A Communication Skills Log
COMMUNICATION: THE KEY TO A MANAGER’S SUCCESS
My goals for this course:
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LISTENING: THE FOUNDATION
Keep a record of the obstacles that make it hard for you to listen.
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Make a log entry every day for two weeks to note the results of your new focus on improving your listening skills.
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Try the following in different kinds of situations and note the results:
• When you find yourself assuming you know what someone is going to say, stop. Listen carefully to what the person is saying. If necessary, ask a question to check out your assumption.
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• Use clarifying questions to make sure you understand what someone is saying.
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• Paraphrase to let someone know you have received and understood their message.
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GETTING YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS
For the next few weeks, observe the way that people deliver messages to you. If you have trouble following and understanding a speaker or a message, note the problem and the results below.
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Practice making sure your messages are being received and understood. Follow the steps below. Note several results.
• Pay attention to verbal and nonverbal responses.
• Ask questions as needed to check out your perceptions of the listener’s understanding.
• Ask the listener to summarize what you have said and restate the message if needed.
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For the next two weeks, make a log entry every day to note the results of your new focus on improving your ability to get your message across.
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THE ART OF ASKING QUESTIONS
During the next two weeks, monitor the way you ask questions and note the results.
• Do you know why you are asking the question?
• Are you asking the right types of questions?
• Are your questions relevant, necessary, and appropriate?
• Are you stating questions clearly, giving people time to respond, and listening attentively to responses?
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HELPING PEOPLE LEARN
During the next few weeks, observe at least one person teaching you or someone else something new. What works and what doesn’t?
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During the next few weeks, use what you learned in this course to teach someone something new. What works and what doesn’t?
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ON YOUR FEET: MAKING SUCCESSFUL PRESENTATIONS
The next time you attend a presentation, note what the presenter does that works and what the presenter might have done to make the presentation more successful.
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The next time you give a presentation, increase your chances of success by following the steps you learned in this course. After the presentation, record what worked and what you would do differently the next time.
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ON THE PAGE: WHAT IS GOOD WRITING
For the next two weeks, follow the planning steps you learned in this course every time you write. Record the ways in which planning helps you write more clearly.
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ON THE PAGE: HOW TO WRITE WELL
Proofread every document you write for the next two weeks. Make the changes. Then ask someone else to proofread the revision to see whether they find any more errors. Record the most common errors you make.
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