Have you ever seen a great communicator in action? They seem



to be able to talk to anyone on any topic and everyone they

speak with enjoys the conversation. These great

communicators use their verbal charisma to open doors to all

manner of opportunity; business, career, social, or whatever

else they set their mind on. Ever wondered how they do it?

They use what I call the Secret Weapon of Great

Communicators.

You may be wondering what this secret weapon is and how you

could be using it to your advantage. I have good news for

you. The secret weapon is something that you can use to

rapidly open doors in your own life and it is easily

learned.

The secret weapon consists of several components, the first

of which is to develop the habit of taking a genuine

interest in other people. Once you do this you will discover

that most people are interesting in one way or another. Some

have had interesting experiences in their life, others have

a fascinating job or hobby, still others have thought

provoking theories or knowledge. If you approach others with

genuine interest and an open mind you may be amazed at how

rewarding it can be.

The second component of the secret weapon is to develop the

skill of leading with questions.

Listen to average people in conversation and you will soon

notice that they speak in statements. The most common

statements you will hear from a speaker are those that are

complimentary to themselves and those that are critical of

others. However if you listen to a good communicator you

will find they he or she asks a lot more questions. They

understand that the person who asks the questions controls

the direction of the conversation.

The third component is to actively listen to what the other

person is saying. Have you ever watched people in

conversation? It is a great way to learn what works and what

doesn't. My father taught me that if you take the time to

observe a person in conversation then you will discover a

great deal about who they are and what makes them tic. I

discovered that you can also learn a lot about their

listening skills, or lack of them as is more often the case.

Most listeners are not fully focused in the present moment

so they miss what is being said. Perhaps their mind is

wandering to something that happened earlier of to something

that they are going to do later. If they are really bad

communicators then they are probably focusing on what they

are going to say next and not hearing a word of what the

other person is saying.

A good listener focuses on what is being said and they do

two things to let the other person know that they are

listening. Firstly they ask questions that allow the other

person to expand on what they are saying and secondly they

make reinforcing statements.

Developing the three components that constitute the great

communicators secret weapon will help you build a powerful

network of contacts who will be happy to help you achieve

your goals. You may be amazed at just how many great

opportunities will open to you. It is well worth the effort.