9781422277867

Leadership Skills & Character Building COMMUNICATION SKILLS

TITLES IN THE SERIES

• Communication Skills • Initiative, Grit & Perseverance • Integrity & Honesty • Organization & Problem-Solving

• Self-Confidence • Self-Discipline & Responsibility • Tolerance & Cooperation

Leadership Skills & Character Building COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Randy Charles

MASON CREST

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D Broomall, Pennsylvania PA 19008 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll free)

Copyright © 2019 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN: 978-1-4222-3995-7 Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3994-0 ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-7786-7

Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

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Cont ents

Introduction

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Chapter One: How Good Communication Skills Build Leadership & Character

Chapter Two: The Importance of Good Written English Chapter Three: The Importance of Good Spoken English

15 21 29 37 45 53 58 60 61 62 64

Chapter Four: Making Yourself Understood Chapter Five: Communication & Success

Presenting Yourself Well

Chapter Six:

Chapter Seven: Safety Online

Series Glossary of Key Terms

Further Reading & Internet Resources

Organizations to Contact

Index

Picture Credits/Video Credits & About the Author

KEY ICONS TO LOOK FOR:

Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills.

Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments, and much more! Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there.

Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis.

Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout the series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

INTRODUCTION: INSPIRATION TO THE READER The most effective leaders have a combination of intellectual intelligence (IQ), technical skills, and emotional intelligence (EI). Emotional intelligence is an essential ingredient. EI is the act of knowing, understanding, and responding to emotions, overcoming stress in the moment, and being aware of how your words and actions affect others. Emotional intelligence consists of five attributes: self-awareness, self-management, empathy, motivation, and effective communication.

The Unrelenting Athlete “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why

I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

The Bold Poets

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou “What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.” – Bob Dylan

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Communication Skills Becoming more confident as a leader in any capacity will help you inspire others and set a positive example. Gaining confidence in yourself, and finding more joy and peace of mind as you go about life, will help you handle all the successes, challenges, and setbacks along the way. Inside the pages of this book we will discuss all the components to improving your leadership skills, bringing you more confidence and building your character to become the leader you want to be some day.

The Inspiring Creators

“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” – Albert Einstein

The Captivating Writer

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

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Words to Understand

Barriers: circumstances or obstacles that prevent communication or progress

communication: the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information, or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc. to someone else evolution: the gradual development of something, especially from a simple to a more complex form

Have you ever read something that doesn’t make sense? It is possible that the person who wrote it has either made mistakes in their grammar or does not have good communication skills.

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Chapter One HOW GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS BUILD LEADERSHIP & CHARACTER

H ave you ever had a conversation in which the other person completely misunderstood what you were trying to say? A popular quote by an anonymous author states, “The closest distance between two people is misunderstanding.” How very true. When you speak and your message is not received as intended, it can be frustrating. Plus, in some cases, not getting your point across correctly can prevent your needs from getting met, or even create conflict between you and another person. That’s why effective communication is such an essential skill.

What Is Communication?

The term “communication” describes an exchange of ideas or information. Its root word is the Latin communicare , which literally means “to share.” Communication is a complex and ongoing two-way process.

The Communication Process There are many different models used to describe the communication process. The simplest model involves a loop between a sender and a receiver. • Sender: the person sending the message. The responsibility lies with this person to know their audience and choose the

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How Good Communication Skills Build Leadership & Character

Technological developments have come a long way. Today, we can communicate instantly through computers, smartphones, and laptops. However, regardless of how advanced our equipment is, in order to communicate, we still have to be able to speak, write, listen, and understand effectively.

The communication process

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Communication Skills

appropriate symbols or methods (e.g. sounds, gestures, etc.) to get the message across. • Message: the written or spoken communication. Barriers , referred to as noise , may interfere with the message being received properly. • Receiver: the person receiving the message. This person interprets the message, either as it was intended or not. • Feedback: the response or reaction to the message. Feedback might come verbally or nonverbally. Effective communication lies in combining the right symbols together (and reducing the noise) in order to get the intended message across. Numerous skills are needed for the communication process to happen without any problems. For instance, the sender must observe nonverbal cues in order to adapt the message to the receiver. The receiver, on the other hand, must actively listen to and analyze the content of the message to understand it. Think of the process of communication like a transaction between yourself and a sales clerk. You send the message that you want to buy a particular item. The sales clerk receives that message and offers feedback in the form of a price. You then continue the loop by providing money to pay that price. The sales clerk may again keep the loop going by giving you change from your payment and bidding you a good day. Note that some of these steps were verbal (the words you exchanged with the clerk) while others were nonverbal (handing over money), but all were necessary in order to complete the transaction. Why Is Communication Important? Humankind has gradually evolved from sending smoke signals to telegraphs, and all the way to accessing the Internet via wireless broadband (with many other methods in between!). Today, we are constantly logged on to a range of social networks and are able to communicate with nearly anyone in the world with the press of a button. Indeed, the evolution of communication has come a long way. Yet although the process required to exchange information has become easier and faster over time, the significance of communication has remained vital. Effective communicators are able to speak and write clearly, listen attentively, and read nonverbal signals. They are able to share a message and ensure that it is understood by those around them. These skills help teens interact with their

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How Good Communication Skills Build Leadership & Character

Poverty to Wealth: Warren Buffett

Many talented people find that they must learn good communication skills in order to enjoy success. This was the case for billionaire businessman and investor Warren Buffett. Buffett knew that if he didn’t conquer his fear of public speaking, his career would be over before it ever truly took off. To overcome his fear, he took a Dale Carnegie public-speaking class. Today, it’s not his master’s degree that is proudly on display in his office, it’s his certificate for completing this class! Buffett knows how much good communication skills contributed to his long-term success.

parents, teachers, and peers in person and through online forms of media like Instagram or Snapchat.

How Communication Skills Build Leadership & Character Whether through written or spoken methods, most leaders tend to be excellent communicators. These skills may not necessarily come naturally, though. Good communicators must develop their skills over time, through many instances of trial and error. This persistence and commitment to the communication process rewards them with stronger character and the ability to lead others. The traits that define a person of good character and leadership correspond to those of a good communicator. This person is patient as they actively listen to others. Like those of good character, good communicators have an awareness of

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Communication Skills

others’ differences (i.e., whether through observing nonverbal signals or acknowledging culture and background). Similar to leaders, good communicators also have confidence in themselves, because they are able to effectively express themselves to the people around them. Any form of communication has rules, which means that it is possible for anyone to learn those rules if they really want to, just like many great leaders have. And since those who know how to navigate those rules are typically the most successful, teens who want to fully develop their character and leadership skills must be willing to learn the rules of healthy and positive communication.

Let’s get talking!

Text-Dependent Questions 1. What is the Latin for “communication”? What does it mean? 2. What four basic elements make up the communication process?

3. How are good communicators like leaders?

Research Project Record a conversation you have had with a friend, classmate, or parent (with their permission). Afterwards, review the conversation and listen to how the two of you communicated. Try to find instances of nois e in the conversation. Then, write about how you could communicate better in the future.

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Words to Understand acquisition: the learning or developing of a skill, habit, or quality conveys: makes an idea, impression, or feeling known or understandable to someone

hone: to refine or perfect something over a period of time

We have been using writing to communicate for thousands of years. It is the way we broadcast our thoughts, beliefs, and ideas. Good writing has to be learned, which is why education is so important. If our writing is poorly organized or full or grammatical errors, the reader may become confused or misinformed.

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