Communicating

You are a taxi driver. A young woman enters the taxi, hands you 50 dollars. Her red dress has a green smiley, she says she needs to go to Yellow jacket in Colorado then go to Moon which is near Pittsburg's international airport.............

How are you going to remember all of that? Using proper communication skills, you can ask your customer questions to make sure you know the details of the story.

Communication is not about words. It’s about meaning and understanding. It’s about talking and listening. How we communicate depends on who is involved in the conversation, what it is about and how confident we feel. To be able to communicate well we need to know more than just how to talk with a friend. We need to know how to talk to colleagues, strangers, employers and many more people.

When in a conversation�

In a casual conversation, don’t ask too many questions. Questions can be good, but someone might feel like they are being interrogated, like in a police movie. Adults can make the mistake of doing this with kids.

And don’t focus too much on yourself. A conversation involves both an A and a B, otherwise you might �C� your way out of talking with someone you like.

Don’t always try to be a �know it all.� Instead, be a good listener, and be a good friend. Sometimes people just want you to listen.

Also... Learn how to express yourself in a conversation. Your emotions are there for you to use as a guide. Don’t bottle up your feelings, but be polite, and respectful.

When someone is giving you instructions, that is the time to ask questions.