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I was venting yesterday about the communication skills of adults, and I feel I must add that many of my students are very respectful in their communications with me. I really appreciate the kind tone they use in all of their messages directed to me and in the messages they post to their peers.

In our class we discuss the four basic elements of effective communication: determining your audience, studying your purpose and then writing effective content with the appropriate tone to convey that purpose to a specific audience.

Perception is Key

Communication has changed tremendously with the emergence of technology. Most everyone uses email today as their primary form of communication, so it’s important not only to think about what you want to say, but also to make certain your message is conveyed in a decent format with good grammar and punctuation. Don’t forget that the way your message is received and perceived by your audience has a definite effect on the response.

If you want a positive outcome to your messages, regardless of the purpose, you have to make sure you are using the right tone – primarily one that exudes respect. Even if you have to send a negative message, the tone you convey through your word choice can have a huge impact on how the other person will react to your message.

Have you ever written an email when you were angry?

If you sent it, what was the outcome? Did your angry message really get positive results? I doubt that it did.

My advice for a situation like this is to type your message – everything you want to say – in a word document. Don’t put it into a “reply” email just in case you should accidentally send it. Instead, just type your thoughts into a word document. Then walk away from it.

When you come back to your message, read it out loud and see what kind of reaction you think the receiver would have. Now, here’s the best part, you have the opportunity to change this message now that you are not so angry. Change the tone, be more respectful and send it when you have revised it. I guarantee the results will be much better than if you had responded with your first draft!

Spoken words cannot be taken back and written words can’t either – especially in today’s world of email communication. Your message can be forwarded to many different people, so it makes sense to be sure you write the kind of messages that you would be proud for anyone to read.

Good communication skills are important for every type of career. If you’re interested in improving your communications skills with an online class, Accredited-Online-Colleges.com offers a directory of online degrees available from colleges and universities from around the country.

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Tags: Accredited Online Colleges, Communicating Through Email, Online Communication, Online Degrees