Communication Skills Required For Successful Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship has traditionally been defined as the process of designing, launching and running a new business, which typically begins as a small business, such as a startup company, offering a product, process or service for sale or hire. It has been defined as the “capacity and willingness to develop, organize, and manage a business venture along with any of its risks in order to make a profit.” There have been great entrepreneurs who have mastered certain communication skills which led them to touch great heights. As said by Brian Tracy “Communication is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding a bicycle or typing. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life.” These skills keep on growing as an entrepreneur grows. They nourish an entrepreneur by providing him a path to grow. Following are a few communication skills to be mastered for successful entrepreneurship.

IMPLYING THE ACT OF LISTENING

As said by Larry King “I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening” It is often said that information listened is information learnt. The information that is embedded in a person will stay at the same place o instead of boasting it when it is not required, it is better to engulf new information provided by diverse minds. Studies have shown that if a single day’s communication is broken down into parts it consists of 9% writing, 16% reading, 30% speaking and 45% of listening. Since out of all the modes listening is undertaken the most, it is mandatory to listen with complete attention in order to be a successful entrepreneur. It is often noticed that our listening process is influenced by internal monologues to superimposing meaning of what is being said it is important to drop down all the preconceived notions and listen carefully. All the great entrepreneurs of the world have been great speakers but it is a lesser known fact that they also have been great listeners. Listening has always been considered as an art; an art, which is imperative for every going to be entrepreneur to inculcate within himself.

KNOWING THE PURPOSE

The purpose for which communication is undertaken should be well known. Entrepreneurship is all about idea , it is the conversion of ideas into profitable businesses. Knowing the purpose of communication will leave a deep impact on the listeners. Great speakers never think of what is to be said and how is it to be said. They never think of the dialogues which will prove them to be smarter than the ones listening to them. The major focus remains on knowing the purpose behind each and every word that is said. Every communication should have a call to action. Ask yourself why you’re communicating before you write, pick up the phone or step into your next meeting and make sure your tone, word choice and delivery are in service to that goal.

CONFIDENTLY STATING THE VALUE

One of the main reasons entrepreneurs need self-confidence is to ensure they make good decisions. Successfully starting a business will require making tough decisions. Confidence leads to self belief in your own decisions. A successful entrepreneur needs to be confident about his own decisions before letting anyone else trust in them. Without confidence in yourself, you will find decision making a difficult task. The more confident you are in yourself, the more confident you are about your ideas, enhancing your ability to make good decisions.

STATING THE VALUE OF DIFFERENTIATION

Branding and selling are all about being able to confidently communicate both your points of value and what makes you different than anyone else on the market. Ideas are numerous but what the market is in dearth of are great ideas which are different from the existing ones. The idea being different is not enough. Communicating the idea in a much required different manner also becomes a prerequisite to get your business plan flourish. What is different is what is being paid. Make your ideas worth everyone’s eye by making them altogether dynamic.

BEING CONCISE

People investing in an idea are quite busy these days. The whole scenario has become time oriented. Gone are the days when business meetings took very long to end and had personal touch too. The present era demands quick responses and expect quick presentations. Bragging about the bush is not today’s trend. Whether it’s statistics on how little time people spend focused on a single issue (according to one source, eight seconds) or simply the need to get more done in less time, concise communication wins out. Even the technological context supports this. As screens get smaller, we have to say more in fewer words. Developing the ability to get to the point in a sharp and focused manner and communicate that across mediums by cutting the fat out of verbal and written communication is the need of the hour.

TAKING CARE OF NON VERBAL CUES

Non verbal cues form the greatest part of our communication. According to Professor Mehrabian who combined the statistical results of the two studies and came up with the now famous—and famously misused—rule that communication is only 7 percent verbal and 93 percent non-verbal. Body language must be taken care of in order to be successful in entrepreneurship. Sit up straight, think about your facial expressions and remember to lean forward when listening to show interest. Maintaining a pleasant smile while communicating is an excellent sign of self confidence. The air of confidence that you have about yourself is definitely going to reflect during your communication with others. So gather all the confidence and flaunt yourself.

INTERPRETING NON VERBAL CUES

Interpretation of non verbal cues is as important as maintaining them. What exactly the person sitting in front of you perceives your ideas, the amount of attention that is being paid by him, the reciprocation of your ideas. Knowing all this makes a person a better judge of the situation and he can revert in the same manner.  It turns out that it’s essential. Don’t just practice awareness of your own body language. Analyze specific cues — such as posture, expressions and gestures — being made by others when they’re speaking.

Developing the soft skills needed to succeed as an entrepreneur takes time. Focusing on your communication skills — from reading body language to summing up your value in a few sentences — is one of the most powerful things you can do to advance your career and success. The success stories of the great entrepreneurs suggests the way they have developed and worked for their communication skills to reach up to the level of where they are at present. Work to find the gaps in your communications arsenal and then mindfully practice until each of your skills is up to par.

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