This is an old cartoon emphasising how important it is to have excellent communication skills. Many a times, I see people who are study smart, or intellectually brilliant but unable to enunciate their needs or wants to their colleagues, friends, subordinates and bosses.
You can be a driven, motivated person, but if your boss doesn't see you as such, then the impression works against you. So, communciate well. Your eye to eye contact, your pitch of voice, your sitting position, your dressing for the occasion, your demeanor, your charm,composure and manners. All these are the unconscious signals you send (whether you are aware or not) to the persons around you. How you carry yourself, in short. I never mentioned a single thing about substance or message which you are trying to send. Even a greeting is practised to perfection if you want to impress somebody.
The last great Republican President, Ronald Reagan, was an excellent communicator. He wasn't a brilliant intellectual like Barack Obama. He was a Grade 'B' actor acting in many films which in short didn't win him any awards. But his presentation and acting skills were put to good use, when he acted for the Screen Actors Guild against the Hollywood bosses. From there, his star began to shine and he went from strength to strength. Many people rate him as the Big Gipper or the 'Great Communicator',he was idolised by many in the American population for his strength under duress. But he wasn't a brilliant person, only mouthing many ideas and thoughts of his backroom teams.
Most of us have only our brains as our backroom teams. So, use it all the time. Do not make impulsive decisions or use words carelessles without thinking beforehand, espescially in work situations
when meeting especially with customers and vendors.
Look at the cartoon again. Put your brain into gear before opening your mouth. Offer non-verbal communication when and wherever you can. It is an art. Practice makes perfect.
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