Ken Blanchard, a leadership author states, "If God had wanted us to talk more than listen, He would have given us two mouths rather than two ears." He has a good point!

Edgar Watson Howe once joked, "No man would listen to you talk if he didn't know it was his turn next." But you know what; the more one thinks about this ‘joke' he may just have something!

Effective communications has to be one of the most important goals, not only as leaders, but also in your relationships with others including your spouses and children. Communications seem to be the one thing that most people in organizations say needs improvement. In the last module, you studied motivation, and of course for a leader to motivate, he or she must be able to influence others (definition of leadership), and communications becomes a prime way for a leader to influence others.

Good companies have a reputation for listening to their people. Chili's restaurant, where almost 80 percent of its menu has come from suggestions made by unit managers, rates as one of the nation's top food service chains. What you learn from such examples is that when you listen to others, your organization will never suffer for ideas. This is one of your learning outcomes in this course.

Question:

Select two or three of the tips listed in our text that you can use to improve your written communication. Explain how using the tips will improve your writing.