7 indispensable prompts to improve your communication skills

Communication, or say, effective communication permits you to decode your feelings and intentions into a recognizable message.

Robert Frost once quoted, “Half of the world is composed of people who have something to say but can’t say and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it”.

So to speak something that defines some purpose and to make yourself being heard, you need to foster your communication skills. Communication skills will also help you to build trust among your compeer at your workplace. First things first, the ability to put forward your thoughts and the ability to interact with others are vital components to build trust. With effective communication skills, you can be a better collaborator and a team member.

Given below are 7 indispensable prompts to improve your communication skills:

1. Be a Brilliant listener: A good conversationalist is popular; a good listener is even more. So talk only if you feel that you have something more excellent to say than what the speaker is saying. While listening do not start formulating your answers but concentrate on what the speaker is trying to convey. Pay attention to the WORDS — how they are being spoken and non-verbal messages sent with them.

2. Ace the art of nonverbal communication: Non-verbal communication refers to all the communication that occurs without the use of words. Non-verbal communication is concerned with body movements and vocal features. The body movements may include posture, personal appearance, facial expression, gesture, eye contact, and the vocal features includes quality, volume, pitch, articulation, pronunciation, pauses, etc. Beware of your body movements and facial expression in a professional meeting. Specify your gesture and the hand movements.

3. Organize the contents prior: Before you go on to speak, take your time to arrange your notes and rehearse well. Think before you speak and prepare a ‘draft’ in your head about what you’ll say and how you’ll say it. Accept that things may not go according to the plan so keep your humor intact, and always prepare more content than required. This will make you feel confident.

4. Treat everyone equally: Whether you’re a speaker or listener, you must always respect the other person’s perspective. While you’re listening, you must let them complete first, then put forward your point. You can do this simply by paying attention to what they say. While you’re speaking, always appreciate the doubts from them & try to clear misunderstandings. Do not talk down anyone even if they are saying something incorrect. Do not double-cross your colleagues in trying to develop favorites.

5. Use a straightforward approach: Be precise and to the point about what you are saying.

“It is a remarkable observation that the more learned and respected the researcher, the simpler their talks often seem to be”, quoted Mike Grimble.

Be brief about what you want to say but specific enough to let people understand what you are trying to say. This will also help you to master the art of timing.

6. Analyze your audience while speaking: If you get the impression that they are not interested in what you are saying then try to change your tone. Make your point crystal clear and easy to understand. To take in cultural differences, there may be events where you need to modify your style. Do not forget to encourage the questions from the audience in order to make sure how clear you were in conveying your point.

7. Ask for honest feedback: Asking for feedback is like showing the willingness to improve. Do not feel embarrassed if any of your peers, managers or the member of your team tries to point out your mistakes and gives you the genuine feedback. Instead, forge good relations with them and try to enhance and lift yourself by overcoming those points.