Skills: Communication Skills Week 1 READ PROVERBS 18:13 In his famous prayer, St. Francis of Assisi asked God to help him to “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” This principle is the key to effective interpersonal communication. Actually, the book of Proverbs offered identical advice ages before St. Francis penned this prayer. In Proverbs 18:13 we read, “He who answers before listening—that is his folly and his shame.” Earlier in this same chapter Solomon offers apointed evaluation of those who would rather talk than listen: “A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions”(18:2). No leader who cannot communicate can lead well or long. Most leaders spend vast amounts of time and energy developing other skills, such as long-term planning, time management and public speaking. But what about taking time to develop the skill of listening? Those who wish to be good leaders will develop this skill. They’ll practice such techniques as maintaining eye contact and rephrasing what they hear to be certain that they have understood correctly. Closely tied in with the skill of listening is the ability to express oneself in a nonabrasive and affirming manner. After all, “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing” (12:18). Wise leaders think before they speak; in so doing they select words that nurture rather than destroy. When faced with hostility they speak gently so as to subdue anger rather than stoke it (15:1). Your degree of ability to communicate will either evoke trust or distrust in those you lead. It will instill either confidence or fear. It will determine to a large extent how eagerly your followers will follow you. How would those you lead evaluate your listening skills? What one thing could you do to strengthen your ability to listen? Communication Skills and Who God Is The foundational assumption of Scripture is not simply that God exists,but that he has communicated with us through the prophets and apostles, and most decisively through the personal revelation of his incarnate Son. As a personal and relational being, God is a communicator. Turn to Psalm 19:1–11for a description of two ways in which God has communicated with us. Communication Skills and Who I Am Because we have been created in the likeness of God, we are personal, relational, communicating beings. The issue is not whether we will communicate, but how effective and appropriate our communication will be. Our speech can be a source of blessingor injury to others. Turn to James 3:1–16 to consider the significance of the words we speak. Communication Skills and HowIt Works Effective communication involves more than just speaking and hearing. Real communication only takes place when both parties move beyond speaking and hearing to understanding. See Isaiah 6:9 for God’s words to his prophet on this topic. Communication Skills and What I Do While you’ll no doubt agree that communication is essential to effective leadership, you may be surprised by the extent to which open, honest, two-way communication can actually benefit you and your organization. Solomon warns his readers to be on the alert for one-sided communication, and Ted W. Engstrom observes that listening, which leads to understanding, is one of the effective leader’s best communication strategies. Turn to Proverbs 18:2 for today’s reading.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 13:22:58 +0000
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