We are always talking about enhancing and refining communication skills; how they make or break business deals, their importance at job interviews, work environment etc. We groom and assess our students establishing good communication skills, but what constitutes good communication skills?

Is it the words we use? A prolific and creative vocabulary? Speed of our response? How well we are able to get our point across?

Being able to communicate effectively is one of the most important skills to have. It is what enables people to pass information to one another.

In the workplace, the ability to communicate effectively is probably one of the most important skills to master. A manager with poor communication skills could lead his entire team into confusion and mayhem or worse, lose the best talent in their team. Whereas an employee with poor communication will lack the ability to showcase their true potential to the masses. When poor communication impacts the customer experience and/or shareholders, the consequences are even more severe.

So, how do we make communication more effective?

Language proficiency

The first thing to keep in mind when we talk about what constitutes good communication skills is the language proficiency. Wherever you are and wherever you work, use the correct words in the right context to get your message across, especially if the language you’re using isn’t your native language, or the native language of those you’re working with. Always keep your language simple and easy to understand, using words that aren’t complex so that anything you say isn’t taken in the wrong context.

Listening mindfully

For every conversation you have, the one thing to keep in mind is that communication is a two-way process. We fall into the trap of ‘broadcasting’, where we just issue some kind of a message, and fail to listen to the response. Thus, for better and more effective communication, always make sure to listen to what the other person is saying, pay attention to the words being spoken to you. Good listeners use the techniques of clarification and reflection to confirm what the other person has said.

Sequence and clarity of thought and expression  

Our words reflect our thought process. Presenting ideas in a disarrayed sequence, missing out on some content or repeating concepts, could take away from a great conversation or a great idea. Therefore to establish good and effective communication it is important to structure your thoughts and express your points across in a precise, coherent and straightforward way.

Body Language

Whether we realize it or not, we are constantly passing out non-verbal messages through our facial expressions, eye contact, our postures, gestures, etc. We may be saying one thing to somebody and our body language saying something else. Thus, for effective communication via your body language, make sure you are portraying what you are verbally saying. Keep eye contact for an appropriate amount of time to make the other person feel like you are paying attention. Avoid looking at your phone constantly during any conversation or looking away somewhere else. To communicate an impactful message, engage your listener with eye contact and a positive body posture.

Know your audience

Another critical component to establishing strong communication skills is to know your audience. The way you would interact with your manager would be different than the way you would interact with your friends. Similarly, the way you interact with your friends would be different from how you interact with a child. Thus, for any form of communication it is best to identify what kind of an audience you are communicating with. You want to ensure you are using the type of communication most relevant to your audience.

Rate of speech

Speaking too fast can make your words roll into each other and become confusing and incoherent. If you are talking too slowly, you are likely to lose the interest of the listener. A reasonable pace, with pauses at the tight place and being fluent and coherent in your speech is the most effective way to make your audience listen to what you are saying.

Magna Carta College excels in professional development like good communication skills of individuals to help them in their career with executive courses like negotiation.