PLAN to ACT!

Hi All..

This is the fourth posting in a series on the 'how tos' of making positive changes to your communication skills. I think one of the most common myths about communication skills is that it is an inborn talent, and those of us who missed the queue before being born, are somehow doomed to live life as poor communicators. Yes, there are natural orators and charming speakers.. but all, each and every one of them need to plan to make improvements.

What does planning mean, in this context? It means to consciously set a goal and move towards it at a pace that is convenient to you. I repeat.. convenient to you.

You want to be able to make presentations to your own team mates? Set a goal that probably says something like this: I want to make a presentation on direct taxes to my team mates in the first week of April. Then set a personal improvement goal for yourself. That could be something like: I will reduce the number of times I put my hands in my pockets. OR I will avoid putting my hands in my pockets altogether.

Have a friend keep track of the number of times you put your hands in your pockets.
Next time around, reduce it even further.

The idea here is not just think that 'I must avoid putting hands in pockets' but to set out to act.

I am stopping here to let you do some thinking on how you can plan to act.

We will get into specifics of planning next week.. for now get started with your own action plan!

See you in these pages next week!

Gayatri