Ways To Improve Your Communication Skills
Gina was the personification of shyness. Coupled with touches of anxiety and a lack of self-confidence, she could barely look at anyone. It comes as no surprise, then, that interacting with new people proves to be a challenge almost insurmountable. Gina,the shy girl that she was, has come a long way. though. While it can be difficult to improve, especially for those who are not so lucky to be gifted with incredible communication skills, Gina is living proof that it is possible to become a better communicator. You will need to put in the work, though, and a lot of it, but the results will be well worth it. Remember that better communication skills are essential to navigating through life, from living through college life and then life after college. Think of it as the basic ingredient to any endeavor.
Tips and Tricks: Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills
Below are tips given by Gina herself, an esteemed colleague of ours here at CustomEssayMeister, to help you improve your communication skills. The list below is a culmination of years of experience, brought about by both speaking and listening, and everything in between.
One of the essential tips we can give you as you look for ways to improve your communication skills is to know the person you are talking to. Decipher who they are, from their personality down to their emotional temperament. What many do not know is that these things matter, as it affects how you communicate with someone, more so than anything. The language you need to use will vary, along with the kind of stories to put under your sleeve to get a point across. For instance, talking to a teacher would, of course, be entirely different to when you talk to a friend. If it is someone you are meeting for the first time, gather everything you can during the conversation and tuck it away for later use. Every bit of information can go a long way, especially as you try to figure out how to improve your communication skills.
The body language is another key to improving your communication skills. For the most part, body language is an automatic response to stimuli, and then immediately transmits our emotions without any filters. However, body language can sometimes work against you, as it communicates your feelings, even at times emotions we try hard to not let others know - like your lack of confidence.
Good news is, however, is that you can learn how to be proactive in influencing your own body language. For instance, sit up straight instead of hunching over, or widen your shoulders instead of slouching. By doing this seemingly small gestures, you will not only improve your communication skills, but actually find the confidence to adopt a more powerful body language. Maintaining eye contact is also a good way to improve your communication skills, as this unconsciously lets the other person know that you are, in fact, listening.
The digital world is vital to our communication processes, which makes it an essential part of the communication skills you need to improve. This tip is one of the easiest on this list, but its benefits are bountiful. When communicating digitally in a professional environment, your typos make a really bad impression. Typos are only natural, of course, and even the best writers commit the very same mistake. Luckily, avoiding it is also easy - a quick guide to proofreading will do the trick, whether it involves writing an email, a resume, or even designing a PowerPoint presentation.
We have observed that people with well-developed communication skills tend to listen more and speak less. When they speak, their messages always come across more clearly as opposed to that of a less developed communicator, who at most times, tend to rant endlessly. To avoid being the latter, think before you respond. Visualize what you wish to communicate, its essence, and the person you are talking to. This skill is hard to master, yes, but practice fuels improvement, and developing this skill will definitely improve your communication skills by a huge margin.
Record or watch yourself speaking.
Professionals have also observed that another great way to improve your communication skills is actually seeing and hearing yourself talk. A good way to do this is recording yourself talk, or even watching yourself in front of the mirror. When you watch or listen to yourself, determining which areas you still need to improve on will become easier. For instance, analyze how you explain instructions; were they easy to understand? How do you answer questions? Do you answer to give meaningful answers, or did you answer for the sake of answering. Watching your performance will allow you to easily identify mistakes.
We tend to think that communicating entails a ton of judgement from the other person. This, unfortunately, affects the process of communication. Reality check: most of us are just too self-absorbed to actually care, in the most natural sense of being a human being (we are scientifically claimed to be naturally self-centered creatures). Keep in mind that the person you are talking to might be going through the same thing, too worried about you judging them as you converse. And if they are too caught up with this, they naturally do not care as much to judge you the way you have convinced yourself that they actually are judging you. In other words, be kinder to yourself. Keep this in mind so that you can relax, which will then help you communicate more effectively and confidently.
Your directness and assertiveness can help you communicate clearly, as well as help boost your confidence and decision-making skills. We need to define assertive properly here, though: being assertive means expressing your ideas, feelings, needs, and other thoughts in an honest and open manner, while respecting others. Being assertive is not a free pass to being demanding, hostile, and aggressive - that is not healthy. Remember that effective communication is essentially about understanding the other person- it is not a competition.
Listening is the most important aspect of communication. Even though communication is defined as the process of transmitting messages and interacting with people, a good communicator does not merely focus on being a good talker. A good communicator should also know how to listen well, and this one of the most important ways to improve your communication skills. To some, though, listening is an innate quality that arises as soon as someone figures out how to refine their communication skills. Others, however, need intentional effort to listen. When you are communicating with another person, ground yourself in the moment. Listen closely to what they mean to say, and not just the words their mouths are forming.
This one is often overlooked, but emotions play a vital role in communication processes. Awareness of our own, along with other people’s emotions, is one of the best ways to improve your communication skills. It is easy to fall into the trap of approaching everything in a logical manner, and leaving no room for emotions. The truth is, none of us can simply just put our emotions in a box to be kept away, nor should we attempt to do so. This does not mean you should always go on an emotional purge - that will do more harm than good. It is important, however, to become more aware of emotions and how to better manage them, which can help improve your communication skills.
Improving Your Communication Skills: A Lifelong Journey
For most, looking for ways to improve communication skills is an ongoing process. It is likely that it is a journey that never ends, as no one can attest that they are true masters now and have never had any conversation that turned into chaos. Our colleague Gina certainly is not claiming that, as although she has improved front that shy little girl, her communication skills still need refinement now, just as she had tried to figure out questions her interviewer wants to hear , and then later on when she had to do a presentation in front of her boss. This, however, does not mean that we should never try improving our communication skills.
Your communication skills are one of the most important things you should learn, so invest in improving your ability to communicate effectively. This will not only help your improve how you present yourself to the world, but also how your relationships work - both personally and professionally. We hope that these quick tips can help you get going, and hopefully in time, you will be able to reap the benefits of finally becoming an effective communicator.
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Some people are naturally born with good communication skills, while some are left to work a little bit harder. This also applies to the art of writing, as some are innately good at writing, while others struggle to complete even an essay for school. Luckily, as with the abundance of speech coaches that can help you improve your speaking skills, there are professional writers that can help you write your essays. CustomEssayMeister is one of them, and our writers may be just what you are looking for! Should you need custom essays, thesis papers, research papers, and even those complex dissertations, do not hesitate to give us a call!