Communication Is The Difference Between Winning and Losing

The ability to communicate with a focus plays a vital role. Regardless of our occupation, the individuals who excel in a specific field and are able to communicate this knowledge to benefit others and themselves always win. Be attentive to your presence, voice, body language, eye contact, and actions. Communication has many forms and, when you use it properly, you win.

Democracy and capitalism form a communication system allowing us to work with one another. In the United States, political campaigns are abundant. A political campaign is won on the ability of a leader to communicate to the people his or her path forward for a better future. Newly-elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt said in his inaugural speech in 1933, "Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself: nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."

Every day you wake up with a positive winning attitude or a negative losing attitude. The choice and decision is yours. A positive winning attitude communicates that life is fun and you're a success. A negative losing attitude communicates the opposite. Therefore, wake up with a positive winning attitude. There is no charge and it has many mental and health benefits.

Your ability to communicate also determines whether you have a winning sales call. But it takes practice. The next time you communicate with an individual, focus. It will differentiate you and should give you a competitive advantage. Your lunch meetings will be more meaningful and, when you talk with your significant other instead of heading straight for the TV, your personal life will be more meaningful. Selling will become a winning proposition.

If I receive good communication from the players, coaches, and fans during a sporting event, I know we will win. The players communicate to me by making plays. If my team intercepts the ball, I cheer! If my team allows a touchdown, I'm not cheering!

I wish I knew every language in the world. Can you imagine the ability to connect with people? However, even when two people don't know the same language, communication still takes place. In Washington, DC, I was driving and saw a man and woman making what appeared to me to be abusive gestures. His face looked thwarted and so did hers. I parked my car and began walking toward them. In my mind, I was going to calm the situation. As I approached, I realized they were using sign language. Then I noticed that, engraved above the door on the building to my left, was "Gallaudet University." I told a friend about my experience and he informed me that Gallaudet University is a school for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students. Then the episode made more sense to me. Assumption is a losing form of communication.

To address traditional communication, think of the following: What you say, how you say it, your listening skills, your understanding, and your response make positive momentum. Once, when I was flying from Atlanta to Pittsburgh, the lady sitting beside me was intently reading a book . We were thirty minutes outside of Pittsburgh when the plane started losing altitude. It felt like we were on a roller coaster. The plane was definitely communicating that there was a problem to the pilot and passengers. When there's a problem, you better fix it, especially on an airplane. The lady beside me started reading fast, prayed, started to look nervous, and grabbed my arm tightly. Being positive-minded, I knew something had to be done, so I used humor to calm her and myself. I told her with an "I know what's happening" tone, "Don't worry; they are just backing off the jets." That positive and knowledgeable-sounding input calmed her and the airplane soon became stable. I did the best I could do and I'm glad I didn't have to do better. Prayer and humor, when used correctly, are winning forms of communication.

A significant form of communication is motivation. Motivation gets you to think and to do. It provides fuel for professional and personal fulfillment. My motivational tip for you is to communicate with a focus, and you will have more fun, create more value, develop better relationships, and show you care. Be genuine, comfortable, and patient. Remember: Communication is the difference between winning and losing. It will make a significant difference in your life.

Be a winner!