9 Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills

The content of the article

• Follow body movements
• Get rid of unnecessary interjections
• Practice more
• Plan a conversation
• Ask questions
• Do not be distracted and be brief
• Study the audience
• Empathize
• Learn to listen

People learn to speak in early childhood. As adults, many do not know how to conduct dialogue with friends, colleagues, relatives. This negatively affects work and personal life. To avoid unpleasant consequences, you must adhere to the rules. They will help you figure out how to learn how to communicate..

Follow body movements

The impression of the interlocutor is affected by the way a person makes eye contact or behaves during a conversation. Communication is ongoing, even in the absence of words. You can be open to discussion, but at the same time cross your arms or start constantly looking at the phone. Non-verbal signals often speak more than the person himself. Learn to read the body language of others to react accordingly. Communication psychology offers many options for expressing your emotions.

Get rid of unnecessary interjections

Sighs, exclamations do not adorn human speech. Avoid unnecessary sounds to be more convincing and feel confident. Start tracking the pronunciation of letter combinations such as um or yeah. Try to get your hands out of your pockets, just relax or pause before you start talking. Such silence is better than inappropriate phrases or sounds..

Practice more

The rules of communication require regular training to improve communication skills. If you are embarrassed to chat with strangers, contact relatives or friends. It will be easy to hone your speaking skills with them..

Friendly participation will help you quickly understand your own mistakes, learn how to feel when the conversation is free and easy, and where to stop and change the topic of dialogue. Practice whenever possible to improve your personal or business conversation skills..

Plan a conversation

Not many manage to have a small talk. This is the art of communication, which requires knowledge of culture, etiquette and other aspects. To avoid embarrassing silence with people you barely know, create a script or plan. You can take basic topics as a basis – family, profession, vacation, dreams.

Develop each item of the plan in stages to smoothly turn small talk into a friendly conversation. Come up with new topics on the go, share information that will help you find common ground with your interlocutor. These skills in the long run will increase the level of psychological comfort when dealing with strangers.

If you want to get attention, tell stories. Such a process not only activates the brain, but also gives confidence, makes the conversation less boring, and the narrator convincing. Stories should be funny, interesting, without vulgar details or swear words. Use more “but” conjunctions to structure your story.

Ask questions

The ability to communicate is manifested in respect for the interlocutor. Ask questions or repeat the last few words to show interest in the topic of conversation. This behavior clarifies points that may be misinterpreted. This is convenient for small talk, as it helps to fill in awkward pauses. Give up trying to start a conversation with weather questions. Ask about a person’s summer plans or what he is reading. It is better to express an interest in a conversation than to shine with sociability and charm yourself.

Do not be distracted and be brief

It is disrespectful and rude to look at the phone or watch while talking. Try to unlearn such habits. It is impossible to completely abandon technology, but you need to control yourself. To improve communication, look into the interlocutor’s eyes, distracting for a while to examine surrounding objects.

Clearly articulate your thoughts without going into special details that will make the conversation tedious. This rule is suitable for both written and oral communication. Clarity and brevity are important points for those who want to become a skilled orator. This also includes other aspects – specificity, consistency, polite attitude to the audience..

Study the audience

The communication style depends on who the conversation is with. If these are friends or family members, it is better to choose a friendly and cheerful tone. To communicate with the boss or colleagues, a business style is suitable. Always try to take into account the point of view of another person when trying to conduct a dialogue or send a written message by e-mail.

Empathize

Sociability involves the interaction of at least two people. It is important to learn to accept the opposite point of view, that is, the opinion of the person you are talking to. This will help develop empathy – a sense of empathy. This approach contributes to a deeper understanding of other people even without words and explanations, enhancing the reaction to any exciting events..

Learn to listen

Improving communication skills involves the study of a whole range of rules. One of them is the ability to listen. This is the most effective way to learn how to communicate. Allow the interlocutor to speak, do not interrupt him, pay attention to important points. This is hard work, but conversation is just a set of words, and listening to it makes it pleasant and informative. Such a skill will help to talk for a long time, provide mutual respect and attentiveness to each other, even if the communication styles of people do not match.