10 Effective Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills | Career Series

10 Effective Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills

Decades ago, The Conference Board of Canada, an independent, not-for-profit applied research organization, published the Employability Skills 2000+, which defines the important skills that people need to thrive in the workplace. Communication abilities, tops the list of key talents required to thrive in the business.

A decade-and-a-half later, with the growth of social media networking and texting, communication is becoming more informal, even in settings when more formal modes of communicating are essential. What this implies is that persons from the younger generation, may not know or even grasp the value of excellent communication skills in the job.

When you take a look at the best leaders, one of the attributes they possess, is the ability to communicate effectively, which highlights the significance of communication skills.

There are particular things to perform that may enhance your communication skills:

1. Listen, listen, and listen.

People want to know that they are being heard. Really listen to what the other person is saying, instead of drafting your reaction. Ask for explanation to prevent misunderstandings. At that time, the person speaking to you should be the most important person in your life. Another key idea is to conduct one discussion at a time. This implies that if you are chatting to someone on the phone, do not reply to an email, or send a text at the same time. The other person will realise that she doesn’t have your entire attention.

2. Who you are talking to matters.

It is permissible to use acronyms and casual language when you are chatting with a pal, but if you are emailing or texting your employer, “Hey,” “TTYL” or other informal language, has no place in your communication. You cannot presume that the other person understands what the acronym signifies. Some acronyms have diverse meanings to different people, do you want to be misunderstood? Effective communicators focus their message depending on who they are speaking to, so try to keep the other person in mind, while you are attempting to get your message through.

3. Body language matters.

This is necessary for face-to-face meetings and video conferencing. Make sure that you look available, thus have open body language. This signifies that you should not cross your arms. And maintain eye contact so that the other person knows that you are paying attention.

4. Check your message before you push send.

Spell and grammar checks are lifesavers, but they are not perfect. Double verify what you have written, to make sure that your words are delivering the desired meaning.

5. Be short, but detailed.

For written and spoken communication, practice being succinct but detailed enough, so you offer enough information for the other person to grasp what you are trying to convey. And if you are replying to an email, make sure that you read the full email before composing your answer. With enough experience, you will learn not to ramble, or provide much too much information.

6. Write things down.

Take notes when you are talking to another person or while you are in a meeting, and do not depend on your recollection. Send a follow-up email to make sure that you comprehend what was being discussed during the chat.

7. Sometimes it’s better to pick up the phone.

If you discover that you have a lot to say, instead of writing an email, call the individual instead. Email is excellent, but sometimes it is simpler to express what you have to say orally.

8. Think before you speak.

Always stop before you speak, not uttering the first thing that comes to mind. Take a minute and pay great attention to what you say and how you say it. This one habit will help you to prevent embarrassments.

9. Treat everyone equally.

Do not speak down to anybody, treating everyone with respect. Treat them as your equal.

10. Maintain a cheerful attitude and smile.

Even while you are conversing on the phone, smile because your pleasant mood will flow through and the other person will recognise it. When you smile regularly and display a happy attitude, people will react favourably to you.

In Conclusion

Communicating successfully is a teachable skill, hence adopting a few of the guidelines stated above, can assist you to polish up on your communication abilities.

Happy Advancing! 😉