My name is Steve Brummet My business is to speak to businesses, teams, schools, churches, non profit organizations and just people about improving their communication skills. Most communication experts agree that good communication starts with understanding.

If we develop skills that help us better understand people, wont we be able to become better teachers, coaches, parents, salespeople and business people? Doesn’t it make sense that if we learn to be more effective in our communication everything around us will change for better?

I am asked all time;

“Can’t I be a good communicator by just opening my mouth and saying words? Won’t most people understand what I’m trying to say?”

I am going to answer that question by giving you a few examples of bad communication.

I had a good night tradition for my kids when they were little. Every evening since before they could talk, I would say good night and tuck them into bed a certain way.

“Alizabeth Kai Brummet. You are most wonderful and amazing Alizabeth Kai Brummet in whole wide world. God loves you . God made you and just you are is special. Alizabeth Kai, God has a wonderful plan for your life. Goodnight, sweet dreams, I love you.”

All I wanted to do was let my children know that they were very special and very loved. Simple, sweet and impossible to misunderstand. Right? Well…

There were managers from different companies who were there to attend workshop. We all were waiting for host to start workshop and there was an aura that could be felt around. The presenter of workshop walked up to writing board and wrote Who Am I? and asked all managers to take 10 minutes and think on it and keep answers to ourselves. There was pin drop silence in room and everyone was thinking answer of that, that was a moment to be heard, there was silence all around, but too many voices could be heard in silence, as everyone was talking to themselves. This first question was really an eye opener.

The second big value that we learnt was importance of Behavior. The presenter just became manager and told us that we all are employees, some of participants smiled, and he became more harsh saying that he doesn’t like anyone to smile in his presence, this sounded so odd, but he was making himself clear as to how a deep impact one has on colleagues whom managers work with day to day and how important it is to learn as to how important behaviors are and to listen ourselves with ears wide open as to how we interact. Another lesson learnt.