2. What is Effective Communication? Is more then just exchanging of information; it’s about understanding the emotion behind the information. It combines a set of skills: Attentive Listening, nonverbal communication, the ability to manage stress in the moment And emotional awareness

3. Effective Communication Better understand a person Better understand a situation Resolve differences Build trust Respect Create environment: creative idea, problem solving, affection, & caring an flourish

4. Poor Communication Misunderstood Cause of conflict Frustration Loss of trust Loss of respect Build barriers Loss of love

5. #1 - Listening

6. Effective Listening Can: Make the speaker feel heard and understood, Create an environment where everyone feels safe, Save time, Relieve negative emotions.

7. Tips for effective listening Focus fully on the speaker, Avoid interrupting, Avoid seeming judgmental, Show your interest.

8. #2 – Nonverbal communication

9. Nonverbal & Body language Facial Expressions Body Movements & Posture Gestures Eye Contact Touch Space Voice

10. How Nonverbal Can Go Wrong Unfortunately, many people send confusing or negative nonverbal signals without even knowing it. When this happens, both connection and trust are damaged. Nonverbal communication can’t be faked

11. #3 – Managing Stress

12. When you’re stressed you are more likely to Misread other people, Send confusing signals Off-putting nonverbal cues And unhealthy knee-jerk patterns of behavior

13. Ways to Reduce Stress Quickly Recognize when you’re becoming stressed Take a moment to calm down Bring your senses to the rescue Look for humor in the situation Be willing to compromise Agree to disagree

14. #4 – Emotional Awareness

15. How important does God consider the subject of communication? Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Matthew 12:34-37 "Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.“

16. How important does God consider the subject of communication? James 3:5-8 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. If we speak without thinking, we too often display the fruits of thinking without God. Since God is judging our every idle word, we need to give our words careful attention.

17. Emotional Awareness/ The disposition of the Heart Emotions play an important role in the way we communicate at home and work. It’s 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 don’t understand how you feel or why you feel that way, you’ll have a hard time communicating your feelings and needs to others. This can result in frustration, misunderstandings, and conflict. When you don’t address what’s really bothering you, you often become entangled in petty squabbles instead

18. Emotional Awareness/ Your Heart Ignore or try to sedate strong emotions like anger, sadness, and fear. But your ability to communicate depends on being connected to these feelings. Communicating only on a rational level, It will impair your ability to fully understand others, resolve conflicts, or build connection with people

19. When you heart is set with God it helps you: Understand and empathize with what is really troubling other people Understand yourself, including what’s really troubling you and what you really want Stay motivated to understand and empathize with the person you’re interacting with, even if you don’t 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

20. Effective communication requires both thinking and feeling 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 that, with prayer, patience and practice, can be learned at any time of life.

21. “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Colossians 4:6