Improving your communication skills can help you build relationships, convince the inconvincible, and win opportunities requiring ingenuity in using appropriate and classic words.
You already know how communication is important. However, effective communication is achieved due to how skillful you can use words and, in some cases, word register.
So, how do you intend to improve your communication skills?
Making a consistent effort towards improving your communication skills can be the most determinant factor in achieving your communication goals.
However, some tips can simplify the process for you, but before we go into the tips, what are communication skills?
What are communication skills?
Communication is vital in organizations, relationships, day-to-day conversations, and society.
Relationships are easily built with good comunication skills, which is an essential tool for humans as social beings.
Communication skills ensure that individuals completely receive the information as intended by the sender.
Communication skills are needed in our daily lives to transfer ideas during public events and even in the workplace.
Meanwhile, good communication skills can determine if you can become a friend of someone. Imagine that you met someone and you started interacting with this fellow.
Throughout your conservation with the person, you get a word reply. And in another scenario, where you meet with a social bee who makes it look as though you have known them for years.
Again, good communication also leads to a successful marriage; according to surveys, poor communication among couples could lead to a divorce or split up in marriage.
The same goes for firms that lack good comunication skills with employees, which will prevent the firm from achieving a common goal.
Similarly, most job interview successes are due to soft skills acquisition. To build a good, you must be intentional about communicating effectively and purposefully.
Excellent communication skills are a great asset to making effective changes around you.
In this article, we’ll share nine tips to improve your communication skills.
9 Tips to Improve Your Communication Skills
Communication skill is very important in how we communicate with people, whether in formal or informal settings. You can also refer to it as a key strategy for the success of any firm.
Here are the following strategic tips for building great communication skills.
1. Listen actively
Listening means you’re actively engaged in what the other person is discussing.
As a great listener, you should be able to pay attention to what someone is saying.
Asking open-ended questions is a vital key to ensuring you get complete details.
Always request clarification when you’re uncertain about an answer.
Always consider the feelings of those you’re interacting with because everybody’s needs must be met.
You must also be able to listen and understand the feelings, thoughts, and beliefs of the person you’re interacting with.
When empathy is brought into a conversation, it means one will be able to relate to the way the other thinks or acts.
As an active listener, try to see things from another person’s point of view by listening rather than trying to fix them.
2. Always Say your thoughts
While trying to listen to what others are saying, you must also let people know what you think.
As a leader, your team and followers will do whatever you say on stage and if it turns out that you’re an honest leader, then imagine the community you’re building for yourself.
Don’t always be afraid to speak up or first initiate a conversation.
3. Learn to practice, particularly during difficult conversations.
Individuals who have excellent good communication understand their own emotions.
They recognize how to keep them in check, and when they’re upset or overly excited, they should not let them dominate the discussion or cause undue controversy.
4. Don’t accuse when raising an issue
Should you not start a conversation with an accusing finger at another fellow?
It’s calling for a fight; remember, nothing good comes out of such a violent conversation.
Remember, everything could be resolved amicably because challenging situations are bound to occur.
5. Don’t be afraid to keep silence
Silence is naturally inevitable in conversations, but it’s not a bad thing per see.
Don’t begin saying unnecessary things; instead, take a minute of silence and move on with your discussion.
6. Find a Smooth “bridge” and Consider the Tone of your voice
Find better ways of beautifully changing subject matter, using connecting phrases like the Importance point is… or my point of view is… and so on, making your conversation and presentation look more attractive.
Always consider the tone of voice when having a meaningful conversation.
It would be best if you never started the conversation aggressively, or the recipient will be moved to reply similarly.
The tone of your voice will determine the emotion you need to use, and the volume will determine the type of comunication you’ve decided to use.
You must avoid ambiguous sentences; one sentence could mean different things. Therefore avoid sentences with different meanings and which words to emphasize.
7. Eliminate those “um’s” and “uh’s.”
Just in case you have a presentation, try to record yourself to ensure that you eliminate those “um” s” and “huh.”
After recording, try listening to yourself and rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10, and if you’re still struggling with that, keep recording yourself consistently for a super change.
8. Make eye contact while someone is talking & Avoid fidgeting
This is one of the first tips for telling someone you’re complete with them during a conversation.
Keeping excellent eye contact is very important too. Avoid adjusting of chair severally, opening and closing your own frequently, shuffling your feet, and shuffling through your paper during a board meeting.
9. Active voice and Keep it short and sweet
Make use of active voice to help prevent confusion during a conversation. Additionally, using a clear and active voice brings more engagement in a conversation.
Always remember to keep it short and clear, don’t bore your audience with a long story because no one is interested in long stories. Instead, please keep it simple and fast.
If you go ahead with long stories, you begin to make your audience feel like they are wasting their time, and there is a high chance that they might not get the vital points.
Types of Communication Skills
Types of Comunication Skills, which include:
- Verbal
- Non- verbal
- Written
Verbal Comunication Skill
This is simply when interacting with a person or persons in face-to-face settings, over our mobile phones, and via video calls.
In this type of communication, attention is paid to your choice of words and the tone of your voice when saying things.
The style of your voice could be used to determine your emotions while a conversation is ongoing.
Nonverbal comunication
On the other hand, nonverbal is regarded as the gestures and significant body language displayed while interacting with a person during a conversation, face-to-face on video, or physically.
The expression of your eyes, face, and how your body moves will give meaning as while.
For instance, when you get tired of a particular conversation, your body gestures will tell the person you are interacting with to verify that you’re getting off the conversation you are saying.
Written comunication skill
Today, written communication reflects in email, copywriting, chat messages, marketing copy, etc.
Social media platforms like Facebook messenger, Instagram, and Twitter equally use written communication to interact with other people in these spaces.
Conclusion
Finally, I believe these will help you to interact with people in a fantastic way and even in your organization.
Perhaps whether you were born with a raw talent for communicating with others, there is always room for growth.
Practical communication skills develop and transform alongside your professional and personal relationships.