Last week I presented a proposal, on behalf of the organisation I work for, in a huge boardroom of a global company which was filled with their Australian leadership team including the CEO, General Manager, Operations Manager, CFO and several other stakeholders they felt inclined to include. I arrived with my own team...ok not really, I didn't arrive with my own team at all - it was just me, a team of one. I'll admit to being a little nervous on the way there however once on the thirty fifth story of their building in that boardroom that melted away and I presented my proposal, the culmination of six weeks of work, the only way I know how; professionally, without nervousness and succinctly.
Discursive
I've learned over the years and through various job-functions the knack of being succinct, to the point and focused when it comes to delivering information be it a proposal, orders and directives and in general meetings where discussions are required. Being discursive, (that is), applying wandering dialogues, rambling monologues and generally applying a scattered or digressive approach to the delivery of information and conversation rarely goes well. Of course, I'm speaking about interactions and conversations of a business and work-related nature here and there may be cases where discursive conversation is appropriate in other forums.
In my job role I have also tried to write in a nondiscursive manner in respect of training manuals, proposals and emails or any other form of written communication - It brings less chance of misinterpretation, gets to the core of the information quickly and covers more ground than discursiveness. Time is money when it comes to business and in some of the other job-functions I have had time, wasting or using it efficiently, often had consequences.
Back to verbal communication and the workplace though; I've found it is better to be focused and succinct, to use an economy of words and, of course, to discourse in interesting and engaging ways, otherwise people tend to get lost or become disinterested quickly. This means one needs a well-developed vocabulary - less words can be used to say the same thing - although using big words such as floccinaucinihilipilification and sesquipedalianism (the latter of which means the tendency to use long words) won't go over too well with a group of people who have no clue what the words mean. There's a lot to be said for having a vocabulary sufficient enough to permit brevity though.
I like communication, verbal, written and non-verbal meaning body language, and have focused on improving it in my business and personal lives; I'm good at it because I work at it, read a lot and focus on improving upon skills I've gained; an ethos of continual improvement is one of my strong points. I know others like me, many far more advanced than I at communication, and some who present themselves as good communicators when in fact they are woeful at it. I wonder about you though.
If you have any thoughts on written and verbal communication, the benefits of improving communicating techniques or personal stories of good or bad communication feel free to comment below...and be as discursive as you wish, I don't mind.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
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Image(s) in this post are my own
I can only say that my communication skills suck 😂 Trying to improve them though but it's hard to improve them.
Well, you communicated that message pretty well, so things are already improving. 😁
I am a hot mess, awkward and shy.
There will be no presentations or speaking in front of a crowd for this KrazzyTrukker...
Lolled at outlaw trucking.
It's funny, I was just thinking about how much I used to like to present carefully constructed talks. I'd throw in some jokes (very hard for me!) that seemed discursive (I'd look for an opportunity), but were not. Presentations are performances, or were for me at least. I'd work really hard on them. Teaching classes are one example. I'd work so hard on them! Mostly to make them look easy, like any good performance.
I agree, there's a performance element to presenting, even in a business environment like I mention above - it's a show really, a showcase I guess. I've seen some bad ones and some good ones and learned from them both. As I said in another comment, it's something one loses the knack of if it's not used.
Hi, G... Communication is key in all areas. At work, personally and even introspectively.
Expressing an idea or feeling without any clarity leads to overwhelm, misinterpretation and even anguish.
I have to laugh about the long words you mention. 😂 In my area, you see a lot of these speeches full of big words that are empty when put together. Because behind it there is only a desire to stand out and vanity. What a lot of nonsense and lack of intelligence!
The best thing to do is to be brief and say what you want to say without so much beating about the bush.
I am patient and I try to understand but there comes a time when I get tired of all the talk. And in the end I give up and withdraw all my attention.
I'm communicating to you that communication is a good thing to communicate when communication is required, or one will fail to communicate the communication and when communication isn't communicated then there's a total break down of communication.
Are you discombobulated? (a long word for confused.)
😶
Maybe my communication skills aren't this good. But you have given me a notch on how to improve my communication skills 🥰
Continual improvement is a good thing to apply to one's life.
I think I was a good presenter and speaker during college and in the early days of working. But being in IT, and barely having to present or talk a lot, I feel like I got rusty. The pandemic pretty much destroyed what was left. Having to work from home, mostly communicating via Slack or messages. If there were calls, it was mostly straight to the point. I don't really miss it much, but if I have to present in a board room after all these times, I expect to be a ball of nerves because of the lack of practice.
It's definitely a use it or lose it skill.
I am sometimes so concise that others find it strange. I remember a few years ago, a colleague, a manager, had a question about some activities and asked me in passing when we could schedule a meeting.
I asked him what the topic would be, and while he was explaining to me, I briefly gave him the answer that he would have received even if we had been in a meeting.
I remember his words at the time, "well, for what you just told me, in less than ten minutes, several of us would have spent the whole day on meetings".
I thought for a long time after those words of his, whether my brevity and speed are good for me...
it is possible that they are not, because I skip what are trends: meetings, workshops, planning...
I think there's a time and place to be verbose and a time not to be; knowing one from the other is the key.
Thanks for the permission to be discursive ☺️
The benefits of improving communication techniques are evident when you begin to communicate. Looking back at the previous discussions and outcomes prior to this improvement and making comparisons with the new outcomes following improvement, one would certainly see that apart from the confidence that comes with it, the results are much better.
A few weeks ago, I had a misunderstanding with my Senior, it was as a result of bad communication technique, where I tried to explain myself severally but failed. The very next day, a very similar situation arose but this time, with another senior. I handled it excellently so much so that it cancelled almost all the negative effects of the previous day except for one aspect. This is because I made conscious efforts and prepared to avoid a repeat of the same mistake.
Indeed they are.
Conscious efforts and preparation are two key elements of being successful. Well done.
Discursive is the only way I know it would seem. It's just the way my brain is wired and no matter how much I try not to do it, that ends up being exactly what happens. It's a curse sometimes. At this point in my career though, I am not really sure it matters!
One needs to know when it matters and when it does not. 😁
That's my problem, I am 100% me, 100% of the time!
floccinaucinihilipilificación??? Honestly I had to google it .... I had no idea that word existed!!! But now I know what it means!
I tell you something, I have a small group here and one of us is .... knows a lot, he's like a nerd? He knows a lot about numbers and statistics and stuff, but he doesn't know how to explain it to others. So he explains it to me and I explain it to the rest.
The fact that I've been teaching very old people for so long made me learn how to get through to people, how to explain something and have it instantly understood. An example: he made a 21 min video, I explained it in a 5 min audio.
They say, you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but it seems you're doing it!
Knowing a lot doesn't mean knowing how to teach.... everyone with their own skills, I'm like a translator.🤣
In a professional setting, being able to communicate efficiently vis-a-vis, conveying your messages clearly without ambiguities is very important for all round productivity. And I'm learning the ropes still, I used to be so shy and reserved but that was before I became a professional. 😄
I think it's also important to communicate well in non-business interactions.