MY SECRETS OF GOOD COMMUNICATION

From my experience in swimming, my public speaking career and my work in connection with the Teenage Cancer Trust and Youth Sport Trust, I have discovered that certain things affect my ability to communicate effectively.

Here then are a few ‘secrets’ of good communication. (I have focused on the spoken rather than the written word, as this is where most of my experience lies.) I am not suggesting that these tips will work for everyone or that everyone should slavishly follow them. All I can say is that they have worked for me, and hopefully they will work for you:

• listening;
• barriers to communication:
  • reputation;
  • prejudice;
  • keeping secrets;
• tailored communication;
• sound of silence;
• ebb and flow;
• the windows to the soul;