Do you struggle to communicate effectively with others — either verbally or in writing? You may need some effective communication techniques at work and in your personal life.
Your words come out easily
enough, but the consequences of those words are sometimes far from what you
intended.
Communication
sounds so easy. Words come out of your mouth. Someone hears them and reacts
with more words and then boom — you’ve had a conversation.
Maybe one of your word
exchanges didn’t go as well as you’d hoped — either because one (or both) of
you didn’t understand the other’s message or because something else got in the
way.
This confusion is
particularly embarrassing or uncomfortable when you're in a work setting.
- So, how do
you make sure to communicate your meaning more effectively next time?
- How do you
recognize when your communication style is off-putting?
- What are
positive communication techniques you need to learn to make your next
conversation or meeting more fruitful and enjoyable?
Quick
note: Having good communication on a date and in a relationship is an important
skill to develop. To learn more, check out this
course that is helping couples learn healthy communication skills.
What
is Effective Communication?
For communication to be
effective, both parties need to clearly understand the other’s meaning.
Each
participant in the conversation also needs to communicate meaning with clarity,
both with words and nonverbal cues, so that the other person will understand
it.
This is impossible when
the words convey one meaning, while nonverbal cues convey another, sometimes
contrary message.
Boost
Your Confidence Daily
Want to feel more
self-assured and motivated?
If so, then check out my
FREE Report “99 Confidence Hacks To Massively Boost Your Confidence“.
Low confidence might be
holding you back or infecting your relationships or work performance.
With these 99 Confidence
Hacks, you’ll enjoy proven tips in ten key areas to give you clarity on your
confidence roadblocks. You'll be able to challenge yourself to take small,
manageable actions to boost your confidence.
Learning strategies for
positive communication can make a huge difference both in the workplace and in
your personal life.
Three
Types of Communication
An effective communicator
consciously develops fluency in all three types of communication:
- Verbal —
using the spoken word (face to face or over the phone)
- Nonverbal –
using body language and facial expressions
- Written —
using the written word
Learning these three types
of communication is particularly important for your career. Let's take a look
at why this is so.
Effective
Communication Techniques in the Workplace
Your work is your
livelihood, and it plays a role in your overall well-being and happiness. One
of the most valuable skills you can have in any job is your ability to
communicate clearly, confidently, and with the right demeanor.
Exactly
how important is communication in the workplace? According to Gilbert Amelio,
President and CEO of of National Semiconductor Corp.,
“Developing excellent
communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. The
leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency
and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can't get a message across clearly and
motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn't even matter.”
Effective communication
skills . . .
- Help resolve
problems.
- Lead to
solutions.
- Mitigate
misunderstandings and conflict.
- Boost
productivity.
- Increase
engagement with others.
- Improve
overall confidence.
- Provide
career growth opportunities and financial rewards.
Studies have
proven that your overall happiness, career and life success, and income improve
when you're an effective communicator. Ready to learn how to communicate more
effectively? Let's get started.
15
Effective Communication Techniques to Improve Your Skills
1.
Offer a genuine smile.
The presence or absence of
a smile isn’t the only thing that matters here.
While a genuine smile can
immediately convey warmth and openness, another smile might communicate
arrogance and contempt.
Smiles that don’t reach
the eyes look either forced (to be polite) or manipulative. A genuine smile is
felt as well as seen, and so is a fake one.
To communicate
effectively, it’s important that you respect the other person enough to be real
with him or her. If they detect falsity in your smile, that lie speaks louder
than anything that comes out of your mouth.
If you want to earn the
other’s trust, better not to smile than to lie with one.
2.
Ask the right questions.
To better understand the
other’s thoughts and their meaning, ask questions — either to learn something
new about that person or to clarify something the other has said.
Closed-ended
questions are those that can be answered with a simple yes or no. Think of the
questions asked in a courtroom: “Is it true that…?” We ask these to get the
information we need quickly and with minimal word padding.
Open-ended questions are
those the other person can’t answer with a simple yes or no. Answers to these
questions take longer and provide more detailed information.
We
ask questions out of curiosity and to engage the other person. We also ask
to keep a conversation going and to give us another
opportunity to pick up on both verbal and nonverbal cues — which leads us to
the next communication technique.
3. Practice active listening.
Notice the body language
of someone listening carefully. They are turned toward the speaker, looking directly
at him or her, and fully engaged in what's being said.
Effective communicators
practice active listening: they attend to everything the other is saying and
doing during the conversation.
They
pay close attention to how the other
person is saying the words and what the other’s body language might also be saying.
They do this so they can
then respond in a way that shows they understand what the person is saying or
that shows the desire to understand it more fully.
4.
Observe good communicators.
How
better to learn effective communication skills than to observe skillful
communicators and note how they succeed in conveying their message?
If
you can place yourself near a group of people engrossed in a conversation, pay
attention to what they say and do that conveys meaning and strengthens their
connection with the others.
Learn from the best of them the tactics they use for strong communication. And practice using those tactics yourself.
5.
Give (and receive) feedback.
Respond in a way that
shows the speaker you’ve been listening and that you understand what they’re
saying — whether you agree or not.
Your feedback should tell
them you take their words seriously and consider them worthy of a thoughtful
answer.
It works both ways, too.
It’s just as important to thoughtfully consider the feedback from others and
ask direct questions to ensure you understand their message.
Once you decide to take
something personally (whether it’s intended to be taken so or not), you stop
listening, and communication becomes more difficult.
Would
you like to learn healthy communication skills for your relationship?
If
so, then check out my Couples Communication
Course.
So many couples get
trapped in hurtful patterns of conflict and misunderstanding.
In this online
course, you'll learn communication strategies that will transform your
relationship and strengthen your bond. You'll learn to resolve conflict
constructively and establish new talking and listening habits to make your
relationship fun, sexy, and loving again.
6.
Destress and calm down.
If necessary — and if
possible — walk away and take a moment to breathe and recollect yourself during
heated conversations. Better to do this than to vent your anxiety and
frustration on others — particularly in the workplace.
If you’re in danger of
losing your temper or falling apart emotionally, it’s best to remove yourself
from the situation and give yourself (and others) the time to recover.
This
is just as important when communicating online with someone whose words have
offended you. And it’s generally easier to step away from the computer than to
leave a meeting or escape from a crowded room.
Give yourself and the
others involved in a heated conversation a chance to step away from the
conflict. If they continue the conflict, it’s probably best to delete whatever
they write in your absence without reading it.
In some cases, depending
on whom you’re talking to, it’s perfectly all right to tell them what you’re
feeling and to ask their patience as you take a deep breath and calm yourself.
7.
Empathize with others.
To
empathize, you need to be aware of the other’s emotions (most likely revealed in their body
language and nonverbal cues) and to feel those emotions as if they were your
own.
When they’re happy and
excited, so are you; if they’re grieving (silently or otherwise), you grieve
with them.
If they’re angry about
something, your genuine empathy can help them feel less alone and defensive,
making it easier for you both to understand and appreciate each other’s
meaning.
Boost
Your Confidence Daily
Want to feel more
self-assured and motivated?
If so, then check out my
FREE Report “99 Confidence Hacks To Massively Boost Your Confidence“.
Low confidence might be
holding you back or infecting your relationships or work performance.
With these 99 Confidence
Hacks, you’ll enjoy proven tips in ten key areas to give you clarity on your
confidence roadblocks. You'll be able to challenge yourself to take small,
manageable actions to boost your confidence.
Empathy doesn’t always
involve a conscious awareness of those nonverbal cues. Just because you can’t
identify the exact cues and what they mean, it doesn’t follow that you’re not
able to empathize with them.
If
you’re an empath, you might feel what the other person feels
before you can even begin to explain how you picked that up.
If you want to develop
your written communication skills, or you’re interested in learning from books
written by effective communicators, reading is a powerful way to cultivate your
skills in this area.
Reading is also a good way
to stay informed and to learn interesting news and facts that you can then work
into a conversation. You'll also improve your vocabulary which helps make you a
better communicator.
Whatever your immediate
goal, good reading is a potent catalyst for personal growth.
9.
Choose your words carefully.
Your choice of words can
convey empathy and solidarity or the lack of both. It reflects the difference
between just talking and communicating thoughtfully.
Never
underestimate the power of word choice in communication; one word, used in a particular
context, can trigger a response that is the opposite of what you intended.
The words you use to
describe yourself and others can either foster a sense of fellow-feeling and
camaraderie (“we,” “us”) or alienate others with a focus on yourself as one set
apart from the rest of them (“I,” “me”).
In some situations, it
makes sense to do the latter – particularly when you’re accepting
responsibility for something.
10.
Show keen interest.
Let your verbal and
nonverbal (or written) communication convey an interest in the other’s words.
Active listening is part
of this, but you also convey interest with your body language, with a
comfortable degree of eye contact, and with relevant, thoughtful questions.
People want to be around
those who share their enthusiasm for something. Showing positive interest in
something that matters to someone else is essential to building a connection
with them, and that connection makes effective communication between you more
likely.
Your positive engagement
creates an environment where every message you send has its own ambassador.
None of this guarantees
you’ll get everything you want, but if your main intention when entering into a
conversation is to get something from the other person, you’re not likely to
make a convincing show of genuine interest in the other person’s concerns.
Make the connection and
effective communication the primary goal rather than the means to something
else.
11.
Keep your sense of humor.
Humor
can be part of your arsenal of verbal communication skills. It can diffuse a
volatile situation and give the other person the space needed to see the
situation from another perspective and to calm down.
Laughter
isn’t always appropriate, though. (Note: Never laugh at your boss's expense.)
It’s never appropriate to use humor as a weapon to dehumanize others or to
dismiss their words.
Humor is best used as a
way to build (and maintain) rapport or to lighten the mood and encourage others
to relax. Read the room, though. If it’s not a good time for laughter, avoid
it. And leave the dirty jokes in the sewer (where they belong).
12.
Notice your body language.
It's one thing to pay
attention to what others are communicating non-verbally, but are you doing the
same for yourself?
- If your arms
are crossed in a defensive posture, what are you communicating?
- When you
don't make eye contact, what are you revealing about your confidence?
- If you loom
over someone while talking, how comfortable does that make the other
person?
Your body language should
reflect the intent of your communication just as well as your words do. If you
want to be heard, respected, and understood, match your non-verbal
communication to your words.
13.
Reflect and affirm.
When another person is
speaking to you, you still have responsibility for the success of the
interaction. It's not all about the speaker.
Most people use the time
when another person is speaking to mentally rehearse a response or defense. We
don't hear half of what the other person is saying because we are too busy in
our own heads.
For communication to be
successful, both parties need to feel heard and understood. As a listener, you
can show you've been listening by reflecting what you heard the speaker say and
affirming that you understood it, even if you disagree.
14.
Be concise and clear.
Have you ever been around
someone who is enamored with the sound of his or her own voice? They talk and
talk, taking forever to get to the point — if there is one.
Once they do make a point,
you're so brain dead you can't register it. Over-talkers don't seem to realize
how infuriating they can be. And how rude it is to assume others have the time
to listen to their ramblings.
If you notice you tend to
be a rambler, work on being more concise in presenting your information and
clear in the point you want to make. This is a skill that takes practice, but
those around you will see you as a strong communicator if you learn it.
15.
Remember the Golden Rule.
And now, we come full
circle. We already discussed your smile (or lack of it) and how others can
often pick up from that whether you’re being honest with them. If you want
honesty from others, you need to be upfront with them, too.
So, be authentic. And be
kind. Treat others with the same respect you want for yourself.
Good communicators know
the value of a real connection to the communication of their message. It’s the
magic wormhole that speeds the transfer of ideas from one head to another.
- Communicate
for the good of others as well as for yourself.
- Communicate
in the other’s love language to build or improve a relationship.
- Communicate
great ideas to make the world better for more people.
Effective communication
should be about building trust and strengthening relationships. Yes, sometimes,
it’s about less elevated things like haggling over fish and buying movie
tickets. And that’s okay. Even mundane conversations can build connections.
If you apply the
strategies in this article, not only will you communicate your ideas and
convictions more effectively, but you’ll also know how to help others do the same.
It’s all in a day’s work
for an effective communicator.
Want
to learn how to be the best communicator?
To be
an effective communicator, you need to do more than read good strategies — you
must implement them. Like all skills, good communication requires practice and
time.
But you can accelerate
your skills by looking for opportunities to practice them. You don't have to
wait for the perfect scenario at work or a social gathering. You have plenty of
opportunities in everyday life.
- Practice active listening with your spouse,
your co-worker, or a friend.
- Think ahead
about how to clarify what you want to communicate in a meeting.
- Show real
interest in what your child is saying rather than multitasking.
- Seek to
empathize when your friend is complaining.
- Ask your
restaurant server a question to engage him or her.
Use the most ordinary
interactions as your training ground to practice these new techniques so that
when you really need them, they'll come more naturally.
Source: https://bit.ly/34iYm4r
About:
Barrie Davenport
Barrie has been in the personal growth niche for
some time. She has dedicated her career to helping people take action through
her books, articles, coaching and teaching experiences. Barrie prides herself
on offering approaches that work. That is why she provides books and courses,
the methodology of which, have been scientifically tested and proven, so that
measurable change can be gauged. Barrie is a life-long learner who admits that
she is still a work-in-progress as she manages challenges with experiences, her
highs and lows, as she passes on this valuable knowledge to others.
No comments:
Post a Comment