Communication is a single word, but it carries a lot of weight as far as our day to day lives are concerned. Communication is what differentiates human beings from animals. Your communication skills can make or break your relationships and can determine your route in the business and professional worlds. (Image Credits: Racool_Studio/Freepik)
More often than not, your success in these areas will be determined by your communication skills.
Whether verbally, in writing, through gestures, or through audiovisual media, the importance of effective and efficient communication can never be overemphasized.
Assuming that you’ve gauged yourself and figured that your communication skills need some brushing up, how do you take it to the next level?
Well, here are a few tips on how to improve your communication skills.
1. Improve Your Vocabulary
Your vocabulary can have a huge impact on how you communicate, especially in terms of fluency and proper use of verbiage. There are a few things you can do to improve your vocabulary.
For instance, many studies have shown that reading a lot of written material like magazines, novels, and even online articles can help improve your fluency of English while exposing you to new words and their usage.
Whether you’re still learning English or have mid-level proficiency, or are still considering taking an English-level test, you can also improve your vocabulary the fun way by playing word games like Scrabble, Words With Friends, and crossword puzzles.
To make the experience even more fun, a crossword solver tool can be an amazing way to improve your vocabulary through crossword puzzle style games.
While this tool will not exactly help solve the entire crossword puzzle for you, it can help make the game less challenging and more interesting.
2. Always Engage Your Audience
When it comes to speaking in public, engaging your audience is a key element towards a lively and memorable presentation.
The lack of engagement loses your audience’s interest in the message you are communicating.
Knowing your audience’s interests will help you communicate with them effectively and enable you to meet their expectations. Ensure you create a rapport, this will make your audience feel on board.
Failure to engage your audience will make them feel out of place, and distance from the conversation at hand. They will end up losing track by the end of the presentation. You can learn a few tricks from the experts at Throughline Group, who can prepare you for any type of public speaking event.
3. Be a Good Listener
Too much talk without listening dilutes a good conversation. To improve your communication skills, it pays to develop a keen ear. This will, in turn, mold you into a better communicator.
By listening, you absorb more, which helps you respond effectively. Communication helps us to understand each other better. It makes it easier for us to achieve our goals and become more productive.
4. Maintain Eye Contact
The eyes of a person can speak audibly to you without them saying a word. Eye contact is a form of body language that speaks volumes. It is exceptionally crucial for any healthy conversation.
The lack of eye contact means you lack confidence in what you are saying. Establishing eye contact with your audience not only builds connection and flow but also builds trust and honesty during the communication.
5. Body Language
Body language is a form of communication. It helps us in expressing ourselves to others. Your posture, facial expression, hand, and body movements are simple ways of revealing your feelings and emotions towards your audience.
To make a good communicator avoid squirming, folding your hands in front, scratching your head, and such like expressions. Ensure you portray a positive body language.
Simply relax and stand upright, then address your audience.
6. Add Some Humor
A joke will always spice up a conversation. Adding some humor in communication breaks the ice and increases your audience’s concentration and attention.
Humor is a simple language that is loved by people from all age groups and can easily be understood. It’s an awesome way of connecting with your audience.
Always use your humor wisely and at the right time. It’s an effective tool towards a lively conversation.
However, you need to know when your humor must be professional. It should not offend people as this might put them off, making your joke irrelevant or annoying.
7. Speak With Clarity
As a good communicator, your audience should be able to understand you without much ambiguity.
Ensure that your accent is simple, a strong accent tends to frustrate your audience, which makes them lose interest and concentration in your speech.
Don’t beat around the bush with too much wording, speak in simple plain words that your audience can easily digest.
Well, improving communication is always work in progress. You can never accomplish this mission with just a few lessons in the class or online. It’s a continuous multistrategy approach.
The above are but a few tips you can use to improve your communication skills.
