Being excellent at communication is actually harder than you might think. Although everyone places “great communication skills” on their resume, it isn’t always the case that they have these skills. So, in order for you to become a great communicator, here’s a list of 5 tips to help you communicate effectively! Hopefully, these tips will elevate your current level of communication, and you’ll soon become a master of all things listening, speaking and writing.
Be empathetic
This tip applies to almost any conversation you have, whether its work or personal. Being empathetic towards others proves to them that you understand their point of view and are being considerate. Essentially, being empathetic means you’re able to put yourself in their shoes, and you truly understand what they’re going through. Not only does this make your partner in the conversation feel better, but it invites them to also be open to you and your comments or feelings.
Through an empathetic conversation, both parties feel like they’re being understood, meaning you can move forward better and in a timely fashion.
Know the person you’re talking to
Knowing the person you’re talking to is crucial and will determine how the conversation should play out. Talking to your boss versus your best friend is entirely different, and the conversation will proceed much differently depending on which you’re talking to. For example, when talking to people in a professional or academic setting, it’s better to use language that is formal and clear. This might consist of profession-specific vocabulary too. For example, if you’re a medical professional then, of course, your dialogue will consist of medical vocabulary and will need to be direct and clear. But, when having a conversation with a friend or family member, you can use normal vocabulary, even slang if you’d like.
Another perk of knowing who you’re talking to is that you can engage in conversation that suits their interests. For example, when talking with professors, try to bring up their interests or research. Engaging in a discussion about a professor’s interests and having lots of commentary yourself will showcase to the prof how intelligent you are. This could work to your advantage. Maybe the prof will ask you to assist them on a research project, or if you’d like to do a masters under their supervision!
Be positive
This tip is huge! Being positive when you can during communication is great. This could include smiling, using a friendly tone of voice, or even friendly forms of body language. Not only does this send the signal that you’re kind, but it also encourages others to interact with you further. For example, if you’re someone who has a positive attitude, that attitude could mean the difference between someone purchasing a product or not. Another perk of being positive is that it shows employers you can handle issues with a smile on your face. This is huge in any industry. That is because people want to know that you can handle work issues and see the bright side of things when the issue comes up.
From a personal perspective, being a positive person gives you a better chance of making friends. So, always keep up your best-smiling face and friendly attitude!
Reread and spell check for written communication
Nowadays in the digital age, people are communicating all the time on their phone or computer. This is occurring in both the professional and in the personal world. But, in both cases sending messages with correct grammar and spelling is a must. It’s one of the most important of the 5 tips to help you communicate effectively with others. Sending messages with spelling or grammatical errors is often seen as very unprofessional. So, the best way to combat this is to double check every email, text, and advisory you send out! Maybe even check more than once, just to be sure. Better to spend more time creating a message than to send one full of errors.
Another option is to download a plug-in, like Grammarly, for example. That would do all the spelling and grammar checking for you.
Use body language effectively
geschäftsfrau moderiert eine besprechung am flipchartThere’s another piece of communication that isn’t at all verbal or written, and that’s body language. When using body language, it’s important to not overdo it. Using too much body language in a presentation or even just when speaking to someone can distract the audience from your point. So, when talking with people or presenting try to stick to minimal body language. This will keep others focused on you and the info that you’re trying to convey. However, one thing that can be helpful with body language is pointing or gesturing. For example, when presenting. For a presentation that has charts or visuals, pointing to them can be really helpful for the audience!
Now that you have these 5 tips to help you communicate effectively, go out and try them! Being consciously aware of your communication is the surest way to improve. So, make sure you’re incorporating as many tips as you can and check to see if they’re working well!
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