Effective communication

There are a variety of key points for effective communication that also tie into wisdom from God through the Bible. Some of the principles of effective communication from Author, Dale Carnegie, in his timeless book, How to Win Friends & Influence People, are (a) Don’t criticize, condemn or complain; (b) Give honest and sincere appreciation; (c) Become genuinely interested in other people; (d) Smile; (e) Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language; (f) Encourage others to talk about themselves; and (g) Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Let’s look closer at a few of these.

Don’t criticize, condemn or complain. The Bible says: Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” 2 Philippians 2:14-15. If we want to have the best relationships with others, we should keep this advice in mind. When we do have to correct others, it is always good to talk about a mistake that you have made first, in order for it to be more likely that a person will take advice the right way.

Give honest and sincere appreciation. I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Philippians 1:3-5. In these verses Paul is showing thanks that the people of Philippi have partnered with him in the ministry of brining people to know Christ. These are words that we can share with others, whether it is co-workers, family, or friends. We can thank God for them being in our lives and let them know this. One of the best gifts that you can give someone is to thank him or her for being in your life.

Become genuinely interested in other people. Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:11. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had. Romans 15:5. Pastor, author, and professor David Augsburger, has said, “Being heard is so close to being loved, that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable.”
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The motivation to care for and show love to others comes from God’s love to us. He cared about every individual in this world so much that He sent His Son to earth to die on a cross for the sins of all people. Through Jesus’ glorious resurrection, we are given eternal life! This provides us with great hope, endurance, and encouragement for our time on earth that we can pass on to others. Everyone is important to God and we in turn can show that this is true by showing interest in the lives of others. A simple way to do this is to ask questions about another person’s life or ask them about things they are interested in. In humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:3-4.

Smile. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4. Christians know that we can have inner joy no matter what our circumstances because God loves us and heaven awaits us!