You will notice that the most successful people have the ability to communicate well to others. These people realize the importance of communicating effectively and have invested a lot of time and effort into honing their communication skills.
In modern society, the ability to interact well with others, also called social intelligence, is one of the most favored intelligences. In fact, business communication is a specialized skill that is highly rewarded.
Let us first understand communication routes and disturbances. Then, we will learn how you can communicate with clarity.
Process of communication
The most vital thing in order to communicate well is to be crystal clear in your own mind about what you wish to say. When you deliver the message, ensure that you say it slowly and with patience. Confirm that the other person has heard your complete message clearly and completely.
Drowning out noise
Noise tends to creep into our communications. This can be physical noise like traffic sounds, TV, people conversing, etc.
It can also be internal noise. A person could be unmindful or thirsty. Emotional noise occurs when a person is sad or agitated.
These different forms of noise affect the way your message is received and interpreted. Watch out for them and try to remove these distractions when communicating.
Communication dos and don’ts
- Avoid conversation fillers: These are the fillers that dot your everyday speech. Look out for words like “umm”, “like” and so on. Cutting out the clutter can make you appear more confident and credible.
- Not so small talk: Small talk is a well-practiced art form that very few people have been able to master. It’s great to have a plan as to some topics you can discuss. Use the FORD formula (family, occupation, recreation dreams) to make interesting small talk and establish common ground.
- Listen, ask, repeat: If you are unclear about anything that was said to you, ask questions to make it clearer and easier for you to understand. Repeat the person’s last few words to show you were listening intently and to recap the conversation.
- Bespoke communication: Always tailor your message to your audience. It is essential to keep the other person’s viewpoint in mind when trying to get your message across.
- More than words: Much of our communication is actually non-verbal. Adopt a friendly posture like leaning your head towards the other person, keeping your arms uncrossed and maintaining eye contact. In this way, you can use your body for better communication even when you’re not saying a word.