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communication to develop or maintain relationships, to share knowledge
and professional experience, and/or to let others know what he/she is
feeling or what he/she values.

As one digs into specific communication skills and better understands
them, it may seem overwhelming to master all or many of them. However,
being able to appropriately draw upon a particular skill when the situation
calls for it is critical for achieving effective communication. It takes
considerable practice of these skills to have them become second nature.

Also, as was demonstrated in Chapter 5, one must have a positive attitude
about the communication taking place, or a particular becomes
meaningless.

It is important to remember that people often judge us by what we actually
communicate, both verbally and non-verbally, and not by what we
intended to communicate. Leaders can overcome the challenge of

communicating with others, in part, by gaining a better understanding of
how his/her personality and mindset is affecting communication, and by
trying to better understand the personalities and mindsets of those being
communicated with. This can be facilitated within the organization by the
following preparation:

a. Start by thinking about the backgrounds and needs of those
people you are engaged with, and about where they stand on the
issue you will be discussing. It is important to try to figure out
how the other person or persons will perceive the significance of
what is being said in light of their circumstances. This certainly

may alter how or what one does or says.
b. Ask others for ideas about how to better understand the situation
that the communication is about. If one is open-minded about
what is heard, problems that might otherwise escalate may be seen
in a better perspective.

c. Ask yourself why you are saying something in particular, and if it
were to become public, would you be comfortable with your
communication.

Clearly, as was discussed in Chapter 5 on leadership behavior, the core of

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