There are five key skills that you must understand and master to be an effective communicator.
When communicating verbally, you should:
- concentrate on important ideas and supporting points, such as those given in a training session
- exchange information—you might ask questions for clarification about an incident or give instructions/explanations to a member of the public or a patrol team member
- listen to spoken presentations or explanations and patrol briefings
- participate in open-ended discussions with individuals or in a group, to clarify issues or solve problems.
You also need to:
- check that your message was understood by paraphrasing and getting feedback from the receiver
- ensure that the instructions received are acted upon within an agreed timeframe and meet operational requirements
- ensure that instructions are relayed clearly, concisely and accurately
- encourage and acknowledge the participation of other team members
- ensure confidentiality is observed in accordance with SLS policies and procedures
- make sure that the message has a clear structure
- make sure that you have defined and accepted chains of communication, e.g., patrol member to patrol captain
- seek clarification of instructions from the appropriate person
- use enough words to ensure that your message is understood, but not too many for the receiver to understand
- use recognised or shared terms and language.
