Boost Your Every Day Communication Skills
The only person you can be sure of changing in any communication is you.
Effective Communication Skills Are Essential
Strong communication skills are essential for anyone in business, particularly those who wish to pursue a career as a leader. This article covers some fundamental principles and tips to improve your communication skills and provides useful links for further development.
Stay True to Yourself
This is an important first principle to keep in mind. Everyone communicates in their own unique way, and it’s important to continue to do so to remain authentic. People can usually sense when someone is pretending to be something they are not.
That said, some behaviours underpin good communication and some undermine it. Develop your communication skills to accentuate your positive behaviours and identify any that may be having a detrimental impact on your interactions with others.
Communication is a Cycle
Fundamentally, communication is the transmission and receipt of information. For example, a manager requires a team member to perform a task, so they transmit instructions by email, voice or video call. The team member receives that message and carries it out.
It helps to think of communication as a cycle so you can judge whether it has been successful. For communication to be effective, a message must be:
- Transmitted
- Received
- Understood
- Agreed
- Implemented
This cycle also provides a great starting point for identifying ways to improve your interpersonal business skills if you find requests are not being implemented.
What You Do is as Important as What You Say
Naturally, the use of language is a critical element of your communication skills as it conveys what you think and feel. However, bear in mind that people are also consciously and unconsciously interpreting your behaviour. This includes the actions you take and your body language.
As you communicate, think about the words you use and how you use your body to convey and reinforce them. This can have a huge impact on how other people interpret and act on your messages.
Listen to Understand
One of the most important communication skills is listening carefully so you fully understand the other person’s perspective. One step further is considering why they might have that perspective based on their personality and experiences.
An accurate understanding of another person’s point of view provides an opportunity to adjust your words to enhance the connection. If you can do this, you will be ‘speaking their language’, which reduces the risk of introducing barriers to communication.
Try to Monitor Assumptions
Assumptions aren’t necessarily a bad thing, but too many incorrect assumptions can easily sabotage communication.
Try to identify any assumptions that are being made about people and situations. In some cases, it can be useful for people to keep them, but others may need to be corrected to avoid problems and conflict.
Having good communication skills also means monitoring your own assumptions, particularly if they cause you to alter your behaviour with certain people. One effective way to deal with assumptions is to be honest and say, “I’ve assumed this. Do you agree?”
Avoid Detrimental Routines
Human beings are creatures of habit who can easily revert to routine ways of thinking, particularly when under pressure. Some routines can be beneficial, but others may be damaging communication and preventing innovation.
Unfortunately, routines can be difficult to change as we get used to behaving a certain way. Try to identify patterns that you and others are falling into. Your communications skills should include techniques for injecting fresh perspectives that lead to new avenues of thought.
You Don’t Need to Be Right
Most people will have experienced the need to be right and the overbearing behaviour that comes with it. Unfortunately, this often causes people to become defensive, or they may simply agree with you to end the conversation.
If you want to build better relationships, focus on helping people to understand your point of view rather than bludgeoning them into agreement.
Present information clearly and calmly, and listen carefully to the other person as they may have something valuable to add based on their own experience. That said, there may be situations when you need to be assertive to stand your ground.
Don’t Leave Communication Skills to Chance
Communication skills are central to your overall interpersonal skills and benefit from being developed and added to on an ongoing basis. Ideally, try to use every interaction as an opportunity to improve.
Courses and reading will help you learn more about this broad and fascinating subject. The more you understand how people behave, the greater your chances of becoming a skilled communicator.
Effective Communication Skills
Impact Factory runs
One and Two-Day Communication Skills Courses
Tailored Communication Skills Training
Five-Day Intensive Communicate With Impact Workshops
and personalised
One-to-One Communication Skills Training
for anyone interested in Effective Communication
