How To Improve Communication

This article explores how to improve communication. Effective communication is one of the most important life skills an individual can have. Good communication skills make you successful and an extraordinary person.

Regardless of what field you are from, you are a doctor, an engineer, a businessman, or any other field, the most important and crucial skill is communication.

It helps you to maintain your relationships in your personal as well as in professional life.

Communication skill is also called the king skill. It is almost impossible to grow and get excellence without it. The mastery of effective communication is essential.

If you want to be successful in life, then you have to be an effective communicator.

 

Why Communication is Important?

Communication distinguishes human beings from other species. This is the best quality of human beings that they can communicate.

When it comes to developing and improving personality, communication plays an important role.

People with good communication skills easily and rapidly grow in their lives.

Effective communication skills help you to leave a positive impact on the people around you.

How successful you will be in your life depends on your ability to communicate.

 

Also read: Why Are Communication Skills Important?

 

Ways to Improve Communication

Here, I share tips or ways to improve your communication skills to take your life to the next level.

I believe these tips will help you to become an effective communicator:

 

1. Active Listening and Observant

Many of us think that communication means just speaking, but this perception is wrong.

For effective communication, listening is much more important than speaking.

Active listening is essential for good communication. Listening doesn’t mean just listening but listening for understanding the communicator.

As an active listener, you have to show interested to get interest to make the communication effective.

Active listening also means the presence of the mind. When you mentally present it shows the other person that you are listening actively.

 

2. Appreciation and Respect

To become an effective communicator you have to consider appreciation and respect.

These two elements play an important to talk to someone. People will be more open to communicate and talk with you if you show appreciation and respect.

Appreciating peoples’ ideas and concepts will connect you well with them.

Also, using peoples’ names in conversations will feel appreciated and respected. And it is crucial to be respectful in conversation.

 

3. Know Whom You Talk

To make the communication effective you must know whom you talking to. This thing can be very helpful to talk effectively to someone.

For example, if you are communicating with a customer, then the way you communicate should be different.

On the other hand, if you talk to your co-worker or colleague at work, then the way of communication will be different.

So, it is very important to know the person you are communicating with.

 

4. Understand the Context

The context of the communication is highly important for effective communication. When you talk to someone you must consider the context.

Context not just means the topic or subject you are talking about, but it means the mood of that person as well.

For example, if the person is talking about politics, you must talk about politics rather than business or any other thing to make the conversation interesting.

Leil Lowndes in her book How to Talk to Anyone says, when you see someone you should guess his/her mood, and then match your mood.

It is important to communicate while considering the situation and mood of the person you want to talk.

 

5. Eye Contact

Eye contact is crucial for effective communication. Communication without eye contact can’t be impressive.

You have to maintain good eye contact while you speak as well as listen to the person you communicate with.

While talking with someone looking here and there will ruin the communication. When you don’t keep eye contact it makes you less confident.

On the other hand, when you listen to someone with positive eye contact it shows you are interested in listening to that person.

Good eye contact creates a positive relationship between sender and receiver of the message.

But, you have to be careful while keeping eye contact with someone. Too much eye contact can be destructive for communication because it can send a wrong signal to the person.

Balanced eye contact is the best way to get the interest of a person you talk with. It is a very powerful technique to make communication effective.

 

6. Attention to Body Language

Your body language covers a large part of the whole communication. Without body language communication will be less effective.

When you make a conversation with someone you have to pay attention to the body language.

You communicate too much information through body language rather than through spoken words.

The use of body language effectively leads to effective communication.

Effective body language makes you a confident communicator. If you a confident person, then people will like to talk to you.

If you learn how to use body language in communication, then you can impress and influence anyone. You can make him/her like you.

Body language consists of four important elements such as gesture, posture, expression, and flow.

The gesture means your feelings, posture means your whole body, the expression means your facial expressions, and flow means when your body language matches your tone.

So, these elements are very important non-verbal communication elements. Learning and improving them can help you to become a good communicator.

 

7. Conversation Fillers

Conversation fillers such as hmm, ha, ah, etc. can be destructive for communication.

When you make conversation with someone, it is a good idea to avoid such kinds of fillers.

Many of us use these filler words to bridge the communication, but they don’t help in reality. If you use too many filler words it ruins the communication and makes you less confident.

Using too many filler words impress the other person negatively. And the better way is to avoid them.

 

8. Understand Emotions

It is the reality that communication is not just about sharing information, but it is also to understand the emotions of other people.

Learning and understanding empathy is the best way to master effective communication.

Empathy means knowing the feelings and emotions of the person you are talking with.

For example, if someone is happy your way of communication will be different.

On the other hand, if someone is sad and depressed, then your way of communication will not be like as it was with the first person.

So, it is very important to understand the positive and negative emotions for a better conversation.

 

9. Talking Over People

To become a good communicator it is highly important to avoid talking over people.

Talking over people or cutting them in middle is not a good habit. To connect with the people effectively, you must let them speak.

When you talk over someone, you show him/her that you are more important than that person, and it is a kind of disrespect.

Talking over people also means you are refraining people from finishing sentences, when you do so you are taking control of the conversation, and dis-empowering another person.

The best way to avoid this is to let people speak and finish their arguments. It will engage and connect you in a better way with them.

 

10. Brief and Specific

For making your communication effective, you have to be brief but still specific and meaningful.

Brief doesn’t mean talking or communicating very little, but it means providing or sharing enough information that can be understood.

While communicating with someone you don’t talk about things out of the context, it will make the conversation ineffective.

To be a better communicator, just focus on the context and be specific to engage with the person.

 

11. Positive Attitude and Smile

Your positive attitude matters for good communication. It helps you to engage with people effectively.

If your attitude is positive it encourages the other person to show a positive attitude as well. And they will respond positively. It makes the conversation effective.

How it is possible to ignore the importance of a smile for effective communication skills.

When you see someone your facial expressions demonstrate that how comfortable you are with that person. And smile plays an important role.

A good smile makes you confident and connects with other people in a better way.

Leil Lowndes in her book How to Talk to Anyone mentions, smile techniques is helpful in conversation. Further says, when you see someone doesn’t smile immediately but wait for a couple of seconds make eye contact, and then give a good smile.

A positive attitude and a good smile can take your communication to the next level.

 

Final Thoughts

No one can imagine success in life without effective communication skills.

Mastery of these skills is crucial for your personal as well as professional life.

Even the importance of communication in business can’t be ignored. It plays its role everywhere.

I believe the above-mentioned tips will help you to take your communication skills to the next level.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the 5 ways to improve your communication style?

Listen actively, be specific, maintaining eye contact, correct use of body language, and understand emotions.

 

How can I improve communication skills at work?

You have to improve your listening skills, empathy, understanding emotions, improve verbal and non-verbal communication.

 

What are 5 good communication skills?

Verbal, non-verbal, writing skills, emotions, and empathy.

 

How can I improve my communication skills alone?

You can improve your communication skills alone by practising patience for listening to people actively, improve your attitude, have a smiling face, and improve your body language.

 

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