I am sure a lot of people have concerns about improving their communication skills.
So how to get it?
Good communication doesn’t mean knowing the various languages. It is a way of conveying our message to other people without any false interpretation.
Communication is an art that can be learned and developed.
What is communication?
Communication is a process by which two or more people exchange ideas, emotions, opinions, data, and expressions in a way that each gains a common understanding i.e, listener and speaker of the message being communicated.
In fact, in today’s era, we cannot imagine life without communication. It is a continuous and life-long process. It is a dynamic constantly moving, ever-changing and on-going process.
Techniques to improve communication skills:-
- Observation – If there is any secret to good communication skills, it lies in the ability to get other person’s point of view and see things from that person’s angle as well as from your own.
- Understanding – You shouldn’t be too eager to reply when you communicate with someone else. Owen D.Young once said: “people who can put themselves in the place of other people who can understand the workings of their minds, need never worry about what the future has in store for them”. It means understanding the other person’s mindset and your own too.
- Never criticize – criticism is futile because it puts a person on the defensive and usually makes him strive to justify himself or herself.
It is very much dangerous because it wounds a person’s precise pride, hurts his or her sense of importance, and arouses resentment.
Criticisms are like homing pigeons. They always return home.
4. Sincere Appreciation – sincere appreciation is unselfish that comes from heart out not from the teeth out and it is universally admired. The way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement.
The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated
said – William James
A Howard University study says that –
- Words are only 7% of the entire communication from one person to another.
- 55% is body language.
- 38% is your tone of voice.
- We don’t always communicate with our words.
Our body language is equally important all of these is much easier said than done enough though I have worked a long time, I still continuously work on improving my communication skills.
- As I have already shared the Howard study with you and it is true that if you want to come across as engaging as you are, you must turn your smiles into sound, your nods into noise, and all gestures into something your listener can hear. You must replace your gestures with talk.
- Facial expression- Another important thing is don’t flash an immediate smile when you greet someone, as though anyone who walked into your line of sight would be the beneficiary. Instead, look at the other person’s face for a second. Pause Soak in their personality. Then let a big warm responsive smile flood over your face and overflow into your eyes. It will engulf the recipient like warm water.
The split-second delay convinces people your flooding smile is genuine and only for them.
- Pretend your eyes are glued to your Conversation partner with sticky warm toffee. Don’t break eye contact even after he or she has finished speaking. When you must look away, do it ever so slowly, reluctantly, stretching the goey toffee until the tiny string finally breaks.
- Avoid Nervous Movements: Whenever your conversation counts, let your nose itch, your ear tingle, or your foot prickle. Do not fidget, twitch, wiggle, squirm, or scratch and above all, keep your hands away from your face. Hand motions near your face and all nervous movements can give your listener the gut feeling you’re lying or hesitating.
