Every day people are interacting with each other, with some new people and some familiar people. These interactions can be for any purposes like business, chatting with friends, conversing on social media with a new person for fun, educational purposes and many others. Among all these things, one key component on which everything depends is communication. In the modern era, communication is one of the keys to every significant aspect that people want to achieve. It is important to gain success in a business meeting, or representing a presentation in front of a wide range of students in university, or meeting a new friend for the first time. In every aspect of life, communication is a huge part. Therefore, it is important to improve communication skills for representing a better and optimistic self when interacting with people.
How to communicate effectively?
Frequent improvement of communication is essential for this competitive era. It will be highly beneficial for an individual in many aspects. Here are some examples of communication skills and how to improve them.
Be confident and clear
When a person is talking to someone, one of the main factors is to be clear about the purpose of the communication. It is important for the opposite person to properly understand the key purpose of the conversation so that both parties can communicate without any misunderstanding. And to effectively do so, a person has to be confident about what he/she is saying to another person. Being confident brings more clarity to yourself about what a person wants to say exactly. It provides more clarity to the conversation which makes it more coherent and efficient. Therefore, for improving communication first, it is significant to be clear and confident.
Listening
Another significant aspect of communication that should be highly prioritized while communicating. Being a good listener is very important to develop effective communication. In order to understand the main purpose of the communication, or what exactly the point of view of the opposite person is, it’s necessary to listen to that person carefully. It enhances the understanding of the communication and reduces any chances of miscommunication. Not getting too impatient to reciprocate, not responding while the person is still speaking is the key to become a good listener. It provides a feeling of confirmation to the opposite that his/her opinion is being heard and values which enhances the essence of the conversation.
Being respectful and responsive
Another two factor that holds huge significance for communication. As it has been discussed that being a good listener is a key to effective communication, and right after that the main factor which holds priority during communication is being respectful and responsive. While reciprocating during a conversation, it is always important for a person to be respectful. How a person is reciprocating reflects the true nature of that person. It shows how the main point of view of the person towards life. It reflects either a person is optimistic or has a negative point of view. Therefore, it is important to reciprocate with respect and optimistic behavior.
Being friendly and open-minded
While communicating, it is important, to be honest, kind, and empathetic. It provides a sense of comfort to the opposite person which helps to develop effective communication. Being aggressive or impatient during the conversation is quite disrespectful to the opposite person and it shows that a person has no interest to continue the conversation. Being calm and keeping n positive attitude towards communication helps to show that a person is friendly and open-minded. It decreases the fear of being judged. In many cases, it has been observed that due to the fear of being judged and facing discrimination on the way of speaking or any particular opinion, individuals get anxious during communication which makes it tough to communicate. Therefore, it is important to always be friendly and empathetic and always have an open mind towards any topic during communication. It enhances understanding and efficiency of communication.
Types of Communication
Before understanding the concept regarding how to improve communication skills, it is important to have a coherent knowledge about the different types of communication. Communication is not only about when someone is talking to another person. It is known as verbal communication. Apart from this, two other key communication types are there such as non-verbal communication and written communication.
Non-verbal communication
It refers to communication mediums such as attitude, facial expression, eye contact, posture, and body movement. These variables also hold a quite significant role in communication. It reflects either a person is optimistic or angry or not interested in communication at all. Thus, these mediums of communication are very important to maintain while communicating. Enhancing these factors during communication is important, specifically for purposes like interviews and business meetings. In these types of events, people tend to get nervous and lose control over their body language which can make a bad first impression. Due to these reasons, non-verbal communication holds an important role in improving communication skills.
Written communication
In the era of digitalization, most individuals prefer to communicate through text messages. For instance, sending an important notice through email, or communicating with a friend through text by WhatsApp. With the increased rate of utilizing social media platforms for various purposes and chat-box services for 24/7 customer care, written communication has gained huge importance in the current era. Therefore, it is important to learn how to show exact emotions and the proper context of the communication through writing. Along with verbal communication, these days individuals also need to prioritize written communication as it has become one of the most convenient ways to communicating.
All these skills and modes of communication will facilitate a person to improve communication skills and represent a better self in front of people, either it’s familiar or new.
Also Read: 4 Top Business Skills Every Entrepreneur Needs to Possess
