Do people misunderstand you often?
Do they get triggered by whatever you say?
Well, maybe it’s a good time to assess the way you communicate and convey your message.
Effective communication is an essential tool to develop strong personal and professional relationships. It can help you cultivate nurturing bonds with loved ones and build a successful career.
When you communicate your thoughts effectively, you come across as an authentic and reliable person. People enjoy your company, and the chances of conflicts reduce to minimal. Further, when you are able to express your thoughts and opinions clearly, critical activities like decision-making and problem-solving get simplified to a greater extent.
Now, effective communication is a blend of both verbal and non-verbal communication. Many of us often struggle to convey how we feel about a certain situation, leading to various work and emotional problems.
If you think that poor communication is hurting your growth and interpersonal terms with family and friends, self-improvement is the key. You should start with self-assessment and then learn the best tips to improve your communication skills. Here, our editors have jotted down some proven ways to enhance your communication skills; take a look.
9 Effective Ways that are Proven to Improve Your Communication Skills
1. Know whom you are talking to
When it comes to improving your communication, the very first thing to start with is recognizing whom you are talking to. You must be aware of the person you are communicating with because the way you can communicate with your friend, you cannot do the same way with your teacher or boss in the office. Even if you are talking to your colleague, you have to consider the position and authority of the colleague as you cannot be blunt with your higher-ups.
Moreover, the emotional temperament and overall personality of the person should also be considered before you begin interacting with that person. Supposedly, if people are extroverts they will be overwhelming and are likely to take the initiative. On the other hand, if people are introverted, they will be a little hesitant the first time and will open up gradually. So, make sure you know the person well and avoid burdening him with the avalanche of words.
2. Assess the situation
The next thing that you should be considerate about is the situation in which you are trying to communicate with the other party. Assess the situation well before you move ahead; otherwise, you will end up in trouble and will lose the track of what you were talking about.
Let us explain this through an example; supposedly, you jump into a heated conversation going on between your boss and his immediate subordinate, chances are you may lose track of your original message and begin calming down the situation. Or your boss may reprimand you for getting in between the conversation as it seems like poking or prodding your higher-ups.
Similarly, in personal relations as well try to understand the situation, whether your person is in some stress, or busy with work, or in a different vibe. Avoid speaking like an unstoppable train and think is it the right time to talk. So, understand the situation, work on your timings, and then move ahead.
3. Don’t hesitate to interact
When people get rejections due to their way of talking, they are often motivated and get back in the shell. But, don’t do that; instead, go and talk to people.
Try to understand, nobody comes perfect from the mother’s womb; instead, people recognize their weakness, practice, and move ahead to perfection. So, it is the same with communication, it is not a talent, but a skill that can be improved with continuous practice and you will see the difference gradually. All you need to do is to manifest a constructive attitude and beliefs. It will help you learn more and you will worry less as you are focused on what you are getting out of it.
You may get rejections initially, but don’t let that get into your way of learning and be consistent with your practice.
4. To improve your communication skills, work on your listening skills
Would ever like to talk to someone who is not careful with what you have to say? Or would you ever be in touch with people who don’t give a damn to your thoughts?
The answer would be a straight “NO.”
Now comes one of the most crucial aspects of communication- LISTENING. Listening is an art that you have to work upon and hone it for a better understanding of the context of issues. By listening carefully we mean pay attention to what is being said, it could be a direction, instruction, a strategy, or an issue. It will help you understand what is asked and then you would better communicate.
When you actively listen to someone they rely on you and share their thoughts with you. It helps gain the trust of the other party as everyone is under stress due to cutthroat competition and wants people to listen to them carefully. The reason is they have numerous things to deal with and don’t want to waste time communicating the same thing repeatedly.
If you won’t listen to the other person, they will lose interest and so will you lose your value. So, make sure that you listen attentively and carefully to arrive at better solutions that cater exclusively to the other party, which will eventually help diffuse any conflict.
5. Use welcoming gestures
As we talked about listening carefully, it is also crucial to understand the signals you are giving them through your gestures and eye contact. Look straight into their eyes to make them realize that yes you are listening to them.
Don’t sit dull, it will make you look boring and seem as if you lack confidence. Instead, use some welcoming gestures to communicate with the others. They include actions like- maintaining eye contact, smiling subtly, shaking your hands firmly and assertively, making small talks in between, remember details, or jot them down on a paper especially if it is an instruction.
6. Make sure you understood the message well
Have you ever been through a situation, where the person has communicated the entire story and you still couldn’t get the point?
It happens often with many and to avoid such a situation stop assuming anything on your part. As it may create a difference of opinion or a rift between the listener and the communicator that may unnecessarily waste a lot of time.
Make sure that you confirm everything in between by asking questions. The moment you realize you didn’t get the point or you are doubtful of the context, immediately ask questions. It will make other people rely on you more when you do this. However, don’t go overboard; otherwise, you may seem intrusive and nitpicking who is purposely trying to take out any information.
Stick to what, when, and how while asking questions if it is on a personal account and avoid using why as it may irritate the person. On the other hand, if you are in some formal communication, you can go around “why” as important information and instructions are involved. If you would be clear with why something is in a particular way, you will know all the ins and outs of the situation in a formal setting.
For instance, if your colleague asks you to communicate a certain thing in the office, straightaway asks what is to be communicated, when to be communicated, how to be done, and also ask WHY, so you would know the intent and purpose. This way, you can save yourself from stepping in the mud.
7. Gather your thoughts
When you are communicating with people, power up the pause in between, take a breath, gather your thoughts, and then talk. Always avoid over-excitement especially in the workplace that may make you ramble. And, thus you may sound funny and as a result, people will not take you seriously.
Instead, gather your thoughts before you speak. By gathering your thoughts we mean organizing your ideas and thoughts. First, write down the ideas, break your topic into subtopics, know the essence and purpose as to why you are communicating. If you struggle to organize your thoughts, you can prefer inculcating the practice of maintaining a journal. Believe us, it will help you a lot and you will see the difference within three to four months.
Lastly, use the right vocabulary, which is our next point. So, let’s jump onto it fast!
8. Use right words for articulation
Talking or interacting with people has a lot to do with articulating your thoughts. We have already talked about organizing your thoughts in the point above; now, let’s talk about using the right words in your communication. You should be extremely careful when the communication is cross-cultural.
Using the right words has more to do with keeping your language positive that instills confidence in your listener. For instance, don’t say “I got over this work;” instead, say, “I completed this work” as “get over” sounds a little harsh. Use words like “please” and “thank you,” when you are asking something to sound polite. It will let others know that you appreciate and value their thoughts.
When you are at the workplace, you have to be diplomatic most of the time. So, use words that make you sound smart, diplomatic, and interesting. For instance, here’s an announcement just look at it and see how you feel.
Please note that the project deadline is one day away. There’s a lot to do and we are lacking behind. You guys better put in more effort and give extra time from now on.
Looking at it seems as if your manager or boss under-appreciates you and has not acknowledged your work. Moreover, the boss is just pressuring you and doesn’t seem to be satisfied any time sooner.
Now, take a look at the same announcement that is said differently and see how it feels.
I know you guys have been putting a lot of effort into completing the project. Our project deadline is Thursday, I hope you will keep up the spirits high and make the project a big success.
Looking forward to your cooperation!
Doesn’t it make you feel relaxed and a lot better than the previous one? And, it encourages people to work harder because they know their higher-ups are noticing them and appreciating them for the valuable contribution.
So, the point we are trying to make here is, you should maintain a positive and diplomatic tone in the workplace. And, you can be blunt in your personal relations depending on what type of tuning your share with them.
9. Simplify your message to communicate effectively
In the point above we have emphasized enough the way you communicate the message, now it’s time to simplify your message; so, the listener gets the exact thing that you are trying to say. By simplifying, we mean making it clear for the listener by using short phrases and simple words.
To improve your communication skills, avoid being verbose. Create straightforward analogies/examples to make the listener understand your point fast and easy. Make sure you stick to the point and be clear with what you want to communicate. This makes the way for smooth and great communication.
We know communication is tricky as you have to deal with different people in different settings and there is a higher chance of making mistakes. But, no matter you are struggling at any stage, you can always refer to the points mentioned above.
We hope this blog will help you improve your commincation skills. For more interesting topics, stay tuned with us!
