By Communication Consultant Lili Tang (Accounting and BIS, ’22)

“Good communication is the bridge between confusion and clarity.” ~ Nat Turner

When I started attending high school as an international student in the U.S., I had a difficult time speaking and listening at school. My days seemed unbearable. My waking nightmares always began from the first morning class, as I tried to take notes while understanding the contents. I could not communicate with others well enough for them to understand me fully, just as I could not understand what they tried to communicate with me. I knew I needed to do the hard work of improving my ability to engage in conversations if I was going to thrive.

Realizing my goal was not an easy task to be done in a few weeks, I started to join more clubs and tried my best to talk with more people. It was difficult at first, and I sometimes felt embarrassed by my mistakes. But people gave me encouragement and feedback. Over time I gained confidence and courage, and eventually I was able to express myself freely in my second language.

From confusion to clarity–communication does have the magic to make it happen. Persistent quality communication is a significant bridge that connects the whole interaction process and forges relationships. It is worth the effort to find your confidence when communicating. Plan to keep practicing and reflect on your past experiences in order to improve. During this process, you might feel awkward, uncomfortable, and stressed out. But do not be afraid of embarrassments and mistakes–these will help you become a stronger communicator down the road.

And every time you have an enjoyable conversation with other people, allow yourself to feel pleased and congratulate yourself. You’ll soon find that you have gained confidence in your communication.

The art of conversation is essential for professional success. You can practice developing your own conversational voice during a consultation with one of our peer tutors in the Rauch Center for Business Communication. Make an appointment today!

Get information and resources about our center at The Philip Rauch Center for Business Communication.

By Communication Consultant Xinyi Cui (Accounting and BIS, ’22)

We often think about the importance of oral, verbal, and non verbal communication. However, we should not ignore the power of silence. But be careful; we can’t remain silent simply to avoid talking. As Pythagoras implies with the quote above, we should strive to have something important to say.

Let’s imagine that one of your best friends comes to you because they are having a difficult time with school life. You listen patiently to learn about what is happening. But what can you do now?

In such situation, it might be a good idea to stay silent until you can figure out the following questions:

1) What is your friend looking for–some logical suggestions or simply emotional support?

2) If your friend asks for advice, are you able to give suggestions because you have similar experiences or you have some specific expertise, or should you instead express empathy?

3) What is the best way of expressing your thoughts/perspectives?

We try to consider these questions before we speak up, because at least we will not accidentally hurt someone with an unthoughtful response. Furthermore, being silent might be a more appropriate approach than providing endless “recommendations.”

Does that mean we should keep our mouth shut when we chat with our friends? Definitely not. What’s critical about leveraging the power of silence is to pause. Don’t directly express your opinions without a second thought. Instead, be more cautious about your approach to communicating by including some words like “I feel you” or “I am always here for you” and some behaviors like eye contact and nodding in affirmation. Not only will these strategies make your troubled friend much more comfortable, when you do eventually speak, your worlds will be more impactful.

Just as in your personal communication, using silence in business communication is important. Whether you’re building trust, emphasizing a point, negotiating, empowering others, seeking answers, or centering yourself, using silence effectively is a power skill that will make you a leader.

Get information and resources about our center at The Philip Rauch Center for Business Communication.

By Communication Consultant Xinyi Cui (Accounting and BIS, ’22)

“Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.” ~ Gautama Buddha

At this time of year, many assignments involve high-stakes group projects. Communicating in a positive way with your group–expressing your care for their needs as well as the needs of the project–leads to two outcomes: First, group members enjoy their time together, and second, group members pull together effectively to achieve the best outcome.

Positive communication will help a team to enjoy a friendly environment. No matter how difficult the project is, when the team can have a good conversation, all team members will love to solve problems together. However, positive communication rarely comes easily or automatically. Using my own experience as an example, I had a global team for a big project and many problems came up during the collaboration. My teammates had their own work to do and we were living in different time zones, which stopped us from meeting and working together. Also, people treated this project with different levels of priority, and I felt bad if I forced others to do their tasks. All of these reasons made this project more complex than I thought. Sometimes I felt anxious and did not even want to get out of bed to have the morning meeting!

There is no doubt that when people from different backgrounds come together, there will always be some conflicts, which can be internal (like personalities) or external (like internet access). We can never run away from them in group assignments or pretend to be blind of them; instead, the best and only solution is facing them bravely and getting the group on track for success.

RCBC is here to help you develop strong practices for communication in your teams. Schedule an appointment to meet with our Communication Consultants–peer tutors who will strategize with you about ways to improve your team-work experiences. And please have a look at our slide deck offering more tips for effective group communication.

Get information and resources about our center at The Philip Rauch Center for Business Communication.

By Communication Consultant Lili Tang (Accounting and BIS, ’22)

Raised in an age of the Internet, we surely have benefited from this great invention in various ways. Thanks to the Internet, we are able to connect with people around the globe anywhere at any time using platforms like FaceTime, Instagram, Facebook, etc. Because of the convenience of the Internet, communication seems not to be a serious concern anymore. Rather, it gradually becomes a daily routine for everyone.

Interestingly enough, as I grow up, I tend to find myself spending more time on my own, checking my devices constantly, clicking “likes” on someone’s posts or viewing someone’s stories through a cold screen. The screen is like an isolated island, separating myself from the lively world and drawing a boundary between myself and family, friends, and surrounding people.

How has the Internet become such an isolation for us nowadays? Just like Paul Carvel says, the Internet offers absolute communication and absolute isolation. It can ease our lives, but also can harm our lives. It is not easy to argue whether the Internet is black or white, and it might never be. As the development of the Internet and technology advances, will we continue to struggle finding the right balance down the road?

There is no doubt that we take advantage of the internet as a great communication tool. However, ultimately, we cannot shut people out and let our hard cold screens isolate us from actual life. How you communicate with online tools will affect your academic and career success, and here at the Rauch Center for Business Communication we are able to help you develop strategies for making the most of your screen time without isolating yourself from the relationships that will be the bedrock of your success.

Get information and resources about our center at The Philip Rauch Center for Business Communication.