Communication skills can be good or bad. People with bad or poor communication skills can turn off even the nicest person. Some of the characteristics of those with bad communication skills include failing to listen to other people, acting as if they know it all and failure to acknowledge and validate the feelings of others. Good communicators encourage healthy exchange of information that
. respects an individual's right to be heard. Good communicators stay away from "you" messages that can be condescending and accusatory in nature. Good communicators use "I" messages. An example between a "you" message and and "I" message is as follows. "You never help me around the house." An example of an "I' message stating the same concern would be "I need help to keep the house clean." The "I" message states what is needed but does not blame of accuse the person to whom the message is directed. This is just one small example of how communication skills can be improved.
