Why Speaking With Candour Is Important For Success

Speaking With Candour
(Last Updated On: July 1, 2021)

Do you know the benefits of speaking with candour? Speaking with candour is challenging for many people because of self-limitations, limitations at the workplace or both. Speaking with candour helps to become more productive and successful in your career and life.

Why Speaking With Candour Is Important?

What is candour?

The Cambridge dictionary meaning of candour is “The quality of being honest and telling the truth, especially about a difficult or embarrassing subject.” This clearly shows speaking with candour is important for a successful life.

When you are speaking with candour

  • You are making a commitment to speak out what is true for you.
  • You are not trying to manipulate an outcome by withholding facts, feelings or things true to your knowledge.
  • People feel they can be more open with you and express what they really feel.
  • You speak things not what you really need to say, but want others to hear.

You are not being candid in your communication when you:

  • Finger point
  • Hurt feelings of the listener
  • Demotivate others
  • Disrespectful
  • Respond in emotional rather than rational
  • Words hinder working towards a resolution
  • Not specific to the point but generalise
  • Dilute the message to protect a person or situation.

When you know you have made a mistake and do not correct it, you may not be speaking candidly to avoid being reprimanded. 

Sometimes you don’t feel it is appropriate to show how you truly feel about something or want to avoid a conflict. When you feel stuck, you are not being candid with yourselves.

Speaking with candour : Are You Revealing or Concealing?

Speaking with candour tips

  1. At your workplace, it is good to judge what is worth speaking out. Look at a situation with the greater good at heart. Speak out only when greater good warrants you.
  2. Sometimes it is entirely possible that you are wrong. Before you draw conclusions, presume innocence and ask for the facts behind a situation .
  3. The listener of your candid speaking, may need to be handled strategically to get the outcomes that benefit. Think about when, to whom and how you speak with candour.
  4. It is critical that you take the time to frame ‘what’ and ‘how’ in your head, before you do the candid speaking. Tone and body language are important factors in good communication. If the listener has full of ego, more preparation and thinking required.
  5. Sometimes silence is the best way. You don’t need to call all spades by its name. Before open your mouth, try to understand if your words will make any difference. Speaking out in an indiscriminate manner bring nothing good.
  6. Everyone is not on the same page as yourself. So you must always explain the interests of greater good from the outset. This make the feel that the conversation is coming from a place of good intent.

Read Silence Benefits | Control Loose Talk And Argument

Do what is right for a given situation

As you grow, you should take on a more refined approach than hitting people over the head. You should consciously decide when and how you will speak out and when you will not.

You should avoid communication mistakes and develop effective communication skills to make a good life.

Sometimes people may get upset when you keep silence or judge something appropriate. But you have to do what is right for a given situation. You must improve and evolve because good communication is important for a happy and successful life.

Your positive attitude will help to make people respect you and make more good friends.

Final Thoughts

Somewhere along the journey of life, you will learn to speak with candour as a fundamental core value. To create a culture that values candour, the first step begins with a willing speaker and a willing listener. Best sincere form of respect is listening.

Related articles for further reading

Let’s have a discussion

  • What is your experience with speaking with candour?
  • When speaking with candour, what works and what doesn’t work for you?
  • When people speak with candour, what have you observed?  
  • What do you think as the downside of speaking with candour?

Read Creating a Culture of Candor: How Open Communication Leads to a Happier, More Productive Workplace

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