Three Important Communication Skills

There are many skills necessary to communicate effectively whether in a business or personal environment.  The core three are ability to listen and understand, ability to organize and express ideas, and the ability to tailor the message for the intended audience.  Each of these skills makes a significant difference jn how a message is perceived.  

Listening and Understanding

The ability to listen to your audience and understand their needs or concerns is vital in effective communication.  If you do not understand what you are being told then you are unable to respond in kind.  The whole communication process could become bogged down and collapse if this skill is not present.

Organizing and Expressing Ideas

Effective communication can only happen if you know what you are communicating about.  The ability to organize thoughts and ideas is essential.  Unorganized information can be misinterpreted or lost totally.  Once organized the ideas need to be expressed in a manner that will best reach the target audience be it a presentation, an email, a memo, or a formal article.  

Tailoring the Message

Of all the skills the ability to tailor the message to the intended audience is critical.  This skill involves appropriateness of the message for the audience, the tone in which it is delivered, and the media needed to convey it.  A group of 5 year olds would not respond to a formal powerpoint presentation.  

I believe these three communication skills are the basis for all effective communication business or personal.