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[E135]Effective Communication For Colleges

by Jerry Carpos, Jer

As anyone who has seen the popular BBC TV series "Dog Borstal" will know, getting your dog to listen to you is, well, all about communication. You may think you know how to get through to your mutt ? but if he isn't paying any attention, he could be trying to tell you something...Once you have established basic communication you are ready for basic training. Establishing contact.

Your dog has to know right from wrong, before it can obey you. Your first aim will be to let it know which behaviors are acceptable and in which contexts. In order to do this, you will have to learn to give clear, comprehensible commands and to provide decent feedback, so that the animal can understand if it has done what you wanted or not.

Understanding how to communicate with your dog is critical to any training that you do. The goal of the handler is to let the dog know which behaviors are correct in certain situations, and which behaviors are not. The handler must also learn to give commands to the dog effectively and provide feedback so that the animal understands whether it was successful or not. It is also very important that the handler understands how to read the dog's reactions to certain situations and to learn what motivates the dog to obey or disobey.

There are four basic communications that the handler must establish with the dog. For good behavior there is a reward signal and a continue signal. The reward signal tells the dog that they have behaved properly and deserve a reward, and the continue signal tells the dog that they are behaving properly and that they should continue to behave in this manner in order to get a reward.

For bad behavior a no reward signal and a punishment signal are used. The no reward signal tells the dog that it has behaved incorrectly. No reward should be given without a change in behavior. A punishment signal will warn the dog that they will be punished if they continue their undesirable behavior.

The initial period of training with your dog will be the most important phase of all, because it will establish the pattern for all subsequent training. For this reason, you should be well informed before embarking on the task ? and armed with a great deal of patience. It is pointless feeling a little neurotic about building up of trust between handler and dog because this does not happen overnight. Give yourself and your pet some time to develop and adapt; eventually, the dog will just come around. Consistency means everything to your dog. To avoid any confusions punishment should be given regularly until your dog desists. This will be distressing for him, because he really wants to please you.

Once you and your dog have mastered the basics of sit, stay, come and heel, you will be ready to embark on more advanced training, such as tricks or "remotely" controlling your dog's movements with distance commands for right and left. It should be noted that human language in itself is not always clearly distinguishable to the dog's ears. After all, a dog's barking sounds pretty much the same to us, whatever the animal is trying to say. For this reason, "left" and "right" are probably inappropriate words to use, whereas the command in Welsh, "come by" seems to work very well for a left turn.

Some owners may wish to resort to an electric shock device as an aid to obedience. These have been the center of a certain amount of controversy in Britain recently, where a private members bill tried to have them banned. Welfare minister Ben Bradshaw has spoken out in favor of electric collars, which he says some owners maintain have saved the dog from nasty accidents or from being shot by farmers when they stray onto land with livestock.

An investigation aimed at establishing whether or not the collars can make dogs aggressive was funded later this year.

Be willing to express your feelings:
Those people who are able to express their feelings are more likely to be effective communicators than those who are not. This does not mean an irresponsible venting of emotions; rather, it means expression of feelings tempered with responsibility. If you are unable or unwilling to express your feelings, others may view you as bland. Your people want to know where you are coming from. Tell them! Move beyond merely exchanging data and information. Enrich your communication with a clear expression of your feelings about the issues at hand.

Put yourself in the place of the other person:
The effective communicator has empathy: the capacity to participate in another's thoughts or feelings. Empathy is the ability to see the world through the other person's eyes. It is an attitude, a frame of mind, which has a profound effect on the quality of the communication. Empathy is what helps set up the exchange as a living mutual relation.

Be "truly present" When engaging in interpersonal communication, many managers appear to be preoccupied with other thoughts. Their body language conveys the impression that their thoughts are paying attention on something other than the matter at hand. Don't be guilty of this type of behavior. Whenever talking with another person, give that person your undivided attention. Even if you have only 10 minutes to give, give the person 10 minutes of your undivided attention.

Be a good listener:
It has been estimated that no more than about 10 percent of the general population might be considered really good listeners. That means that about 90 percent of us have room for improvement. It will be to your credit if you develop a reputation for being a good listener. Be an active listener and listen with understanding. Ask good questions. Paraphrase the key points that the other person has made. Check your perception of the person's feelings. Link the elements. Achieve unity. These are things that you can learn to do. Great effort is required, but making the effort will surely enhance your effectiveness in interpersonal communication.

Postpone evaluation:
Whenever a new idea is being presented for consideration, many managers are too quick on the draw in evaluating the idea. Before they have really understood the idea, they judge it to be either good or bad. Such behavior tends to inhibit communication and may cause the manager to miss out on some promising ideas. Whenever a new idea is being presented to you, discipline yourself to postpone evaluation until after you have demonstrated that you fully understand the idea.

Avoid becoming hostile when another person's views differ from your own:
Employees learn a great deal about their manager on the basis of how the manager responds to opposing views. (And body language speaks louder than words.) If the manager appears threatened or distressed whenever an employee offers an opposing view, the employees in all likelihood will be reluctant to challenge the manager in the future. As a consequence, the manager's ideas may go untested, and some potentially good ideas may never be considered. Avoid becoming hostile to opposing views. Try to understand the other person's views: what they mean, how they came about, and why the person supports these particular views. Then, when appropriate, try to incorporate these views into your own thinking, while at the same time giving due credit to the person who generated the ideas.

Be willing to change your convictions as new truths are uncovered:
Too many people believe that they have a "lock" on truth. There is only one way to the top of the mountain, and that is their way. Their own views are obviously correct, which means that any opposing views are obviously incorrect. One of the greatest challenges for you as a manager is to keep an open mind. This does not mean a wishy-washy approach in which you agree with every opposing view, but it does mean that you will hear others out and try to understand their views, even when the views are contrary to your own. Perhaps it will turn out to be a significant learning experience; you may glean some insights that will help you strengthen your own views.

Be willing to confront:
Conflict is an integral part of life. If we are encouraging people to be authentic in expressing their thoughts and feelings, conflict is inevitable; if we are calling for people to be creative in expressing their own views, conflict is inevitable; and if we are requiring people to work in complex and ever-changing organizations that have competing demands, conflict is inevitable. Conflict is not something to be avoided; rather, it is something to be guided and channeled for productive ends. Whenever your views differ from those of others, be willing to confront. This is essential for authentic dialogue.

Think win-win:
When confronting others, there are those who think only in terms of win lose. There obviously will be a winner and a loser. This is a basic attitude that has been ingrained over the years. Don't get trapped in the win-lose mentality. Transcend it! Focus on ends rather than means. Ask yourself: In this particular confrontation, what might be done to assure that both my adversary and I achieve our objectives? How can we both emerge as winners?

Article Source : Pg. 13

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Both Jerry Carpos & Nishanth Reddy are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Jerry Carpos has sinced written about articles on various topics from Pets, Eye Care and Pets. Pet portrait artists like Jerry Carpos can make eternal pet portraits from your treasured photos. These eternal. Jerry Carpos's top article generates over 12100 views. Bookmark Jerry Carpos to your Favourites.

Nishanth Reddy has sinced written about articles on various topics from Types of Cancer, High Cholesterol and Aging. Nishanth Reddy is an author and publisher of popular Self Help Blog. For more information on management training, communication skills, leadership skills visit: Management Training Zone. Nishanth Reddy's top article generates over 33100 views. Bookmark Nishanth Reddy to your Favourites.