Now that we’re getting back to work in an office, here are 71 useful communication facts for you to leverage.
1. Communication is everything.
2. Everything about you communicates….something.
3. You cannot not communicate.
4. Words are only a small part of the message.
5. Communication co-creates reality.
6. Messages contain an important, emotional component.
7. People appreciate your being clear.
8. You impact the energy of a room by simply entering it.
9. You have way more influence than what you think.
10. Communication is irreversible.
11. Misinterpretation of email can end your marriage.
12. It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.
13. What you’re feeling is your invisible message.
14. Listening to yourself is essential to being authentic.
15. To connect with others, you have to establish trust.
16. You establish trust by being authentic and open and not narcissistic.
17. There are two levels to every message: content + relationship.
18. Human motives are complex.
19. Male communication focuses on results.
20. Female communication focuses on relationships.
21. You have a choice in how you interpret others’ messages.
22. You can always choose one interpretation over another..
23. Being authentic is not being selfish.
24. Start an email with a greeting.
25. Employers and customers most likely check out your social media posts.
26. When possible, talk to people instead of emailing them.
27. If you are feeling triggered, go to the bathroom and pull yourself together.
28. Active listening brings you to the present moment.
29. The first step in preparing a presentation is deciding its purpose.
30. Writing things down in a journal frees your mind to think new thoughts.
31. If a speaker refers to a famous person, the speaker is (probably) trying to borrow credibility from that person.
32. Senior executives say they spend more time listening than talking.
33. The average American worker receives 121 emails a day.
34. The best day to release bad news to the press is Saturday.
35. The best day to report good news to the press is Monday.
(So notice what day a story makes it to the news!)
36. A sound-bite lasts 9 to 14 seconds.
37. People make lasting judgments about you within 30 seconds of meeting you.
38. The first electronic communication medium was the telegraph.
39. Make sure your handshake is firm, not too limp, not too strong.
40. You can disagree without being disagreeable.
41. News programming is a form of entertainment.
42. News programming is a form of entertainment that’s bad for your health.
43. Expressing gratitude brings you in closer touch with reality.
44. A thankful heart is a happy heart. (Veggie Tales)
45. There’s no such thing as a neutral message.
46. Use spell check.
47. More vocabulary = more power, hence use a thesaurus.
48. You can never please everyone.
49. To make your message persuasive, you must appeal to human rationality and emotions.
50. The strongest human motivator is fear of loss.
51. You can gain all kinds of benefits from listening, really listening to people.
52. A good meeting is preceded by the distribution of a clear agenda.
53. Fear blocks communication.
54. You cannot listen to a person and text at the same time.
55. Truth is good for you.
56. Use a lot of white space in your emails.
57. It helps others when you have complete and correct contact info in your email signature.
58. Don’t put your hands in your pockets when you make a presentation.
59. Leaders who lead by placing blame do a great disservice to their followers.
60. Sometimes people ask questions that have hidden agendas embedded in them.
61. Blame and criticism block communication.
62. Remembering a person’s name immediately establishes you as someone who listens, i.e. someone who cares.
63. Learning names takes practices, just like everything else.
64. You teach people how to treat you.
65. Human beings love symbols.
66. There’s usually some bit of truth in all criticism.
67. The best communication is driven by purpose.
68. A great presentation is educational, engaging, and entertaining.
69. Structure in a message solves many problems.
70. Asking questions about the topic is superior to telling it.
71. The right use of humor disarms the audience.
