Basic Communication Skills

Basic Communication Skills

Nearly every aspect of planning requires that a planner come in contact with the public -- through group meetings and review sessions, as well as one-on-one office appointments, writing, and telephone conversations. Though most of these contacts are positive interactions, each has the potential to become adversarial if handled inappropriately. While interpersonal communication skills are rarely part of professional curricula, they are so fundamental to public participation in planning that we begin the description of participation tools with some communication "tricks of the trade".

Nearly every aspect of planning requires that a planner come in contact with the public – through group meetings and review sessions, as well as one-on-one office appointments, writing, and telephone conversations. Though most of these contacts are positive interactions, each has the potential to become adversarial if handled inappropriately. While interpersonal communication skills are rarely part of professional curricula, they are so fundamental to public participation in planning that we begin the description of participation tools with some communication “tricks of the trade.”

One-on-one (interpersonal) skills

Success in most professions, including planning, depends on effective one-on-one interaction. While there is an entire industry dedicated to interpersonal communication (e.g., Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People"), here we simply outline some fairly obvious objectives. The challenge is to apply these skills, especially when confronted with anxious, impatient, or confrontational clients.

Be responsive	The first order of business is to be available, accessible, and responsive. While this is often difficult with busy schedules, it is important to serve the client: make time in your schedule to be available, respond to phone calls, e-mails, and other inquiries in a timely manner, develop back-up mechanisms for responding when you are unavailable.
Be engaging	“Be alive!” “Look the client squarely in the eyes!” “Be an active listener.” Connecting with the client often takes some work, and it is important to make the effort to focus attention on the request or issues at hand. Paraphrasing and other methods are helpful to assure clients that you hear and are interested in what they say. Most often this approach leads to the most effective and efficient outcome.
Be pleasant	Work should be fun! A smile and some humor go a long way toward breaking the ice, easing anxiety, defusing conflict, and thereby increasingly the channels of communication.
Be patient	“Treat impatient people with patience” is one of the most difficult skills in interpersonal communication, but one of the most important for public officials. Often times it is important to give clients the opportunity to vent before trying to get to the root of the problem and find solutions.
Be clear	Clarity of communication is critical. Active listening and paraphrasing are a critical first step.It is also important to leave the client with a clear idea of where your stand, what to expect, and what next steps to take.
Be positive	It is easy to look at the “dark side” of any situation. One of the important skills of interpersonal communication is to look at a situation in a positive light, to empathize with the client, and to seek solutions.
Be realistic	While it is important to be positive, it is critical to be realistic. If there are difficult or insurmountable problems, the client needs to know.
Be a problem solver	All of these skills amount to being a problem solver, or one actively involved in trying to resolve a client’s concerns. Helping people solve their problems through responsiveness, engagement, patience, clarity, and a positive, empathetic and realistic approach is the best way to perform the role of public servant and to “win friends and influence people.”

Writing Skills

Writing skills are critical to many aspects of planning, since decisionmaking processes generally involve a variety of reporting methods, and both internal and external forms of correspondence. While writing techniques vary slightly by the type of document produced, the following hints will generally apply:

Be responsive	It is important to acknowledge the receipt of an email message, to confirm a phone conversation or to follow-up on an office visit in a timely fashion --even if there are tasks yet to be done. This is particularly critical if local rule or state statute places a time limit on the response or final decision.
Be concise	Make sure the reader understands the purpose of and the message in the correspondence right away. When possible, keep letters and memos to a single page, and make email messages short (since longer messages will have to be printed). Margins and font sizes can be adjusted to reduce overall length, but remember to be kind to the eyes!
Be systematic and orderly	Use short paragraphs with bullet statements or numbered lists if multiple points are to be made. On longer documents, use headings and subheadings to lead the reader through the document’s structure and content. Each section should be reasonably self-contained, with an introductory statement and a brief summary or transition to the next section. The larger document should begin with an overview of the issue addressed, the purpose of the report, and its organization; it should conclude with a summary, synthesis, discussion, or recommendation that neatly ties up the report. This section should connect back to the purpose of the report.
Be professional	Focus on “action” rather than “information”, and avoid first person and passive tense in your writing. Revise, rewrite and proof-read to be certain your message is clear, factually accurate and grammatically correct. Use humor when appropriate, especially for less formal communications such as email. Give credit where credit is due: referencing can be important. The author-date method is perhaps the easiest ((Randolph, 1996) with an alphabetical list of “References Cited” at the end of the report), but other referencing conventions are acceptable; quotations should be referenced to a source’s page number (Randolph, 1996, p.14).
Be creative	Non-text graphics or tables can help break up the text; tables summarizing main points help organize the report, force you to clarify the points, and help the reader focus on the main points at a glance.
Be careful!	Make use of cc, bcc, “forward” and other means for increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of correspondence, but be certain you know who will receive the message. Also be mindful of the fact that these are “official” documents that can be forwarded or copied for broader viewing (under the Freedom of Information Act ).

Presentation Skills

Making presentations to small or large groups is another essential task for planners (and really for any profession). Like writing skills, presentation skills are honed through practice. Still, there are some “tricks of the trade” that enhance the quality and effectiveness of presentations.

Research	Know your audience and relate your talk to it. Know your time limits and stick to them. Know your context (other speakers and what they are saying).
Prepare	Clarify 3-5 key points: introduce them, discuss them, conclude with them. Use effective audio-visual tools (overheads, slides, Power-Point, handouts) to clarify your main points and to help the audience visualize your message. Rules of thumb for slides: - Limit words to 10-15 per slide - Use several simple slides rather than one complicated one - Dark backgrounds (with white or light lettering) and large type are easier to read Rehearse.
Present	Engage your audience (eye contact, personalization, humor); create excitement, challenge traditional thinking. Neither read a presentation, nor deliver it “off the cuff.” Prepare well so it appears you are simply talking with the audience whether you are working from a prepared text or not. Coordinate your slides with the talk. Don’t leave slide on screen after you’ve covered it. Operate slide controls yourself (if possible).

Personal Time Management Guide

Have you been trying to improve your time management skills or overall personal effectiveness? Do you feel like you are still missing some key details? If so, we've got something for you.

This personal time management guide and the accompanying newsletter are dedicated to building a stronger foundation for your success. One skill at a time.

Each article or section below is an important building block you can put into your foundation right now. Take one of the pages and read it: you will gain the key insights and practical tips for one of the core areas of higher personal effectiveness. Take another page and do the same. Each article will move you one step forward in something that could be limiting your success level today.

That something could be your skills and abilities to

• set priorities and manage your time to meet deadlines,
• set and achieve goals,
• get over your internal barriers when putting your goals and plans in action,
• effectively organize your daily actions,
• make smarter decisions faster,
• uncover better options,
• work in a team or build one,
• prevent burnout,

or some of the many other aspects of personal time management, with their related problems and solutions. If you don't see directly what you are looking for, you can also search through all our pages.

Below you can go through short summaries of the key sections of this site. Of course, you may want to start from the time management topic that feels most pressing to you today. Yet, do not narrow your vision too much: pay attention to other related subjects and resources here as well. Your main source of problems or your major breakthrough may still be hiding in your blind spot.

Thank you for stopping by. I want to share something valuable with you too, like with many tens of thousands of people who have already used this guide before you.

12 Self Management Checklist

In business world, many people do not need to manage or organise their tasks already. Their manager or project manager assigned specific tasks with specific deadlines for them to meet. Many people works effectively in this environment - they produce their work on time with high quality. However this environment may make them to rely on someone to manage the time and tasks for them, which may lead to their failure on other parts in their life. The following article may ease this difficulty. The Counselling Services in University of Victoria has come up with 12 points on how to self-manage yourself and projects. The list is like a mini-project management course - but it is more personal and easier to catch on:

1. Specify a clear cut goal you want to accomplish.
2. Specify when you’ll do it.
3. Record your hit rate.
4. Make a public commitment.
5. Add an explicit penalty for failure, if you need to.
6. Think small.
7. Specify the amount of product you’re going to produce.
8. Get a timer that beeps every five minutes and chart whether you’re on task, if you find yourself drifting off too much.
9. Arrange for regular contact with your monitor, daily or weekly as needed.
10. Arrange for your friend to monitor your graphing as well as your goal attainment.
11. Get rid of distractions.
12. Recycle.

How to Build Self Confidence

You want to be confident and feel confident, but what if you're starting with little or no confidence? How do you get from Point A to Point B? True self-confidence isn't an overnight acquisition. It takes dedication to realize you are a good human being that is worthy of respect and love.

• Steps

1. Recognize your insecurities. What does that voice in the back of your mind say? What makes you ashamed of yourself? This could be anything from acne, to regret, to emotional abuse (past or present)from a loved one or friends at school. Whatever is making you feel unworthy, ashamed, or inferior, identify it, give it a name, and write it down.
2. Talk about it with friends and loved ones. Wear it on your sleeve. Each day chip away at it; wear it down. There's no quick fix. Get to the root of the problem; focus on it and understand that you need to resolve each issue before you can move on.
3. Remember that no one is perfect. Even the most confident people have insecurities. At some point in any of our lives, we may feel we lack something. That is reality. Learn that life is full of bumps down the road.
4. Identify your successes Everyone is good at something, so discover the things at which you excel, then focus on your talents. Give yourself permission to take pride in them. Give yourself credit for your successes. Inferiority is a state of mind in which you've declared yourself a victim. Do not allow yourself to be victimized.
5. Be thankful for what you have. A lot of the times, at the root of insecurity and lack of confidence is a feeling of not having enough of something, whether it's emotional validation, good luck, money, etc. By acknowledging and appreciating what you do have, you can combat the feeling of being incomplete and unsatisfied. Finding that inner peace will do wonders for your confidence.
6. Be Positive, even if you don't feel positive. Avoid self-pity, or the pity and sympathy of others. Never allow others to make you feel inferior--they can only do so if you let them. If you continue to loathe and belittle yourself, others are going to do and believe likewise. Instead, speak positively about yourself, about your future, and about your progress. Do not be afraid to project your strengths and qualities to others. By doing so, you reinforce those ideas in your mind and encourage your growth in a positive direction.
7. Look in the mirror and smile. Studies surrounding what's called the "facial feedback theory" suggest that the expressions on your face can actually encourage your brain to register certain emotions. So by looking in the mirror and smiling every day, you might feel happier with yourself and more confident in the long run.
8. Fake it. Along the same lines of smiling to make yourself feel happy, acting confident might actually make you believe it. Pretend you're a completely confident version of you; go through the motions and see how you feel.
9. Express yourself, whether it's through art, music, writing, etc. Find something you enjoy. Everyone is born with talents and strengths. You can develop and excel in yours. If it's difficult to name two or three things you have some ability in or just plain love to do, think about things others do that you would like to do too and take some lessons or join an enthusiasts club. When you're following your passion, not only will it have a therapeutic effect, but you'll feel unique and accomplished, all of which can help build your self confidence. Plus, adding a variety of interests to your life will not only make you more confident, but it will increase your chances of meeting compatible friends!
10. Stick to your principles. It might be tough, but if you don't have something you can believe in, you don't have anything. If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything. No matter what's happened in your life, you can always lay claim to the fact that from this day forward, you've followed your principles to the best of your ability.
11. Help others. When you know you're kind to the people around you, and are making a positive difference in other people's lives (even if it's just being kinder to the person who serves you coffee in the morning) you'll know that you are a positive force in the world--which will boost your self confidence. Go volunteer twice a month at an elementary school. Bake something for your neighbor for no reason. Confidence that you have earned is the most long-lasting.

• Tips

1. Exercise and eat healthy. Exercise raises endorphins and makes one feel happier and healthier. It is certainly an easy and effective way to boost your self-confidence.
2. When you're feeling superbly insecure, write down a list of things that are good about you. Then read the list back. You'd be surprised at what you can come up with.
3. Turn feelings of envy or jealousy into a desire to achieve. Stop wanting what others have just because they have it; seek things simply because you want them, whether anybody else has them or not.
4. Don't be afraid to push yourself a bit - a little bit of pressure can actually show just how good you are!
5. Take a wilderness experience course such as those found at Outward Bound or NOLS. Learning how to survive in the wilderness will build your confidence in other areas of life too. You can also try taking a martial arts or fitness class/course (or both). This will help build confidence and strength.
6. Try to make yourself talk positively at all times. When you hear yourself saying you can't do something, stop and say you can. Unless you try, you will never know whether you are able to or not.
7. Everyone is beautiful in their own way, don't let anyone tell you differently, and remember to tell yourself that you are beautiful everyday, even if you don't believe it, one day you will.
8. Money, luck, beauty, and all other material things are just an illusion of happiness. It misleads us to believe we will feel excellent if we have these things or have fun, but in the long run, you will discover that while these things aren't to say horrible, but only mere satisfactions. You will realize having the American Eagle jacket, Nike Shoes, or an attractively rich person flirting with you is only a satisfaction, so you in the end you might feel glad you've gotten what you wanted, but you'll want more and more until you reach happiness. It'll be you just running for happiness blindly until you are worn out.
9. Trust me, happiness is not all about being lucky, attractive, or the best but feeling joyful in yourself, letting go of your insecurities, and having real fun. Sometimes going clubbing is also what the media tags as being the most fun thing, and it can be, but you decide what feels wonderful and happily fun. The reason people also reflect back to their childhood as "the good ole days" is because that's when being the richest or prettiest doesn't count really, and when we were able to release ourselves and have true fun, feeling happy and confident.
10. It depends on your childhood though. Perhaps yours was abusive or you were in an environment that was evolved around fortune, so remembering your childhood isn't pleasantly nor happily nor confidently remembered. If that's the case, don't look back to it if awakens horrid memories, then simply move on and seek happiness elsewhere in this present and the future.

Build To Confidence

Banyak orang menghadiri seminar untuk satu tujuan yakni Tampil Percaya Diri, tulisan ini mereflesikan kepada pembacanya untuk tidak terjebak dalam berpikir percaya diri tetapi diharapkan ‘Behavior’ yang berubah. Artinya Anda diminta untuk berperilaku percaya diri sesuai dengan situasi dan kondisi yang dihadapi.

Matahati Approach setelah melewati hampir 10 tahun terakhir ini secara spesifik melihat perilaku percaya diri sangat dipengaruhi suara nurani Anda apakah saya perlu Confidence atau tidak terhadap situasi ini.

Hal inilah yang menyebabkan seseorang bisa sangat Confidence pada situasi tertentu dan tidak confidence pada situasi yang lain, karena ada suara hati yang biasa disebut sebagai ’Badan Halus’ tidak mengirimkan frekuensi untuk support perilaku percaya diri tersebut. Sehingga salah bila seseorang yang tidak sedang dalam kondisi percaya diri kemudian Anda secara reaktip memberikan stimulus yang sifatnya dorongan berupa terget yang harus dicapai dengan harapan meningkatkan motivasi yang bersangkutan untuk lebih percaya diri.

Yang dibutuhkan seseorang dalam kondisi tidak percaya diri adalah kebutuhan dasarnya dulu mengapa seseorang harus percaya diri,misalnya ‘mengapa seorang anak harus berangkat sekolah dan menjadi bintang kelas ?’, semata-mata harus disadarkan bahwa si anak kelak akan menjadi seorang yang sukses – menjadi seorang Presiden misalnya. Maka si anak akan dengan percaya diri melalui masa studinya bila hal tersebut selalu menjadi stimulus yang kuat atas perubahan dari malas belajar dan takut akan lingkungan belajarnya, menjadi seorang anak yang percaya diri bahwa belajar adalah penting untuk masa depannya. Maka perilaku anak akan berubah menjadi Confidence.

Tulisan ini juga mengajarkan percaya diri spiritual, maksudnya bahwa kepercayaan diri yang ada dalam diri anda sangat dipengaruhi oleh kehendak - NYA, sehingga dalam capaian apapun, Tuhan telah memberikan kodratnya untuk kita, sekarang bagaimna diri kita berusaha mencapai harapan-harapan tersebut, karena kita adalah makhluk pilihan untuk selalu berusaha yang terbaik, dan hasilnya kita serahkan kepada Sang Pencipta yaitu Tuhan Yang Maha Esa.

Self Management

Banyak peluang yang lepas dari pandangan mata kita, semata-mata karena kata tidak siap menangkapnya. Ironis sekali kita mendengar banyak para sarjana baru menyadari akan kompetensi dirinya ketika berangkat menuju tempat interview bukan ketika di bangku kuliah. Dan kata ’Terlambat’ sering terdengar menjadi kata keluh kesah para pencari kerja. Karena mereka tidak memenuhi kualifikasi dari kesempatan mendapatkan pekerjaan bagi masa depannya.

Self Management sebuah tulisan yang mengajak kita untuk menghayati bagaimana sebenarnya diri kita mempersiapkan dan mengantisipasi setiap peluang yang hinggap di depan kita.

Kata kunci 1 adalah Kendalikan diri Anda memasuki situasi baru, apapun situasinya, Anda yang menentukan!, bagaimana mempersiapkan itu semua; dan bagaimana mengantisipasi situasi baru tersebut. Maka pengendalian diri masih cukup relevan untuk menjadi telaah bagi siapapun yang menghadapi situasi yang berubah-ubah setiap saat dan perubahan yang begitu cepat dalam kenyataannya.

Perubahan atau krisis menimbulkan ketidakpastian sehingga akan tumbuh rasa takut dan khawatir bagi yang mengalami. Langkah antisipasi terhadap hal tersebut adalah kendalikan diri anda masuk dalam lingkaran krisis tersebut dan bila dibiarkan perasaan-perasaan ini selanjutnya menimbulkan gejala psikologis yang disebut depresi. Cara terbaik untuk menolong diri sendiri keluar dri depresi, rasa takut dan cemas adalah memfokuskan perhatian pada berbagai peluang sekecil apapun yang akan membawa kita kearah yang tepat.

Kata kunci 2 adalah Review diri anda setiap saat, kadang kita lupa bahwa tubuh kata butuh vitamin demikian pula psikis kita juga butuh ’feedback’, ini semau untuk direnungkan apakah manajemen diri kita sudah sesuai dengan tujuan dan harapan kita, dari kacamata orang lain, apakah kita tahu bahwa ada area yang harus kita kembangkan tetapi kita tidak pernah menyadari karena kita tidak tahu, maka Feedback dari orang lain adalah jurus jitu untuk mereview diri kita untuk kembali menjadi fresh dan clear dalam menghadapi setiap kendala, tantangan dan kesulitan dalam meraih masa depan kita.

Kendalikan diri Anda dan reviewlah setiap saat maka Anda akan mudah bersinergi dengan nilai-nilai kesuksesan, Anda punya impian untuk sukses, mulailah merenda kesuksesan itu dengan review dan pengendalian diri atas perubahan yang terjadi, maka Anda akan keluar sebagai pemenang pada waktu dan saat yang tepat.

Time Management

24 jam adalah waktu sehari semalam yang diberikan kepada setiap orang. Sebagian orang ada yang memanfaatkan waktu tersebut untuk mengurus dunia, Mengelola perusahaan-perusahaan raksasa, mengurus berjuta-juta manusia tapi ada juga yang mengurus diri sendiri saja tidak sanggup. Padahal jatah waktu yang dimiliki sama. Mengapa hal itu terjadi.

Banyak orang tidak mengenal kata ‘Commitment’ kata ini cukup sakti bila dikawinkan dengan waktu, siapapun diri Anda bila berbicara waktu dan tidak diikuti kata ’Commitment’ maka yang didapat adalah sia-sia dan buang-buang waktu saja, maka lewat tulisan Time Management kita sepakat menggunakan kata ‘Commitment’ sebagai

Kata kunci 1, Artinya Komitment untuk memanfaatkan waktu yang ada, sangat menentukan kualitas dan kuantitas hasil capaian yang ingin kita raih setiap saat.

Kalau kita termasuk orang yang sangat menganggap remeh atas berlalunya waktu, tidak merasa kecewa manakala episode pertambahan waktu itu tidak menjadi saat bagi peningkatan kemampuan diri, maka berarti kita memang akan sulit menjadi unggul dalam kancah pertarungan hidup ini.

Kata kunci 2, adalah selalu tepat waktu. Do it now ! wajib bagi kita untuk melaksanakan segala sesuatu tepat pada waktunya sesuai dengan rencana dan kesepakatan. Jangan pernah rela sedetikpun meleset, kita harus merasa nikmat mengerjakan segala sesuatu tepat pada waktunya.

Kata kunci 3, adalah Jangan menunda dan mengulur waktu. Jangan suka bermalas-malasan dan mengulur waktu, menunda-nunda pekerjaan. Kebiasaan menunda pekerjaan akan mengundang masalah bila tidak ada perhitungan yang benar. Hal ini disebabkan di setiap perjalanan waktu tentu sudah ada yang harus dikerjakan. Jika ditunda, pekerjaan yang lain akan menyusul, akhirnya pekerjaan menjadi bertumpuk. Terlalu besar resiko yang akan dipikul dan sangat tidak sebanding dengan kesenangan sesaat yang didapat.

Apapun rencana hidup Anda, bila Anda memegang 3 (tiga) kata kunci tersebut maka percepatan mencapai hasil adalah Kenyataan !!!.

Berani mencoba, mulailah menggunakan waktu dengan benar....