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Article Category: Delivery Techniques

6 Communication Barriers andHow You Can Avoid Themby Stacey Hanke

Ed i t o r s No te : As I watchedthe v ideo

contained in this article, m y 7-year-old

daughter peered over m y shoulder and

proclaimed Dad, shes doing bad stuff.

True, but sad, since so many speakers

perpetuat e t hese comm unication barrier

habits. I invited the videos creator

Stacey Hanke to share it withSix Minutesreaders, and here is her article for you.

Most individuals are unaware of the static they create when they communicate.What do I mean by static? Static is created when whatyou say is inconsistent withhow you say it.

For example, suppose youre having a conversation and the other person says, in aboring, monotone voice, Im so excited to have this opportunity to work with you.

Their facial expressions are lifeless. They never look you in the eye while theyrefidgeting with a pen. Most likely youd question their credibility and knowledge, andnot take action on what they have to say.

This article will increase your awareness of the static you are creating for yourlisteners, and give you practical, immediate tips to have more impact andinfluence.

Video: St op Comm unicat ing Inef f ect ively

Page 1 of 206 Communication Barriers and How You Can Avoid Them

22/12/2012http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/6-communication-barriers/


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Take a couple minutes to view the video below, and then continue with the rest ofthe article which builds upon it.

Communication Barrier #1Lack of Enthusiasm

Do you reallybelieve your product is better than the competitions? Do you lookasconfident as you say you are? The benefits of your product will not be believable ifyou dont communicate your passion, enthusiasm, and commitment through yourfacial expressions.

How t o Avoid Thi s Barr ier : Show Som e Ent husiasm Begin paying attention to the type of facial expressions you use and when

you use them. You may not be aware of when you frown, roll your eyes, orscowl.

Make sure your facial expressions are appropriate based on your topic,listeners and objective. When youre smiling while communicating a seriousor negative message, you create a discrepancy between your facialexpression and your message. The same discrepancy applies when yourecommunicating a positive message without facial expressions.

Once you have increased your awareness of facial expressions, practice the

skill of incorporating them into your message, matching the appropriateexpression to each situation. You wouldnt want to have a stone-cold look




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Static is created when whatyou say is

inconsistent with howyou say it.

on your face when you are expressing your passion for your companysproducts.

Communication Barrier #2

Distracting GesturesThe majority of individuals I work with fidget with their fingers, rings, pen thelist goes on. If they dont fidget, then they unconsciously talk with their hands.Their elbows get locked at their sides and every gesture looks the same. Or theyvebeen told they talk with their hands so they hold their hands and do nothing.

Throughout the day, notice how you and others use gestures.

Do you talk with your hands or gesture too often? If youre constantly

using gestures, youre not able to think on your feet and youre creatingstatic. Do your gestures have purpose? Ask for constructive feedback from friends, family and co-workers: When I

gesture do I look like Im talking with my hands? Do I use gestures toooften or not enough?

How t o Avoid This Barr ier : Use Gest ures f or Em phasis

Confident speakers use gestures to add emphasis to their words. To gesture with

purpose, avoid locking your elbows at your sides or creating the same repetitiousgestures. Instead, expand your gestures from your sides and let your handsemphasize and describe your message.

Add variety to your gestures by relaxing your arms back to your sides after youcomplete a gesture.

Benefits include:

When your gestures create a visualfor your listeners, theyll remembermore information and will rememberyour message longer.

Gestures will grab your listenersattention.

Gestures add energy and inflection to your voice and channel youradrenaline and nervous energy.


Lack of Focus




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The more you add information that

isnt necessary, the greater the risk

your listeners will misinterpret your

point.

The more you add information that isnt necessary, the greater the risk yourlisteners will misinterpret your point.

How t o Avoid This Barr ier : St ay Focused

1. When you begin to say too much and feel like a train about to derail, putthe brakes on and get yourself back on track PAUSE!2. Keep your objective in mind. Think in terms of what your listener needs to

know about what you want them to do, not what you want to tell them.3. Put thought into your words.4. Focus your message on three significant points.5. Pay attention to your listener. Are they hanging on your every word or are

they dazed? Are they attentive or fidgeting?

Communication Barrier #4Using Pow er Poin t as a Crut ch

PowerPoint isnt designed to serve asyour notes. The purpose of visual aids isto enhance and support your messagethrough pictures and illustrations.

How t o Avoid Thi s Barr ier :Design Visual Aids, not Wordy

Slides

How you design your visual aids will determine your ability to stay connected withyour listener.

Create PowerPoint slides with more pictures and fewer words. Ask yourself, Why am I using this PowerPoint slide? Identify how your PowerPoint slide best supports your message based on

the following criteria: Listener expectations and needs. Listener experience and knowledge level. Objectives. Time frame. Number of participants.

Save details for handouts. Your listeners will appreciate a conversationalapproach with interaction accompanied by take-aways they may use as aresource.

Stay away from software overkill. If youre clicking the mouse every few

seconds, your visual aids are the message and you are the backup. If youve been using the same PowerPoint design for more than six

months, its time to make a change!




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PowerPoint isnt designed to serve as

your notes. The purpose of visual aids

is to enhance and support yourmessage through pictures and

illustrations.

Stop disconnecting with your listener by talking to your visual aids. Onlyspeak when you see eyes! Pause when you refer to your visual aids andstay connected with your listener.


Verbal St at ic

Um what perception l i ke do you create y o u k n o w when you hearu m a speaker using u h words that clutter y o u k no w their language?Knowledgeable, credible and confident are labels which probably dont come tomind.

As I travel the country, the number one challenge individuals need to overcome toincrease their influence is the ability to replace non-words with a pause. We use

non-words to buy ourselves time to think about what we want to say. These wordsare distracting and your listener misses your message.

How t o Avoid This Barr ier : El i mi nat e Fi l ler Words

Benefits for you:

Think on your feet. Get to the point and avoid rambling.

Take a relaxing breath. Hold your listeners attention. Gain control over your message.

Benefits for listener:

Hear, understand and respond. Act on what you say.


Lack of Eye Connect ion

The only way to build a relationship is through trust. When you forget what to say,you will look at the ceiling, floor, PowerPoint slides or anywhere away from yourlistener. When you disconnect youll say: uh um so and, etc.

How t o Avoid Thi s Barr ie r: Keep Your Eyes On Your Audi ence

When speaking to more than two individuals, connect with one individual for acomplete sentence or thought. Take a moment to pause as you transition youreyes from one individual to another.




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When rehearsing, ask your listener to immediately give you feedback when youlook away from them while youre speaking.

This is one ofmany public speaking articles featured on Six Minut es.Subsc r ibe to S ix M inu t es for free to receive future articles.

Stacey Hank e is co-author ofYes You Can! Everything YouNeed From A To Z To Influence Others To Take Actionandfounder of1st Impression Consulting, Inc. She helps individualseliminate the static that plagues communicative delivery - topersuade, sell, influence and communicate face-to-face with a

clear message. She has trained over 15,000 people to ridthemselves of bad body language habits and choose wordswisely.Twitter: @StaceyHankeInc

Image credit: cjung

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