Competent Communicators

When I think of someone I know who I believe is a competent communicator, I think of my father. In addition to being a college professor for over thirty years, he has held many leadership positions throughout his career which required him to interact with many different kinds of personalities and address many different types of audiences from college student to politicians. 

My father is very approachable. He is always a very willing and attentive listener. He listens to all that you have to say before providing his own input. He asks clarifying questions if needed. When he responds, he responds in a very thoughtful manner. Whatever the issue maybe, I can always count on him to look at a situation objectively. There have been many times when I was able to only see one side of a situation he would surprise me by pointing out a different way of looking at it. Regardless of his own personal opinion he would point out multiple ways of looking at a situation. If a decision needs to be made, he would point out the pros and cons without pressuring me to make a decision on way or another. For this reason, I usually turn to him when I need advice before I make any important decisions and many family members and friends do the same. I also admire my father’s ability to stay even in emotionally charged situations and his ability to use his tone of voice which is always respectful to get his point across. I have yet to see him react to a situation with emotion. 

I have always been quick to respond with emotion to situation especially within my own family. I am also quick to respond without first taking the time to think things through. My father’s ability to stay calm even in emotionally charged situations and his approach to thinking before speaking are two communication skills that I admire and would definitely likely to master.