Improve Your Communication Skills, 2nd Edition

business sector?
We often need help simply seeing our situation in fresh ways. 
Who are the trusted friends in your network who could help you 
get a fresh perspective?
Follow your bliss. What really interests you? What is your 
intuition telling you? If you don’t act on your hunches, you’ll 
never know whether there was something there.
Observe body language.
If the person isn’t interested 
in talking, their body will tell you so.
Show interest.
Ask a question and show appreciation 
of the answer. We all love to feel that we have taught 
someone something!
( c) 2011 Kogan Page L imited, All Rights Reserved.

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196 Improve your Communication Skills
The ten commandments of effective 
networking
1. You get what you give.
2. Be yourself.
3. Honour your relationships.
4. Share; don’t hoard.
5. Ask for what you want. 
6. Promote yourself professionally.
7. Move on when necessary.
8. Record all your contacts.
9. Follow up.
10. Expand your horizons.
( c) 2011 Kogan Page L imited, All Rights Reserved.

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Communication is continuous, and we never finish learning how 
to improve. My blog explores issues and events relating to the 
material in this book. You can find it at: http://justwriteonline.
typepad.com/distributed_intelligence/. Here are some thoughts 
about books and other resources that will take further the ideas 
we have explored in this book.
Chapter 1: What is communication?
The fullest explanation I have found of the Shannon–Weaver 
model of communication is on Mick Underwood’s magnificent 
(and award-winning) website: http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/
index2.html.
I also found David Chandler’s page useful: http://www.aber.
ac.uk/media/Documents/short/trans.html#N.
The four principles of communication are based on ideas by 
Donnell King. Find them at: http://www.pstcc.edu/facstaff/dking/
interpr.htm.
Appendix: where to go
from here
( c) 2011 Kogan Page L imited, All Rights Reserved.

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198 Appendix
Steven Mithen’s book 
The Prehistory of the Mind
(Phoenix, 
London, 1998) discusses the origins of communication in 
primate activity. Margaret Wheatley’s 
Leadership and the New 
Science
(Berret-Koehler, San Francisco, 1992) brings insights from 
quantum theory and complexity to bear on ideas of information.