Stakeholder and community relations

DEFINING COMMUNICATION

Sounds easy enough doesn't it? Try this with a group of people. Ask each person to draw a picture of what effective communication looks like to them (no looking at other people's paper :) and see what you get.  An ear, a mouth, a megaphone, two people talking, a social media blog, an email. I did this with a group of students and the picture I drew was two hearts with an arrow pointing both ways between them. What would you draw?

Many people have difficulty communicating effectively – in written form, verbally, and emotionally. Thoughts get imparted, that when received do not match their intended meaning or feelings. Fear, lack of confidence, stress, time constraints, and other factors can also get in the way of effective communication. We all know the scenario of - Young Johnny asks mom or dad "why" for the 10th time and the parent finally succumbs to saying...I am sure you can finish the line..."BECAUSE I SAID SO!!!" out of frustration or not being able to explain the why to the child. Whatever the reason(s), failure to successfully and even masterfully communicate can, and usually will, result in less than desirable outcomes on many levels. All of which detract from a healthy and highly productive organization.

Masterful communication:

Good communication is one of the top soft skills being sought by employers from all levels of employees.  Successful communication is when both the person sending the message and the person receiving the message come away with the same understanding. Masterful communication is when both sides not only come away with the same understanding, they will also have the same understanding of the "what" and "why" of the communication, believes the sender empathetically understands the position of the receiver(s), and the communication has come from a good place. 

Said another way, depending on the method of communication, it will require not only the ears, but also the eyes, the brain, and heart to fully send and receive a communication.  

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS:

The reason most marriages fail is due to the individuals putting their own needs and interests before their mate. Being prideful not humble. Showing disrespect instead of respecting. Lacking empathy and concern for their mate.

Approaching relationships with integrity and honesty instead of saying and doing what will win the day at that moment in time is key to building a reputation of being trustworthy. Another key to building stakeholder and community relations require the same elements and need to be genuine. If a person cannot provide these genuinely, they are most likely not the best person to be put in positions to build these key relationships.

Critical thinking and emotional intelligence are also key factors in building positive working relations as they are needed to respectfully connect the system dots, bring value to confluent community efforts, and build sphere of influence for the purpose of providing the greatest value to the greatest amount of customers. 

Being able to establish and build trusted and respected relationships is so very important. The most effective way to do this is if it can come straight from the heart. When that is not there, then there are still some basic principles that can be followed in order to achieve a respectful relationship with others. 

We can help with building respectful and healthy communication as well as building trusted and respected working relationships.