Verbal Communication Copy
There are many clues in how we say what we say that help others to identify our emotional state and how we are feeling. You need to listen to the speakers:
- Volume
- Stress
- Intonation
- Inflection
- Pitch
- Pace
- Pauses (meaningful)
- Silence
The English language is stress timed. The meaning we communicate can change substantially depending on the words we stress in a sentence.
Consider for example the following statement:
I believe that price is achievable.
If you stress the word ‘price’ and ‘achievable’, you communicate that you can sell it for that price.
If you stress the word ‘I’, you communicate that you believe it can be sold for that price – others may not have the same belief.
If you stress the ‘believe’, you communicate that you think but you are not sure if it can be sold for that price.
Being aware of how stress can completely change the meaning can enable you to achieve the following:-
- Accurately interpret the exact meaning that is being communicated by someone else.
- Communicate the meaning you want others to understand more effectively.
The same principles apply to the use of intonation, pitch and tone – a variation can alter the meaning and sense of a sentence.
So, an awareness of their body language, as well as taking particular note of how they speak enables us to both understand what they are trying to say.
You can they use appropriate rapport building techniques to create and then maintain the relationship.
When there is no face to face contact as when you are on the phone, then you need to focus on how the client says what they need or want, and that is when your listening skills will be put to the test.