Effective Communication

Improving Communication Skills in Business and Relationships

Effective communication helps us better understand a person or situation and enables us to resolve
differences, build trust and respect, and create environments where creative ideas, problem solving,
affection, and caring can flourish. As simple as communication seems, much of what we try to
communicate to othersand what others try to communicate to usgets misunderstood, which can
cause conflict and frustration in personal and professional relationships. By learning these effective
communication skills, you can better connect with your spouse, kids, friends, and coworkers.

What is effective communication?

In the information age, we have to send, receive, and process huge numbers of messages every day.
But effective communication is about more than just exchanging information; it's also about
understanding the emotion behind the information. Effective communication can improve relationships
at home, work, and in social situations by deepening your connections to others and improving
teamwork, decision-making, and problem solving. It enables you to communicate even negative or
difficult messages without creating conflict or destroying trust. Effective communication combines a
set of skills including nonverbal communication, attentive listening, the ability to manage stress in the
moment, and the capacity to recognize and understand your own emotions and those of the person
youre communicating with.
While effective communication is a learned skill, it is more effective when its spontaneous rather than
formulaic. A speech that is read, for example, rarely has the same impact as a speech thats delivered
(or appears to be delivered) spontaneously. Of course, it takes time and effort to develop these skills
and become an effective communicator. The more effort and practice you put in, the more instinctive
and spontaneous your communication skills will become.

Effective communication skills #1: Listening

Listening is one of the most important aspects of effective communication. Successful listening means
not just understanding the words or the information being communicated, but also understanding how
the speaker feels about what theyre communicating.
Effective listening can:

Make the speaker feel heard and understood, which can help build a stronger, deeper
connection between you.

Create an environment where everyone feels safe to express ideas, opinions, and
feelings, or plan and problem solve in creative ways.

Save time by helping clarify information, avoid conflicts and misunderstandings.

Relieve negative emotions. When emotions are running high, if the speaker feels that he
or she has been truly heard, it can help to calm them down, relieve negative feelings, and
allow for real understanding or problem solving to begin.

Tips for effective listening

If your goal is to fully understand and connect with the other person, listening effectively will often
come naturally. If it doesnt, you can remember the following tips. The more you practice them, the
more satisfying and rewarding your interactions with others will become.

Focus fully on the speaker, his or her body language, and other nonverbal cues. If youre
daydreaming, checking text messages, or doodling, youre almost certain to miss nonverbal
cues in the conversation. If you find it hard to concentrate on some speakers, try repeating
their words over in your headitll reinforce their message and help you stay focused.

Avoid interrupting or trying to redirect the conversation to your concerns, by saying

something like, If you think thats bad, let me tell you what happened to me. Listening is
not the same as waiting for your turn to talk. You cant concentrate on what someones
saying if youre forming what youre going to say next. Often, the speaker can read your
facial expressions and know that your minds elsewhere.

Avoid seeming judgmental. In order to communicate effectively with someone, you dont
have to like them or agree with their ideas, values, or opinions. However, you do need to set
aside your judgment and withhold blame and criticism in order to fully understand a person.
The most difficult communication, when successfully executed, can lead to the most unlikely
and profound connection with someone.

Show your interest in whats being said. Nod occasionally, smile at the person, and make
sure your posture is open and inviting. Encourage the speaker to continue with small verbal
comments like yes or uh huh.

Effective communication skills #2: Nonverbal communication

Close

Is love missing from your relationship?

If so, learn how to feel loved and make others feel loved.
When we communicate things that we care about, we do so mainly using nonverbal signals. Wordless
communication, or body language, includes facial expressions, body movement and gestures, eye
contact, posture, the tone of your voice, and even your muscle tension and breathing. The way you
look, listen, move, and react to another person tells them more about how youre feeling than words
alone ever can.
Developing the ability to understand and use nonverbal communication can help you connect with
others, express what you really mean, navigate challenging situations, and build better relationships
at home and work.

You can enhance effective communication by using open body languagearms uncrossed,
standing with an open stance or sitting on the edge of your seat, and maintaining eye
contact with the person youre talking to.

You can also use body language to emphasize or enhance your verbal messagepatting a
friend on the back while complimenting him on his success, for example, or pounding your
fists to underline your message.

Tips for improving how you read nonverbal communication

Practice observing people in public places, such as a shopping mall, bus, train, caf,
restaurant, or even on a television talk show with the sound muted. Observing how others
use body language can teach you how to better receive and use nonverbal signals when
conversing with others. Notice how people act and react to each other. Try to guess what
their relationship is, what theyre talking about, and how each feels about what is being
said.

Be aware of individual differences. People from different countries and cultures tend to
use different nonverbal communication gestures, so its important to take age, culture,
religion, gender, and emotional state into account when reading body language signals. An
American teen, a grieving widow, and an Asian businessman, for example, are likely to use
nonverbal signals differently.

Look at nonverbal communication signals as a group. Dont read too much into a
single gesture or nonverbal cue. Consider all of the nonverbal signals you receive, from eye
contact to tone of voice to body language. Anyone can slip up occasionally and let eye
contact slip, for example, or briefly cross their arms without meaning to. Consider the
signals as a whole to get a better read on a person.

Tips for improving how to deliver nonverbal communication

Use nonverbal signals that match up with your words. Nonverbal communication
should reinforce what is being said, not contradict it. If you say one thing, but your body
language says something else, your listener will likely feel youre being dishonest. For
example, you cant say yes while shaking your head no.

Adjust your nonverbal signals according to the context. The tone of your voice, for
example, should be different when youre addressing a child than when youre addressing a
group of adults. Similarly, take into account the emotional state and cultural background of
the person youre interacting with.

Use body language to convey positive feelings even when you're not actually
experiencing them. If youre nervous about a situationa job interview, important
presentation, or first date, for exampleyou can use positive body language to signal
confidence, even though youre not feeling it. Instead of tentatively entering a room with
your head down, eyes averted, and sliding into a chair, try standing tall with your shoulders
back, smiling and maintaining eye contact, and delivering a firm handshake. It will make
you feel more self-confident and help to put the other person at ease.

Effective communication skills #3: Managing stress

In small doses, stress can help you perform under pressure. However, when stress becomes constant
and overwhelming, it can hamper effective communication by disrupting your capacity to think clearly
and creatively, and act appropriately. When youre stressed, youre more likely to misread other
people, send confusing or off-putting nonverbal signals, and lapse into unhealthy knee-jerk patterns of
behavior.
How many times have you felt stressed during a disagreement with your spouse, kids, boss, friends,
or coworkers and then said or done something you later regretted? If you can quickly relieve stress
and return to a calm state, youll not only avoid such regrets, but in many cases youll also help to
calm the other person as well. Its only when youre in a calm, relaxed state that you'll be able to
know whether the situation requires a response, or whether the other persons signals indicate it
would be better to remain silent.

Quick stress relief for effective communication

When stress strikes, you cant always temper it by taking time out to meditate or go for a run,
especially if youre in the middle of a meeting with your boss or an argument with your spouse, for
example. By learning to quickly reduce stress in the moment, though, you can safely face any strong
emotions youre experiencing, regulate your feelings, and behave appropriately. When you know how
to maintain a relaxed, energized state of awarenesseven when something upsetting happensyou
can remain emotionally available and engaged.

To deal with stress during communication:

Recognize when youre becoming stressed. Your body will let you know if youre
stressed as you communicate. Are your muscles or your stomach tight and/or sore? Are
your hands clenched? Is your breath shallow? Are you "forgetting" to breathe?

Take a moment to calm down before deciding to continue a conversation or postpone it.

Bring your senses to the rescue and quickly manage stress by taking a few deep
breaths, clenching and relaxing muscles, or recalling a soothing, sensory-rich image, for
example. The best way to rapidly and reliably relieve stress is through the senses: sight,
sound, touch, taste, and smell. But each person responds differently to sensory input, so
you need to find things that are soothing to you.

Look for humor in the situation. When used appropriately, humor is a great way to
relieve stress when communicating. When you or those around you start taking things too
seriously, find a way to lighten the mood by sharing a joke or amusing story.

Be willing to compromise. Sometimes, if you can both bend a little, youll be able to find
a happy middle ground that reduces the stress levels for everyone concerned. If you realize
that the other person cares much more about something than you do, compromise may be
easier for you and a good investment in the future of the relationship.

Agree to disagree, if necessary, and take time away from the situation so everyone can
calm down. Take a quick break and move away from the situation. Go for a stroll outside if
possible, or spend a few minutes meditating. Physical movement or finding a quiet place to
regain your balance can quickly reduce stress.

Effective communication skills #4: Emotional awareness

Learn to recognize & accept your emotions

Watch 3-min. video: Developing emotional awareness

Emotions play an important role in the way we communicate at home and work. Its the way you feel,
more than the way you think, that motivates you to communicate or to make decisions. The way you
react to emotionally driven, nonverbal cues affects both how you understand other people and how
they understand you. If you are out of touch with your feelings, and dont understand how you feel or
why you feel that way, youll have a hard time communicating your feelings and needs to others. This
can result in frustration, misunderstandings, and conflict. When you dont address whats really
bothering you, you often become embroiled in petty squabbles insteadarguing with your spouse
about how the towels should be hung, for example, or with a coworker about whose turn it is to
restock the copier.
Emotional awareness provides you the tools needed for understanding both yourself and other people,
and the real messages they are communicating to you. Although knowing your own feelings may seem
simple, many people ignore or try to sedate strong emotions like anger, sadness, and fear. But your
ability to communicate depends on being connected to these feelings. If youre afraid of strong
emotions or if you insist on communicating only on a rational level, it will impair your ability to fully

understand others, creatively problem solve, resolve conflicts, or build an affectionate connection with
someone.

How emotional awareness can improve effective communication

Emotional awarenessthe consciousness of your moment-to-moment emotional experienceand the
ability to manage all of your feelings appropriately is the basis for effective communication.
Emotional awareness helps you:

Understand and empathize with what is really troubling other people

Understand yourself, including whats really troubling you and what you really want

Stay motivated to understand and empathize with the person youre interacting with, even
if you dont like them or their message

Communicate clearly and effectively, even when delivering negative messages

Build strong, trusting, and rewarding relationships, think creatively, solve problems, and
resolve conflicts

Effective communication requires both thinking and feeling

When emotional awareness is strongly developed, youll know what youre feeling without having to
think about itand youll be able to use these emotional cues to understand what someone is really
communicating to you and act accordingly. The goal of effective communication is to find a healthy
balance between your intellect and your emotions, between thinking and feeling.

Emotional awareness is a skill you can learn

Emotional awareness is a skill that, with patience and practice, can be learned at any time of life. You
can develop emotional awareness by learning how to get in touch with difficult emotions and manage
uncomfortable feelings, including anger, sadness, fear, disgust, surprise, and joy. When you know how
to do this, you can remain in control of your emotions and behavior, even in very challenging
situations, and communicate more clearly and effectively.

Next step...

Improve Emotional Awareness. Emotions are the foundation of your ability to understand yourself
and communicate effectively with others. Emotional awareness allows you to understand what others
are feeling and to empathize with them.
Read Developing Emotional Awareness

Improving Communication - Developing

Effective Communication Skills
Effective communication skills are fundamental to success in
many aspects of life. Many jobs require strong communication
skills and socially people with improved communication skills
usually have better interpersonal relationships.
Effective communication is a key interpersonal skill and by
learning how we can improve our communication has many
benefits.
Communication is a two way process so improving communication involves both
how you send and receive messages.

Find more at: http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/improving-communication.html#ixzz30CuCBg7w The

following list includes links to other pages at SkillsYouNeed that can help you
further improve your communication skills.

Learn to Listen
Listening is not the same as hearing; learn to listen not only to the words being spoken but how they
are being spoken and the non-verbal messages sent with them. Use the techniques
of clarification and reflection to confirm what the other person has said and avoid any confusion.
Try not to think about what to say next whilst listening; instead clear your mind and focus on the
message being received. Your friends, colleagues and other acquaintances will appreciate
good listening skills.

Be Aware of Others' Emotions

Be sympathetic to other people's misfortunes and congratulate their positive landmarks. To do this
you need to be aware of what is going on in other peoples lives. Make and maintain eye contact and
use first names where appropriate. Do not be afraid to ask others for their opinions as this will help

to make them feel valued. Consider the emotional effect of what you are saying and communicate
within the norms of behaviour acceptable to the other person.
Take steps to become more charismatic. See our page: Emotional Intelligence for more
information.

Empathise
Empathy is trying to see things from the point-of-view of others. When communicating with others,
try not to be judgemental or biased by preconceived ideas or beliefs - instead view situations and
responses from the other persons perspective. Stay in tune with your own emotions to help enable
you to understand the emotions of others.
If appropriate, offer your personal viewpoint clearly and honestly to avoid confusion. Bear in mind
that some subjects might be taboo or too emotionally stressful for others to discuss.

Encourage
Offer words and actions of encouragement, as well as praise, to others. Make other people feel
welcome, wanted, valued and appreciated in your communications. If you let others know that they
are valued, they are much more likely to give you their best. Try to ensure that everyone involved in
an interaction or communication is included through effective body language and the use of open

Do not say the first thing that comes into your head but
instead take a moment and pay close attention to what you say
and how you say it.
questions.

Focus on the meaning of what you want to communicate.

Aim to increase understanding by considering how your message might be
received by the other person. By communicating clearly, you can help avoid
misunderstandings and potential conflict with others. By speaking eloquently
you will come across as more intelligent and mature.
Be aware of the messages you are sending via non-verbal channels: make eye contact and avoid
defensive body language. Present information in a way that its meaning can be clearly
understood. Pay particular attention to differences in culture, past experiences, attitudes and abilities
before conveying your message. Avoid jargon and over-complicated language; explain things as

simply as possible. Request clarification if unclear about a message. Always avoid racist and sexist
terms or any language that may cause offence.
More on Verbal Communication and Non-verbal communication - also see Effective
Speaking and Building Rapport.

Use Humour
Laughing releases endorphins that can help relieve stress and anxiety; most people like to laugh and
will feel drawn to somebody who can make them laugh. Dont be afraid to be funny or clever, but do
ensure your humour is appropriate to the situation. Use your sense of humour to break the ice, to
lower barriers and gain the affection of others. By using appropriate humour you will be perceived as
more charismatic.

Treat People Equally

Always aim to communicate on an equal basis and avoid patronising people. Do not talk about
others behind their backs and try not to develop favourites: by treating people as your equal and also
equal to each other you will build trust and respect. Check that people understand what you have
said to avoid confusion and negative feelings. Encourage open and honest feedback from the
receiver to ensure your message is understood and to avoid the receiver instead feeding back what
they think you want to hear. If confidentiality is an issue, make sure its boundaries are known and
ensure its maintenance.

Attempt to Resolve Conflict

Learn to troubleshoot and resolve problems and conflicts as they arise. Learn how to be an effective
mediator and negotiator. Use your listening skills to hear and understand both sides of any
argument - encourage and facilitate people to talk to each other. Try not to be biased or judgemental
but instead ease the way for conflict resolution.

Maintain a Positive Attitude and Smile

Few people want to be around someone who is frequently miserable. Do your best to be friendly,
upbeat and positive with other people. Maintain a positive, cheerful attitude to life: when things do
not go to plan, stay optimistic and learn from your mistakes. If you smile often and stay cheerful,
people are more likely to respond positively to you. See Personal Presentation for more.

Minimise Stress
Some communication scenarios are, by their nature, stressful. Stress can
however be a major barrier to effective communication, all parties should try to
remain calm and focused.
For tips and advice about stress relief and avoidance see our pages: Avoiding Stress and Tips for
Relieving Stress. It is also important to learn how to relax we have a series of pages
covering Relaxation Techniques.

Find more at: http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/improving-communication.html#ixzz30CuNzBzX

More on body language, non-verbal communication and questioning.

Find more at: http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/improvingcommunication.html#ixzz30CuFJPyB

Communicate Effectively

How to Communicate Effectively

Creating The Right Environment For CommunicationOrganizing Your CommunicationsCommunicating
Through SpeechCommunicating Through Body LanguageCommunicating Effectively In
ConflictConversation Help

No matter your age, background, or experience, effective communication is a skill you can learn.
The greatest leaders of all time are also fantastic communicators and orators. In fact,
communications is one of the most popular college degrees today; people recognize the value
of a truly efficient communicator. With a little self-confidence and knowledge of the basics, you'll
be able to get your point across in no time.

Method 1 of 5: Creating The Right Environment For

Communication
Choose the right time. As the clich states, there is a time and a place for everything,
and communicating is no different.
Avoid leaving discussions about heavy topics such as finances or weekly

planning until late evening. Few people will be thrilled to be faced with sorting out major
issues when they're at their most tired. Instead, leave heavy topics for mornings and
afternoons when people are alert, available, and more likely to be able to respond with
clarity.

2
An intimate conversation Choose the right place. If you need to tell someone
something that isn't going to be well received (such as news of a death or a breakup),
don't do it in public, around colleagues or near other people. Be respectful and mindful
of the person receiving the communication and communicate to them in a private place.
This will also enable you to provide space to open dialog with them about the
communication, and helps to ensure that the two-way process is occurring properly.

If you are presenting to a group of people, be sure to check the acoustics

beforehand and practice projecting your voice clearly. Use a microphone if needed to
ensure that your audience can hear you.

Remove distractions. Turn off ALL electronics that could go off during the conversation. If the
phone rings, laugh it off the first time, then turn it off immediately and continue talking. Do not
allow external distractions to act as crutches that keep sidetracking your concentration. They will
distract both you and your listener, and effectively kill the communication.

Method 2 of 5: Organizing Your Communications

Organize and clarify ideas in your mind. This should be done before you attempt to
communicate these ideas. If you are feeling passionate about a topic, you may become

garbled if you haven't already thought of some key points to stick to when
communicating it.
A good rule of thumb is to choose three main points and keep your

communication focused on those. That way, if the topic wanders off course, you will be
able to return to one or more of these three key points without feeling flustered. Writing
these key points down (if it's appropriate) can also help.
1.

Be clear. Make it clear what you're wishing to convey from the outset. For example, your
purpose could be to inform others, obtain information or initiate action. People need to know in
advance what you expect from your communication.

2. 3
Stay on topic. Once you start addressing your three main points, make sure everything you're
saying adds to the conversation or debate. If you have already thought through the issues and
the essence of the ideas that you wish to put across, it is likely that some pertinent phrases will
stick in your mind. Do not be afraid to use these to underline your points. Even very confident
and well-known speakers reuse their key lines again and again for major effect.

3. 4
Thank your listener(s). Thank the person or group for the time taken to listen and respond. No
matter what the outcome of your communication, even if the response to your talk or discussion
has been negative, it is good manners to end it politely and with respect for everyone's input and
time.

Method 3 of 5: Communicating Through Speech

1. 1
Set the listener at ease. You want to do this before launching into your conversation or
presentation. It can help sometimes to begin with a favorite anecdote. This helps the listener
identify with you as someone like them.

2. 2
Be articulate. It is important to speak clearly so that the message comes across in a way that
every listener can understand. Your words are remembered because people instantly
understand what it is that you are saying. It means uttering your words distinctly, preferring
simpler words over more complex ones and speaking at a level guaranteed to be heard, but
without coming across as too quiet or disengaged.

1.

Avoid mumbling. Take special care to enunciate highlighted points you need to
make in order to avoid any kind of misunderstanding. If mumbling is a defensive habit
that you have fallen into out of fear of communicating, practice your message at home in
front of the mirror. Discuss what you want to communicate with those you feel
comfortable around first in order to better develop the message in your own mind. Both
the practice and the development of your words for the messaging will build your
confidence.

2. 4

Be attentive when listening and ensure that your facial expressions reflect your
interest.]] Listen actively. Communication is a two-way street. Remember that while you
are talking, you are not learning. In listening, you will be able to gauge how much of your
message is getting through to your listeners and whether or not it is being received
correctly. It can be helpful to ask listeners to rephrase some of what you have said in
their own words if they appear to be returning confused or mistaken views to you.

1.

Be vocally interesting. A monotone is not pleasing to the ear. A good communicator will
use "vocal color" to enhance communication. Norma Michael recommends raising the pitch and
volume of your voice when you transition from one topic or point to another, and to increase your
volume and slow down your voice whenever you are raising a special point or summing up.
[1]

She also recommends speaking briskly, but pausing to emphasize keywords when you are

requesting action.

Method 4 of 5: Communicating Through Body Language

1. 1
Recognize people. Sure, you don't necessarily know the people in your audience or that new
friend in your group, but they're nodding along with you and looking knowingly at you all the
same. This means that they are connecting with you. So reward them with your
acknowledgment.

2. 2

Clarity of meaning can be expressed through your body language, too.|right]]Use facial
expressions consciously. Aim to reflect passion and generate empathy from the listener by using
soft, gentle, and aware facial expressions. Avoid negative facial expressions, such as frowns or
raised eyebrows. What is or isn't negative is dependent on the context, including cultural
context, so be guided by your situation.
Be alert for unexpected behavior that suggests you're cross-culturally colliding,

such as a clenched fist, a slouched posture, or even silence.[2] If you don't know the culture, ask
questions about communication challenges before you start to speak with people in their cultural
context.

1.

Communicate eye-to-eye. Eye contact establishes rapport, helps to convince

people that you're trustworthy, and displays interest. During a conversation or
presentation, it is important to look into the other person's eyes if possible and maintain
contact for a reasonable amount of time (but don't overdo it; just as much as feels
natural, about 2-4 seconds at a time). [3]

Remember to take in all of your audience. If you're addressing a

boardroom, look every member of the board in the eye. Neglecting any single person
can easily be taken as a sign of offense and could lose you business, admission,
success, or whatever it is you are endeavoring to achieve.

If you're addressing an audience, pause and make eye contact with a

member of audience for up to 2 seconds before breaking away and resuming your talk.
This helps to make individual members of the audience feel personally valued.

Be aware that eye contact is culturally ordained. In some cultures it is

considered to be unsettling, or inappropriate. Ask or research in advance.

Use breathing and pauses to your advantage. There is power in pausing. Simon
Reynolds says that pausing causes an audience to lean in and listen. It helps you to
emphasize your points and allow the listener time to digest what has been said. It also
helps to make your communication come across as more compelling and it makes your
speech easier to listen to.[4]
o

Take deep breaths to steady yourself before you begin communicating.

Get into the habit of solid, regular breathing during a conversation that will
help you to keep a steady, calm voice. It will also keep you more relaxed.

Use pauses to take a breather in what you are saying.

5
How does this gesture come across?|right]]Use hand gestures carefully. Be
conscious of what your hands are saying as you speak. Some hand gestures can be
very effective in highlighting your points (open gestures), while others can be distracting
or even offensive to some listeners, and can lead to the conversation or listening being
closed down (closed gestures). It also helps to watch other people's hand gestures to
see how they come across to you.

6
Keep a check on other body language signals. Watch for wandering eyes, hands
picking at fluff on your clothing and constant sniffling. These small gestures add up and
are all guaranteed to dampen the effectiveness of your message.

Method 5 of 5: Communicating Effectively In Conflict

1.

Place yourself on even ground. Do not stand or hover over the other person.
This creates a power struggle and pushes the conflict to another level. If they are sitting,
you should sit with them.

2. 2
Listen to the other party. Let them say how they feel. Wait until they are completely
finished talking before beginning to speak yourself.

3. 3
Speak in a calm voice. Don't yell or make accusations at the other party. Let them
know you have heard their point and understand their side.

4. 4
Don't try to finish the argument at all costs. If the person walks out of the room, don't
follow them. Allow them to do so and let them return when they are calmer and ready to
talk.

5. 5
Don't try to get the last word in. Again, this could lead to a power struggle that may
not end. Sometimes, you have to agree to disagree and move on.

6. 6
Use "I" messages. When you're phrasing your concerns, try to start your sentences
with "I...". This will make the other person more receptive to your complaints. For
instance, instead of saying "You're sloppy and it drives me crazy," try "I feel like
messiness is a problem in our relationship."

Tips

Don't ramble. This will lead to your message not being understood or taken seriously

Be careful with humor. While a little humor injected into what you are discussing can be
very effective, do not take it too far and do not rely on it as a crutch to cover up the hard-to-say
things. If you keep giggling and joking, your communication will not be taken seriously.

Do not whine or plead. Neither is guaranteed to instill respect or interest in the listener. If
you are very upset, excuse yourself and come back to the discussion later when you have had a
chance to think it through.

Look on the Internet for examples of great speakers in action. There are plenty of role
models instantly accessible through videos online. Treat them as your "personal
communications coaches!"

If you are giving a presentation to a group or audience, be prepared for difficult questions
so that you're not thrown off course and left feeling flustered. To remain in a position of
communicating effectively, Michael Brown recommends a golden rule for handling difficult
questions in the context of a group or audience. He suggests that you listen on behalf of
everyone present, including asking questions and repeating the issue. Share the reply with
everyone, which means moving your eyes off the questioner and onto all present in order to
have the whole group "wear the answer." Capitalize on this shared answer to move on and
change direction.[5]