and your children should learn effective communication skills.

1. Your Marriage
"It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman." -Proverbs 21:19

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, over half of all marriages end in divorce and the number one reason cited is lack of effective communication! By the way, that number doesn't improve if you only consider the Christian community. No two people are going to get along ALL the time. The trick in a long relationship isn't avoiding conflict, it's the successful resolution thereof! In addition, men and women communicate in completely different ways and sometimes for very different reasons. I talk about this in my book Say What You Mean Every Day, in chapter one, "How to Talk to Your Spouse 'Cuz You Must!"

2. Your Kids
"Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged." -Colossians 3:21

Parents who communicate effectively with their children give them a clear sense of boundaries and security. They show them love and give them a sense of self-worth and self-esteem. Children who learn to communicate effectively can articulate their wants and needs. Those who don't are led to violent behavior in order to have those misunderstood needs met.

3. Your Ministry
"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" 1Peter 3:15

What harm does it do if you approach someone the wrong way about Jesus? The worst they can do is say no, right? Wrong! Someone who has been told repeatedly that they are going to hell may grow weary of people spiritually beating them up. It leaves them with a bad taste in their mouth about Jesus, Christianity or Christians in general. This can apply to other Christians who don't see things exactly as you do. "Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God-" 1 Cor 10:32

4. Your Education
"He who answers before listening-that is his folly and his shame." -Proverbs 18:13

"Students with ineffective listening skills fail to absorb much of the material to which they are exposed. Their problems are intensified when they respond incorrectly or inappropriately because of poor speaking skills." -National Communication Association study on Why Communication is Important

5. Your College Career
"From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied." -Proverbs 18:20

College applications require several essays these days. Not only do they evaluate your student's accomplishments, which are written into the essay, but they evaluate the ability of the student to convey this effectively. Admission officers are looking for articulate and accomplished candidates. If your student is accomplished but cannot convey that to a college admissions board, he will be passed over for one who can! Even the college entrance exams are communication skills-intensive these days.

6. Your Job Interview
"A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul." -Proverbs 18:7

These days, companies are looking for someone who is knowledgeable and confident without being arrogant. They ask interview questions designed to flush out your true desires and beliefs and they evaluate your appearance to help them judge which candidate is best. Not all of your interview is based on your resume; in fact, they will only grant an interview if you have a stellar resume! The resume is just the beginning of the job interview process. Interviewers will ask you things like, "Where do you see yourself in five years?" Employers want a concise, but not negative reason why you left your previous employment. According to a study in 2000 done by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 1000 human resource managers ranked preferred skills for being hired as follows:
1) Oral Communication Skills,
2) Written Communication Skills and
3) Listening (which is a communication skill).

7. Climbing your Corporate Ladder
"He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend." -Proverbs 22:11

People with good communication skills are more likely to do a better job which would naturally result in promotions. Here are some of the results of various studies on the impact of communication skills on job success:

* Research done by the U.S. Department of Labor concluded that the skills most needed by employers in the 21st century that tomorrow's workers must master are "listening and speaking abilities."

* Persuasion skills and the ability to interact with others result in greater career advancement and higher salaries for graduates according to a 20 year-study of Stanford University MBA's.

8. Your Business
"Let your conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." -Colossians 4:6

Business owners have to communicate on a variety of issues including
1) How to save time and money on your supplies,
2) Creating a communication package for your business,
3) How to present yourself as an expert in your field,
4) How to effectively handle customer service, complaints and returns,
5) How to make contacts,
6) Effective use of social networking groups,
7) Handling kids and business,
8) How/when to share your faith in business,
9) How to gain support from family and friends,
10) How to motivate your employees,
11) How to train your customer service staff, and
12) How to deal with customer relations and company image issues.

All of these issues involve mastering certain communication skills!

9. Your Friendships
"An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city, and disputes are like the barred gates of the citadel." Proverbs 18:19

Good communicators enjoy
1) Self Confidence,
2) Leadership,
3) Personal Presence,
4) Credibility,
5) Ability to Explain and Persuade,
6) Understanding of Others, and
7) Interaction Enjoyment.

Every one of these qualities help us to make friends and maintain relationships!

10. Your Happiness
"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." -Proverbs 25:11

Studies show that effective communicators are actually happier than their counterparts. This is precisely because they have happier marriages, better friendships and relationships, better careers, make more money and are fulfilled. They know how to get the things they want and need in life because they know how to communicate those wants and needs effectively.

In today's complicated and secular world, miscommunication and misunderstanding abounds and, because of this, it takes far more communication skill to get along in the world these days. Further, each aspect of communication requires different skills and techniques in order to master. For these reasons, the Lord mentions communication skills HUNDREDS of times in His Word. Communication skills are vital for all relationships, for career success, and most importantly, are imperative in order to fulfill The Great Commission. God talks about communication skills in His Word literally hundreds of times. Isn't it about time we heeded His warnings and studied them?

Visit: www.StepupandSpeak.com

Learn Effective Presentation Tips

If you are due to make a presentation and the anxiety is getting on your nerves, the following presentation tips can help you. These tips can also be learned through presentation skills training course but here is an overview.

Some of the suggestions that you must remember to make your presentation a smashing hit are given below:

Practice before the D-Day

Practice is the keyword. Always practice your presentation before the D-Day. This would help you avoid the common mistakes while giving the oration for the first time. A complex presentation that includes multimedia must be practiced several times before the actual shot. Try practicing in the same room you have to give the lecture. Make sure your projector is fitted to the measurements of the screen. This will spare you from fumbling with the equipment later.

Keep a backup plan handy at all times

You might do everything in your power to avoid a sticky spot. Regardless of this, problems do tend to arise out of nowhere sometimes. For instance, your projector might not work due to some technical error. Make sure you are ready to make a presentation even without it. Keep your notes handy and memorize the points of your slides just in case the system shuts down.

Write down your speech

It is always safer to write down your speech or at least the pointers. These notes will be extremely helpful when you forget your key notes. In such a situation, simply go back to your notes and pick up from where you left. Avoid reading from your notes throughout. It will leave a bad impression on your audience as they might think you have not prepared enough for the presentation.

Memorize your oration

A good presenter is the one who does not read from the notes. Reading makes your presentation sound stilted and flat. Learning your speech by heart would make your lecture sound natural and give you the liberty to add in a few extra points according to the situation.

Check out the presentation room

Make it a habit to inspect the room before you go in for the actual lecture. Always confirm that all the things that you require are present in the room. This way you will be able to avoid any unwanted surprises in your first lecture. You can find more information about presentation skills at http://www.PresentationSkillsHelp.com

Just be yourself

A presentation can only be enjoyable if the presenter enjoys it himself. Therefore it becomes very important for you to keep your calm and go with the flow. Do not over stress or relax your nerves. Just be your self and that would do the trick. These tips can be learned in lesser time through presentation skills workshops also. For those looking to ease their burden further, advanced presentation software is also available in the market.

These are some presentation tips that will surely help you make the lecture a better experience for you and your audience as well. Try them and reap the benefits.

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What You Will Learn From Public Speaking Training

Public speaking training are what we can call the best options for those who want to learn how to succeed in their careers but have to face and talk to people, but are afraid to. With the training, you will learn the abilities not only how to speak effectively in public, but also how to communicate well to different kinds of people regardless of the setting. Corporate leaders are good examples of public speakers. They do address large number of people that are usually their employees and business partners and yet they can also talk to people who are recognized to be the best in the industries they are working in.

Within the public speaking training are special classes. In these classes you are required to do your work and also your homework. So just to be able to become an expert in speaking in public, you should know your goals to help you decide which part of the training you want to focus on and specialize.

The following are the things public speaking training can empower you.

Overcoming your fear in speaking to the public. This is the number one factor why it is so hard to become an effective public speaker. With regular public speaking classes, you will be taught how to overcome this form of anxiety.

Learning the quickest and best methods in creating your effective presentation with different scenario. You will be equipped with knowledge on how to produce presentations for different audiences and for various scenarios.

Learning to be more concise and how to build your power of persuasion. Learning to be an effective public speaker is not only about earning the knowledge on how to deliver or convey your messages well but also how you can convince your audiences on the things that you want to express.

Enhancing your speech deliveries by doing hands-on practices during public speaking classes. In this manner, you will learn how to design your speech and delivering presentations along with your group. Your group may also serve as your audience to help you get through your anxieties and obtain constructive criticisms.

Teaching you how to use your voice effectively. Sometimes it is the tone of your voice and the way how you pronounce every word that can convey your messages effectively and this you will learn from public speaking training.

Learning how you can convince people with your eyes and convey your message with your body language during your speech delivery. Your eyes and body movements are powerful message conveyors that can generally influence audiences.
Gaining confidence on stage. Confidence is weapons that can make your audiences sense you have the authority to reach out to them. If you have the confidence, you have the power to be in control. If you don't have it, your audience will also feel that you are not ready to take the lead.

Learning how you can organize your thoughts instantly. You will learn the basic knowledge on how to enhance the flow of logic into your brain and delivering interesting messages instantaneously that the audience can be able to listen and build curiosity in whatever things you say.

Learning how to maintain your poise, coolness and judgment in times of stress are also some of the things you will learn from public speaking classes. You need to be good in these aspects because questions will usually be directed to you regarding your topics so you need to be armed, cool and have a clear mind all the time.

Learning all these from the training in public speaking can help you succeed not only in your career but also gaining your self-confidence which can result in enhancing your personality, relationship with other people and building you a clearer perspective in life. Unfortunately not all people do have the luxury of time in attending public speaking classes or training especially the working people. Therefore, the best way to gain the knowledge in the art of public speaking is hiring a coach or a speech coach for personal speech training purposes.

A speech coach can pinpoint to you what you need to enhance, develop, and eliminate in order for you to become better in speaking in public. He or she can be able to identify which aspect in the way you speak you must improve to make you an expert public speaker. Another advantage of having a speech coach is that he or she can always adapt to your preferred time.

There is now online public speaking training which your speech coach can be able put you in and do one-on-one coaching. And with the use of the technology, this now becomes easy. However, you pay by the hour or by the project if you hire a speech coach. On the other hand, there are more things that you can gain in attending public speaking classes that a speech coach can't be able to provide and this is practicing with live audience which your classmates or group can help you with.

Visit: www.StepupandSpeak.com