Brian Tracy outlines five rules for better communication: understand your audience, think before speaking, be transparent about what you know, adjust the environment, and keep learning. He explains why each matters for leadership and success.
Hello, I'm Brian Tracy and today I want to talk to you about mastering the most important elements of communication with other people. The ability to communicate well with others is one of the most important skills you can possess and it is a learnable skill. As much as 85% of the success you achieve in your life will be determined by how you interact with other people. Because communication helps people understand each other better and better, that's why it's important to master all elements of communication. They include who is sending the message and who is receiving it, or the speaker and the listener. The elements of communication also include invoice, environment, noise, context, feedback, and the mode of communication itself. Here are five basic rules that you need to follow to master all elements of communication. The first rule is to understand your audience. Who are they? Where are they coming from? What concerns them? What's of interest to them? What they need and want to learn from you. No matter who you're speaking with, your boss, your co worker, a group of people, or your own family, everyone communicates and receives communication differently. In order to master communication, you must be flexible with your communication styles and be able to adapt to who you're communicating with in order to be effective. Understand your audience by getting to know them, listen to them, what is important to them, what are their pain points or concerns in life, what motivates them. Use this information to choose the words you would like to use, your tone of voice, and the topics that you speak about. The second rule to mastering the elements of communication is to think before you speak. In a world of constant noise and a rising number of voices, you want to make sure that you are heard and that the best way to ensure your voice doesn't get lost is to think clearly and understand what you want to say before you say it. Think about what you want to say, who you're saying it to, and how to best say it in order for it to stick, and for communication to transfer seamlessly from you to your audience. To keep you fully understand what message you want to share before you actually share it, spend Spend some time researching and thinking through your topic and planning your delivery. Rule number three is to be transparent and admit what you know and what you don't. When we want to see ourselves as effective communicators, sometimes it's hard to admit that we don't have the answer to something. We don't have the answer to everything. We don't have the answer to anything. And if you don't know something or aren't comfortable sharing your voice on a subject, it's okay to say that you don't know or that you don't know yet. It's better than trying to fumble your way through an exchange that could cause confusion and an even greater lack of effective communication. Tell the person that you're speaking with that you do not know the full answer now, but you will find the answer and get back to them within a specific time frame. Then follow up by doing your research and returning to them with a well thought through answer. Following this process shows that you are genuine and builds trust, both of which are essential leadership traits and qualities the fourth rule to mastering the elements of communication is to adjust your environment. Your environment is a big part of an effective communication exchange. For example, trying to ask your boss for a raise for all of the hard work that you've been doing during the middle of a holiday party may not be the best environment to communicate your message. A meeting during normal business hours will likely be a more beneficial environment for communicating your past successes and the deservingness of that raise to you. So when you're trying to effectively communicate to anyone about anything, plan when and where you will deliver your message. Reflecting on the things you learned while getting to know more about your audience will also help you to understand the most optimal environment to communicate with them in. The final rule to mastering the elements of communication is to keep studying it and seeking improvement. Communication is a skill set learned as time moves on. No matter how good you get, there will always be room to learn and improve and grow. The more you practice and the more you keep up with your new audiences, mediums and methods of communication, the better that you will get. After communicating a message to someone, try asking for feedback so that you can continue to learn and grow and apply new methods. The next time you deliver a message or story, try new methods of communication to improve how your message is both delivered and received. When you're able to communicate effectively with others, you have the power to create positive change and harm. Harness success in every aspect of your life. All successful leaders have learned how to master the elements of communication. Practice these five rules and you will be well on your way to mastering the communication skills that will open doors for you. For even more help in communicating for success, download my free Speak Like a Leader Handbook. Now I'd like to hear from you. So my question today is what are some things that you can do to understand your audience before you begin speaking to them? Remember, preparation is everything when it comes to speaking to others. Leave a comment below and I'll be sure to follow up with you. Thanks for watching. And remember, if you want to change your future, take action. And take action now. 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