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9 Laws of Effective Communication SkillsYour communication skills are the key to your success in all spheres of life.  You might have brilliant ideas but if you can’t communicate effectively, you’ll never realize your potential. You need to be able to tell and sell your ideas, bring people along, connect with others, and communicate in a way that creates trust and rapport. There are 9 fundamental laws of communication you can use to dramatically improve your communication skills.

Here is a list of the 9 Laws of Effective Communication Skills, and what effective communication skills look like, compared to  their ineffective counterparts.

  1. The Law of Trust vs. Distrust
    • Trust – The organization fosters trust or the communicator takes steps to build trust or transfer trust.
    • Distrust – The communicator or organization creates distrust.
  1. The Law of Collaboration vs. Monologue
    • Collaboration- Communicators find shared values and goals. They collaborate on challenges and outcomes, and build bridges to close the gaps in misunderstandings.
    • Monologue- What the communicator assumes as obvious is not. All communication is one-directional.
  1. The Law of Simplicity vs. Complexity
    • Simplicity – Clear language sharpens focus and drives action.
    • Complexity – Complex language obscures ideas and priorities.
  1. The Law of Tact vs. Insensitivity
    • Tact – Persuasive people use precise, powerful, yet tactful phrasing.
    • Insensitivity – Careless, insensitive “hot” words offend and sidetrack people from the primary message.
  1. The Law of Potential vs. Achievement
    • Potential – People are willing to risk/pay more for potential than past performance.
    • Achievement – People undervalue performance and are less persuaded by the past than expectations and hope for future possibilities.
  1. The Law of Distinction vs. Dilution
    • Distinction – A focus on the core distinctive advantage, qualifications, or credentials (or penalties) produces high impact. A focus on “the few” actually adds, rather than subtracts attention.
    • Dilution – A long list of advantages, qualifications or credentials looks impressive; communicators often follow the more-is-better rule, thereby weakening impact.
  1. The Law of Specificity vs. Generalization
    • Specificity – To be meaningful and memorable, information has to be specific, relevant, interpreted, and structured to fit the audience, situation, and purpose.
    • Generalization – Generic information does not make a strong impression and is easily forgotten.
  1. The Law of Emotion vs. Logic
    • Emotion- An emotional appeal persuades.
    • Logic – A logical case informs—but rarely motivates.
  1. The Law of Perspective vs. Distortion
    • Perspective – Empathy, silence, understanding different points of view and cultures, and reading between the lines about what is not said often reveals the real message and produces the best outcome for negotiators.
    • Distortion – Hearing only what is said leaves many gaps in one’s understanding.

Your communication skills are your power. Practice your communication skills to take your work and life to the next level!

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