How to be a good communicator
Being a good communicator also means being a good listener. And it’s not just about hearing what they say… as well as vocally recognizing them. You may train yourself to be an engaged listener.
So, I’ll say it again… Communication is crucial in our personal and professional interactions.
Affirmative communication is essential to achieving our goals and fulfilling our desires. Even if the outcome isn’t always great, you’ll be able to face yourself in the mirror and know you tried your best to communicate.
This post will present 9 practical ideas to help you become a better communicator.
1. Learn Body Language
Have you ever observed how people go into the boss’s office? Or when questioned about a poor grade, your youngster avoids eye contact and slouches?
Consider how someone tenses up and begins fidgeting with their hands and feet when their partner requests “a talk”.
Body language speaks volumes when it comes to mastering the art of communication.
To learn how to communicate effectively, you must first learn to be a sharp observer.
When presented with anything unpleasant or scary, most individuals tend to expose their genuine motivations or sentiments, regardless of whose side of the argument they are on.
For example, avoiding eye contact while laying off employees owing to budget constraints. Or play with your pen at work.
If you are going to be fired, you may start smiling uncomfortably. Or blinking a little quicker. Maybe a handstand.
No matter what position you play in this situation, observing the other person’s actions can help you lead the discussion in a more positive and helpful path.
This should help soften the shock and make both parties feel better about the future.
2. Develop Active Listening Skills
Most individuals think of excellent communication in terms of talking points.
It’s normal… and vital.
But it may also be misleading. We might lose sight of the importance of listening if we spend too much time looking for the correct words.
Indeed, they go hand in hand.
Being a good communicator also means being a good listener. And it’s not just about hearing what they say… as well as vocally recognizing them.
3.You may train yourself to be an engaged listener.
This strategy involves actively listening to the other person, summarizing and reflecting back what they say, and reserving judgment and advice.
Active listening shows the other person that you are actually hearing and confirming their words.
Choosing Your Location and Setting Wisely
If you want to be a great communicator, don’t forget about your battleground.
That is, choose your place intelligently.
No matter where and when you choose to communicate, it will affect the whole discussion, presentation, debate…
Your family, significant other, or acquaintance may prefer a more private setting. Somewhere neutral and non-threatening. A location you both like.
You may also want to chat during a time of day when both of you are rested and attentive.
If you want to boost employee productivity, provide a pleasant and productive environment. It may be necessary to bring in morning refreshments such as flowers, coffee, and tea. Getting everyone up and moving is a terrific way to start the day.
If you are a public speaker, you may want to choose a venue that is small. This will create the appearance of a filled room, telling your audience they are fortunate to be there to hear you speak. Consider raising the temperature a few degrees to let your audience feel “worked up”!
Keeping your audience and message in mind can help you choose the perfect setting to make your point.
4.Honesty and Kindness Go Hand in Hand
Nobody likes being criticized.
And the terrible truth is, we’ve all been found guilty of it… whether we meant it or not.
Unsuccessful communication typically leaves one or both parties feeling assaulted… But there’s good news.
When I think of excellent communication, I think of being honest and straightforward. The issue is that honesty often comes out as nasty.
Consider.
Assume you operate a PR business and inform one of your executives they aren’t receiving enough coverage for their clients. They’d take it personally and think they weren’t doing their job well. Their employment was at stake.
If you tell your wife you didn’t enjoy her supper, she may think you’re a bad chef and never try anything new.
In both cases, you are being truthful… Even if it wasn’t your goal, people feel horrible. It’s human nature to despise criticism.
But excellent news! A “kindness kicker” may help… It is a pleasant surprise or a helpful follow-up comment.
For example, you may inform your employee they don’t receive enough publicity but are fantastic at event organizing. You may then devise a strategy to redirect their attention to a more fruitful area for you.
Similarly, if you tell your wife you don’t like tonight’s food… she recently craved her chicken parmesan, she’ll say this was a miss. And won’t beat herself up.
It’s not difficult to be both honest and nice. Communication becomes less stressful if you learn how to conduct it.
5. Be Accountable, Not Judgmental
You’ve probably heard “take one for the team”.
To be a successful communicator, you must be responsible and prepared to accept fault.
This not only avoids a one-sided dialogue but also reduces the risk of making the other person feel inadequate or guilty.
People who feel horrible about themselves tend to shut off… Then everything you say will likely be ignored.
Replacing “You” with “I” makes you responsible.
Here is an example of a parent-child dialogue.
Scenario : You never tidy your own room. I should not have to beg for assistance doing anything for you!
I’ve been so busy with job, after-school activities, and domestic duties that I’m easily annoyed. Sorry. What if I created a weekly calendar reminder for you to tidy up your room? It would be really useful!
By simply adding “I” to the discourse and restricting the usage of “You”, the youngster feels part of a team and is more inclined to assist… not because they have to, but because they want to.
It also avoids unneeded arguments and threats.
6. Seek Clarification
To improve your communication skills, remind yourself that it’s okay to ask questions.
If you don’t understand someone’s argument or inquiry, ask for clarification. Not doing so may leave you perplexed or disoriented as to what your following actions should be.
In a chat with a loved one or friend, it is unclear whether the other person is merely dissatisfied. You’ll never be able to solve an issue until you seek for clarification and precise explanations. If it can be corrected.
It’s futile for your supervisor to tell you that you’re not doing a good enough job without mentioning where you could be lacking. In this scenario, ask for a list and explain your desire to improve.
If you are a professional speaker hired to inspire an audience to achieve their life objectives, you will struggle to succeed until you present them with specific measures to take.
Clarification is vital in communication… and it’s also required to be excellent at it.
Carl Sagan stated, “There are naïve, tedious, ill-phrased, and questions placed after insufficient self-criticism.” But every inquiry is a cry for knowledge. No such thing as a stupid question.”
7. Help Cut down on distractions
Distractions should be kept to a minimum while communicating successfully.
Even in a peaceful area, it might be difficult to focus on someone’s words, especially if you don’t want to be having the discussion.
The last thing you want to do while trying to convey tough information is let anyone’s thoughts wander. You must concentrate on that discussion, right now.
Try not to criticize your child’s choices of pals at a crowded park or at a hockey game. It’s one thing to keep the conversation light, but you can do it over takeaway from his favorite restaurant.
Discussions about a future job shift with your hubby while binge-watching Netflix… His concentration may not be optimal.
Knowing your audience and what you want to convey should go hand in hand. The area should be quieter for crucial topics.
Communication Tip #8: Provide A Takeaway
We spoke about how to be an effective communicator by asking questions and requesting clarification.
And concrete takeaways would be the ideal complement to that plan.
So, what?
It implies you need to have “next steps” in mind… a strategy or course of action to expand on the discussion.
If your boss instructs you to improve your presenting abilities, you’d first ask what you’re doing wrong… Then you’d figure out how to improve.
Maybe you need to learn a new creating platform.
Want to strengthen your voice in front of a crowd, whether you talk too quickly or too sluggish… not loud enough
Maybe you fidget too much and look for ways to stop.
Maybe your spouse dislikes your late work hours.
If so, you may ask her what she needs additional assistance with, or what she thinks is lacking… then think of ways to improve things.
Setting aside one dating night every week. Allowing her to sleep in on Sundays so you may prepare breakfast and do laundry. Maybe give her a massage and drive her to soccer practice one night.
Whatever the circumstance, having a concrete takeaway will help all sides get on the same page.
It shows you care enough to put forth the effort.
Communication Tip #9: When recalling the conversation, emphasize the positives.
This final point is critical to coordinating all of your communication activities.
When left to our own devices, we are our own greatest enemies.
What went wrong?
What went wrong?
I sank.
Lost.
But if you used even a few of these communication methods, you may feel good about yourself.
Even though the general tone of the chat was unpleasant, I am certain that there is something beneficial to be gleaned from it.
Maybe your employer urged you to improve… However, he is allowing you to do so.
Maybe your husband needs more time with his friends… Not expressing his sentiments instead of resenting you for all of his work and home hours is a good.
Always a silver lining… There’s always something to build on.
Focusing on the bad can only lead to self-loathing and uncertainty, which will hinder future attempts to improve communication.
