Communication skills are one of the key elements that you require for success. Good communication skills are crucial for interaction and networking, both of which will help you countless times in your professional as well as personal life.

In this blog we will discuss the tips that will help you sharpen your communication skills.

HOW TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Observation

Good observation skills are important for effective communication. Look at the person you are talking to and observe their body language and non-verbal cues.   This gives you an understanding of their tone and helps you understand their mindset.

Listening

Human beings have a habit of hearing but not listening and even then they only hear to response, not to understand. Try to listen to what message the other person wants to send across. Listen and also pay attention to the tone in which the other person is talking. If there is anything that you want to say then wait till the other person is done talking. Show signs like nodding your head and maintaining a polite eye contact so that it is clear that you are listening to what they have to say.

Body language

Kinetics or Interpretation of body language including facial expressions, gestures and eye movements is an important factor in improving communication skills. Many times a person could be saying something under distress or having to lie due to some circumstances, while their body language could be conveying a different story altogether. Termed as a language due to popular culture but without grammar and other formalities of a proper language, body posture and non-verbal cues can be used to better understand a person and also to enhance relationship between two people.

Cues

These include both verbal and non-verbal cues. Every time a person speaks they send out countless signs that you should look out for. For example shaking head means a disagreement or disapproval, nodding head means that they are listening. Body language, tone of voice, posture, clasping of hands are all non-verbal cues that you should look out for.

Eye contact

As the old saying goes, eyes are the window to the soul. One can gauge a lot by looking at the eye movements during communication. It is considered polite to maintain a proper eye contact during conversations, as looking away can be seen as a sign of un-interestedness and disrespect.

Practice your response

Before responding, always take a moment to analyze and collect your thoughts. Practice the pause and take a moment to gather your response before speaking. Think if what you will be saying is appropriate to the situation and to the person being addressed. If your response meaningful? Is it in line with the conversation that was being held? Will you be able to deliver your words in the proper manner?

Clarity

Avoid ambiguous words and sentences. Keep your response short, to the point and appropriate to the conversation. Be sure to speak clearly and loud enough for your voice to comfortably get across to everyone being addressed. Pause occasionally to check cues amongst the audience and keep a pleasant tone throughout.

Analyze

Self-evaluation is the number one factor that you can use for every communication. Did you manage to get your message across? What was the outcome of your conversation? Did you understand what the other person wanted to convey? Did you manage to communicate well? it is important to analyze these questions at the end of each day, analyze and find their answers too.

Also read our article on How to write effective-curriculum-vitae

Following these steps will definitely improve your communication skills. If you have any comments or query please lets us know in comments below: