Improve your communication skills with these tips!

  • Recognize the usual communication barriers, such as cultural, physical, psychological, verbal and environmental barriers. Try to work your way around perceptual and language differences, inattention, time pressure, emotions, and other factors that distract you from the communication which is happening then and there
  • Think before you speak. A good communicator always plans what message he/she wants to pass on. This goes for both private and formal settings, and particularly when discussing sensitive or controversial subjects. Be aware that some of the things you say might offend other participants of the conversation, and therefore also pick your words and way of formulating yourself carefully, in order to avoid somebody misunderstanding you. Knowing your communication partners, who they are, and where they come from will help you to avoid these mistakes
  • Pay attention to what other people are saying, and avoid letting yourself get distracted by the surroundings. This is the first rule of being an active listener, which is an important part of being able to communicate well
  • Ask questions when you’re not certain that you understood someone correctly, or use the method of paraphrasing; to repeat what someone just said, to make sure that you perceived their message. In this way you make your partner aware that you’re listening carefully, and he/she can also confirm that what you heard was right, and even give a further explanation if needed. Shortly it means that both parties of the communication are giving and receiving feedback
  • Choose carefully the mean of communication that you want to use. While the use of visualization works much better for some of us, others find it difficult to orientate themselves through images without clearly explained instructions. On the other hand we have some people who prefer face to face conversation, while others are fine with using communication technology. Choosing your mean of communication is often up to each situation, and here observation, adaptability and variety are good key points
  • Keep good eye contact, both during conversations and when giving a speech to an audience. Shifty eyes symbolize insecurity and have the tendency of making you seem less trustworthy. This eye contact should on the other hand, not be too intense, such as an invitation to a staring contest, but a relaxed gaze is preferable
  • Be aware of your own tempo and the volume of your voice, and adjust when needed. Lecturers are often in a hurry, which results in mumbling and unclear words. You should also avoid taking it too slowly, considering the audience easily lose their concentration when the progress seems slow. If you have problems with lingering, and forgetting your words, you should spend additional time preparing for your speech. Sometimes it’s a good idea to ask a person to listen to you making your speech in advance, to receive feedback on your tempo and volume, or other things that need improvements, before the big speech
  • The span of attention of people when listening is very short, so be sure to add interesting commas, stories, videos, interactive tools, open questions, and such, to help you keep the attention high
  • Keep it simple, stupid. Using words you don’t even understand yourself is never a wise choice, and despite our wants of impressing our audience, sometimes we have to admit that the simpler, the better. Adjust your language and use of terms depending on the participants of the group
  • Observe the body language of different speakers, and notice the effect their postures, movements, gestures and facial expressions have on the overall impression you make up about their presentation. Take all of these factors in consideration when you’re giving a speech yourself. Looking at yourself while giving a speech in front of a mirror can make you aware of what kind of expression and movements you do while speaking. Using a mirror as a tool to fight our unpleasant habits while we speak can also be very efficient

  • Use suitable stories, either traditional or personal ones, to exemplify what you’re saying, in order to make the audience visualize the situation through a practical term. People need to be able to relate to what you’re saying, so speaking about astrophysics will most likely not work very well in most contexts

  • Prepare yourself for the need of improvisations. Sometimes, no matter how well we prepare ourselves for a speech, unpredictable things happens, and then it’s up to us to improvise in order to prevent an unsuccessful outcome. Failing IT is a common example, another could be receiving a surprising question from the audience. Being able to predict the unpredictable, and imagine suitable escapes from it, could be a useful tip

  • While creating a webpage, you have several factors to take in consideration. Not only should it be made esthetically and functionally appealing, but the message should also be formulated understandable and interesting, in order to address any online user or potential costumer with all information needed to answer their questions and desires