Qualities of a Good Communicator
“Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.” - Lindbergh
• Positive body language or “Kinesics”
All our bodily movements, gestures, postures etc., are guided by our feelings and thought processes. Just as language uses sets of symbols to convey meaning, our body, consciously as well as unconsciously, conveys messages, attitudes, moods etc. Expressions and emotions can infact be communicated much better by bodily movements than by words. Thus, maintaining a positive body language on part of the communicator plays an important role in the communication process.
“Nobody is pleased by words of praise in a sarcastic tone for he/she knows that it is the tone that matters.”
• Eye contact
Eye contact is of paramount importance in face-to-face communication. A good speaker always keeps his listeners engrossed in his talk by maintaining proper eye contact with them. “Eyes speak our heart out.”
Thus, eye contact while communicating helps us observe the reaction of the target audience and helps us judge as to how much they appear to be interested in our talk.
• Clarity in speech and proper word stress
“A stammering person never makes a good speaker.”
Clarity in speech is one quality that a good speaker must possess. A person may be extremely knowledgeable about the content he wants to communicate and may be very expressive by his actions, but if his communication lacks clarity, he can never be outlined as a good speaker. Along with the ability to convey clearly, one should also lay proper emphasis on proper words during his/her communication as lack of emphasis can fail to persuade the listeners.
• “Paralanguage” or vocal characteristics
Our voice is a highly versatile instrument. Through it we can convey enthusiasm, confidence, anxiety, urgency and a host of other emotions. Paralanguage refers to a wide range of vocal characteristics which help to express and reflect the speaker’s attitude.
• Knowledge about the content to be communicated and ability to back up one’s communication
“He who is knowledgeable but lacks evidence can never persuade the masses.”
Along with knowing the depth of what to communicate, a good speaker should also be able to back up his talks with proper evidences so that his communication has a widespread effect. He should posses enough information so as to clear any doubts arising in the minds of his listeners.
Answered by
Sumit Goel
at
1:28 PM on August 08, 2008
