Master the Art of Communication to Convince, Negotiate and Persuade Like a Pro

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Finding Our Voice

The great art of communication allows us to engage a crowd, throw a potential life partner into love with us or eventually get into the other side of a failed relationship because of its breakdown.

As humans, this might as well be our unique value proposition over animals – the ability to express our thoughts and feelings are written or spoken words. Not so sure? Just look at how Millennials use dank doodle memes and Gen Z gives out comment awards to showcase their varied interests.

Showing resistance to social pressures, showing our allegiance to our beliefs – wearing shirts that represent our brand, or choosing to share content on social media that we identify with, are all the different ways we as humans find our voice.

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The Power Of Words

Words have the power to translate our intangible imagination into specific, concrete, and attainable action items. Be it a job search through an effective résumé or an online courtship that needs a crisp introduction, words can make or break the deal.

The purpose of good communication must be to enable us to think critically, express our needs and demonstrate the depth of our knowledge through words.

Good communication through written, verbal and non verbal means must be able to convince and persuade us towards positive, unbiased actions. Words must help us arrive at logical conclusions and be beneficial to the greater good. They must be engaging to our emotions and create a sense of rapport with the speaker.

A good speaker or an effective writer – whatever the mode of communication must be able to engage his or her audience through emotions and create a sense of trust and rapport with their ideas. All great leaders base their communicate on a foundation of truth and integrity.

Parts Of Effective Speech

An effective speech at the least should inform and entertain and at the very best must inspire the audience into positive action. There are three specific traits in an effective and persuasive speech:

1. Through logic the words must be able to make us think,
2. Through emotion, they must be able to move us to action and
3. The words must be grade level language even while explaining complex concepts and must be crisp and concise.

Communication through story telling is the one that sticks the most. There is little wonder why there is no society in the world that has not told stories to propagate important cultural values across generations.

How We Communicate

Communication is a two way street. We communicate by listening, by attending to the source of sound with intent or written words with engagement and curiosity.

Receiving or giving praise, or sharing our feelings about our setbacks, or reinforcing a friendship with words of gratitude are all the way we communicate.

How Tech Has Changed The Way We Communicate

When we communicate face to face with others, the mirror neurons in our brains help us deal with the other person’s facial expressions and cues that their body is sending. As our brain interprets this data, our levels of dopamine rise when we hear something nice in what they’re relaying to us.

When we communicate via email or text, we share information in a linear way – no non verbal cues, just verbal language. As a result of only exchanging verbal communication, our emotions are not perceived and processed correctly by the receiver. While we continue to communicate this way, we only engage our right brain which is logical and literal.

We leave emotion behind, because our brains can’t see the tone, the intended emotions or the non verbal cues in a text message or a Facebook message. We don’t have to interpret any subtle body signals or involuntary gestures. We don’t have to make eye contact and understand any nuances in tone or posture.

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Eyes Can Speak

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Communication: A Pillar of Future STRONG

One of the six pillars of our education here at Future STRONG Academy is Communication. We help children improve their verbal and written communication while building a great vocabulary and diction that will set them a world apart from their peers who excel in the same set of academic skills.

The ability to communicate with clarity and fluency can mean the difference between your child shining in the spot light or settling for the side lines. The ability to express oneself effectively is a rare asset in our digital world. Children at Future STRONG will learn the following.

~ Communicate with Confidence
~ Give an Elevator Pitch About Your Strengths
~ Learn to Listen First
~ Simplify Their Speak
~ Write Effectively
~ Tell Their Story and Find Their Voice

Watch Your Words, Always

We must teach children when to talk, when its valuable to voice our opinions and when to give up on negotiations or persuasion. We must show them the value of building bridges of a positive network of people through our words.

If a verbal exchange in not acceptable in real life, the same rules apply while engaging with friends and strangers on the internet. Children can be taught to speak to fit the situation and the audience, and to reflect before responding and ask appropriate questions whenever in doubt.

Hurtful words of judgment and prejudice in the real world and the online world behind the walls of anonymity can be destructive. Words also be taken out of context on the internet where the intent of the person on the other end can be open to interpretation in a lot of different ways.

There is great wisdom in silence in those times especially when we don’t agree with the words that are being thrown at us. After all, communication is how we find our voice, our identity and make our impact in the world.

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