Good communicators

COMMUNICATION

GOOD COMMUNICATORS

I. What makes a good communicator?

• fluency in the language

• grammatical accuracy

• an awareness of body language

• an extensive vocabulary

• being a good listener

• not being afraid of making mistakes

II. Words applying to good/bad communicators

Good communicators: Articulate, coherent, eloquent, extrovert, fluent, focused, persuasive, responsive, succinct.

Bad communicators: Hesitant, inhibited, rambling, reserved, sensitive, vague.

Articulate (Opposite: inarticulate)	Able to express thoughts and feelings easily and clearly, or showing this quality: - an intelligent and highly articulate young woman - She gave a witty, entertaining, and articulate speech.
Coherent	If an argument, set of ideas, or a plan is coherent, it is clear and carefully considered, and each part of it connects or follows in a natural or reasonable way. If someone is coherent, you can understand what that person says: - When she calmed down, she was more coherent (= able to speak clearly and be understood).
Eloquent	Giving a clear, strong message: - She made an eloquent appeal for action. - The pictures were an eloquent reminder of the power of the volcano.
Extrovert	An energetic person who enjoys being with other people: - Most sales people are extroverts.
Fluent	When a person is fluent, they can speak a language easily, well, and quickly: - She's fluent in French. - He's a fluent Russian speaker. When a language is fluent, it is spoken easily and without many pauses: - He speaks fluent Chinese.
Focused	Giving a lot of attention to one particular thing: - the need for more focused research
Persuasive	Making you want to do or believe a particular thing: - a persuasive speaker/speech - Your arguments are very persuasive. - He can be very persuasive.
Responsive (Opposite: Unresponsive)	Saying or doing something as a reaction to something or someone, especially in a quick or positive way: - a responsive engine - a responsive audience - She wasn't responsive to questioning. Able to be improved or cured by a treatment: - The disease has proved responsive to the new treatment.
Succinct	Said in a clear and short way; expressing what needs to be said without unnecessary words: - Keep your letter succinct and to the point.
Hesitant	If you are hesitant, you do not do something immediately or quickly because you are nervous or not certain: - You seemed a bit hesitant about recommending that restaurant - is something wrong with it? - She gave me a hesitant smile.
Inhibited (Opposite: Uninhibited)	Not confident enough to say or do what you want: - The presence of strangers made her feel inhibited.
Rambling	Too long and confused: - a long rambling speech
Reserved	Reserved people do not often talk about or show their feelings or thoughts: - a quiet, reserved woman - The English have a reputation for being reserved.
Sensitive	Easily upset by the things people say or do, or causing people to be upset, embarrassed, or angry: - Her reply showed that she was very sensitive to criticism. - He was very sensitive about his scar and thought everyone was staring at him. A sensitive subject, situation, etc. needs to be dealt with carefully in order to avoid upsetting people: - Sex education and birth control are sensitive issues. - The stolen car contained military documents described as very sensitive.
Vague	Not clearly expressed, known, described, or decided: - I do have a vague memory of meeting her many years ago. - The patient had complained of vague pains and backache. Not clear in shape, or not clearly seen: - Through the mist I could just make out a vague figure. A vague person is not able to think clearly, or gives an impression of not thinking clearly in order to hide their real thoughts: - My aunt is incredibly vague - she can never remember where she puts things. - Their report is studiously/deliberately vague on future economic prospects.

III. Words with meanings

Concise	Succinct
Reluctant to speak	Reserved, inhibited
Talking in a confused way	Rambling
Able to express ideas well	Articulate
Clear and easy to understand	Coherent
Good at influencing people	Persuasive
Outgoing	Extrovert
Eager to react and communicate	Responsive

IV. Complete the extract below from a talk by a communication expert with the verbs from the box.

clarify           confuse             digress            engage            explain            interrupt             ramble

Good communicators really (1) listen to people and take in what is said. They maintain eye contact and have a relaxed body language, but they seldom (2) and stop people talking. If they don't understand and want to (3) something, they wait for a suitable opportunity.

When speaking, effective communicators are good at giving information. They do not (4) their listener. They make their points dearly. They will avoid technical terms, abbreviations or jargon. If they do need to use unfamiliar terminology, they (5) by giving an easy-to-understand example. Furthermore, although they may (6) in order to elaborate a point and give additional information and details where appropriate, they will not (7) and lose sight of their main message. Really effective communicators who have the ability to (8) with colleagues, employees, customers and suppliers are a valuable asset for any business.

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ANSWER: 

Good communicators really (1) listen to people and take in what is said. They maintain eye contact and have a relaxed body language, but they seldom (2) INTERRUPT and stop people talking. If they don't understand and want to (3) CLARIFY something, they wait for a suitable opportunity.

When speaking, effective communicators are good at giving information. They do not (4) CONFUSE their listener. They make their points dearly. They will avoid technical terms, abbreviations or jargon. If they do need to use unfamiliar terminology, they (5) EXPLAIN by giving an easy-to-understand example. Furthermore, although they may (6) DIGRESS in order to elaborate a point and give additional information and details where appropriate, they will not (7) RAMBLE and lose sight of their main message. Really effective communicators who have the ability to (8) ENGAGE with colleagues, employees, customers and suppliers are a valuable asset for any business.