How to Improve Communication Skills

Communications is the basic requirement for us to send, receive and spread information and knowledge among people.

Communication is also the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium.

Communication has been around from stone ages, different civilizations communicated through different mediums.

Today as the world has digitalized and different organization and businesses have developed, communications have become a major and essential part of the growth all over the globe.

In this post, I will help you to teach you how to improve  your communication skills

LISTEN MORE THAN YOU SPEAK

If you want to increase your communication skills, the first thing you need is to be is a good and active listener.

Active listening includes paying close attention what other person is saying, rephrasing other person’s statement and asking relevant questions to ensure understanding.

Abraham Lincoln said, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." I'm not suggesting you remain silent all the time. But it's all too easy to speak thoughtlessly, with insufficient information, or out of a wrong assumption. That can make you look less intelligent than you are, and you will minimize the chances of it happening if you listen more than you speak.

Listening is important because people want to know that they are being heard.

To communicate efficiently you should listen to people first because through listening you can understand what other is saying and respond accordingly.

BODY LANGUAGE AND NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

To communicate clearly and confidently, adopt proper posture. Avoid slouching, folding your arms or making yourself appear smaller than you are. Instead, fill up space you are given, maintain eye contact and (if appropriate) move around the space.

The next thing you require in improving communication skills is to practice your non-verbal communication skills and your body language.

When communicating one on one your body language plays a vital role, eye contact, your tone, and hand gestures all add to what you are communicating.

While communicating with the larger audience, do not make yourself look smaller or lacking confidence, rather fill up space, move around if possible and maintain eye contact.

All these are non-verbal communicating skills which help you communicate more effectively.

KNOW  YOUR LISTENERS OR AUDIENCE

To communicate effectively, it is important to get to know your audience first. Each audience is different and will have different preferences and cultural norms that should be considered when communicating. A good way to understand expectations is to ask members of the audience for examples of good communicators within the organization.

The third most important thing you need to practice is to know who you are communicating with.

It is necessary because every audience is different in cultural and other norms, and communicating accordingly will help you be more real.

Not only when talking to a large group of people it is important but also when you are talking to your boss or anyone in your organization.

You can use acronyms when sending an email to your friend but they have no place or any other informal language when you are sending an email to your boss.

The good communicator knows who they are communicating with and target their message accordingly so it can make the impact that is required.

BE SHORT AND ACCURATE

To be a good communicator you have to be short and exact with your message. Practice providing enough information to other people which is easy to comprehend and understand, because if you start dragging what you are saying it may make people lose their interest.

Best way to do that is identifying key points; start and end your presentation with the key points so that you can get your message through fully.

You should also practice to wait and then respond think on what you are going to say, it will also help you to be precise and on the mark.

Same goes when communicating through email you should carefully read the complete email before drafting your response.

FOCUS ON EARNING RESPECT INSTEAD OF LAUGHS.

It can be tempting to communicate with others in a lighthearted way; after all, this can be a good way to make friends in a professional setting. But remember that the most successful communicators are those who have earned respect, rather than laughs. While telling a joke or two to warm up an audience can be effective, avoid ending a presentation with a laugh.

Lastly but the most important thing which good communicator should practice is being respectful to the other person or people he is communicating with.

Treat everyone with respect and equality and not talking them down, is the key.

A successful communicator earns the respect of their audience and which eventually goes a long way.

Similarly when communicating via email take out time to write a proper email, instead of sending a carelessly written email. By doing this you show other people that you respect them.

CONCLUSION

Just remember to practice your active listening, being respectful and communicate through verbal and non-verbal cues, and most importantly be confident and smile, because your smile reflects your positive attitude.

Communicating clearly is one of the most effective skills you can cultivate as a business leader.