What Sort Of Communicator Are You? Top Communication Tips To Strengthen Your Skills

by Helene Malmsio
(Melbourne, Australia)


I'd have to say that being a "good communicator" is a core life skill that essential to your career success and your personal relationships. Most people struggle unless they are fortunate enough to have been born into a family of people who value and apply clear and supportive communication strategies.

To grow up in a family that uses their language to tell each other they are loved and supported, and given positive feedback is not what happens for most of us, so we need to go and learn how to do this just like we learned how to read and write.

Of all the skills you invest time and effort into, this is the most valuable for the returns you will get from putting all of yourself into this.

While it’s great to be an expert at math, science, or social studies, there’s another subject that will do more for your success in life, because those with great communication skills have an easier time in life!

Keep these techniques in mind when communicating with others:

1. Use the right amount of eye contact.

There’s a fine line between too much and too little eye contact. If you don’t have enough eye contact, people will either think you’re submissive or disinterested.

If you have too much eye contact, you’re viewed as aggressive. Finding the middle point allows you to be seen as likeable.

◦ A good general rule to follow is to maintain eye contact when either of you is speaking.

Break eye contact when there is silence. This simple rule will improve your eye contact immensely. Experiment and see for yourself.

◦ If maintaining eye contact is uncomfortable for you, study the other person’s eyes. What color are they? How big are their pupils?

Imagine you’re an artist and you have to draw the other person’s eyes. You’d look very closely.

Surprisingly, this can greatly reduce any anxiety you might be feeling.

2. Listen better.

If you want to be known as a great conversationalist, become a great listener.

There are so few people interested in truly listening to another person that you’ll really stand out! Eye contact is part of being a good listener.

◦ Wait until the other person is finished before speaking. Avoid interrupting anyone.

◦ Give your full attention. This is more than just maintaining eye contact. It’s possible to look someone in the eye and think about something else. Keep your attention on the other person.

3. Ask open-ended questions.

It’s hard to keep a conversation going if you ask questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”.

Ask questions that require a more substantial answer. It’s also a good idea to avoid answering questions with a one-word answer. Explain yourself.

Communication skills aren’t covered as heavily as other subjects in school, and this is unfortunate.

It’s worth the time to enhance this important set of skills, even if you’re already a good communicator.

Once you begin to pay attention to how you communicate, you will become more sensitive to when you have mis-communicated your message, and maybe even hurt someone's feelings by being too blunt or thoughtless in how you worded what you said.

So, here are some useful Tips and Strategies to Avoid Misunderstandings

When ever you deal with others, and you are still practicing how you communicate, you’re bound sometimes to have misunderstandings.

Unfortunately, your relationships will be strained by any miscommunication and misunderstandings, so you need to be very proactive about sorting it out and soothing any hurt feelings.

Obviously, he best way to deal with misunderstandings is to avoid them in the first place! This is one challenge that’s easier to prevent than to solve.

I know that not all misunderstandings can be avoided, but you can greatly reduce their occurrence if you try these options to avoid the relationship issues that can be caused by misunderstandings:

1. Think before delivering your message.

Many misunderstandings could be avoided by taking a moment to really think about the situation.

What is going on? What are you trying to accomplish? What is the other person thinking and feeling? What is their perspective?

2. Writing can be better than speaking when it comes to details.

It’s easy for the details of a conversation to be forgotten. Write a note or send an email.

This is especially true at work. Leave a paper trail whenever possible.

3. Ask the other person to repeat back what you said.

Once you’ve come to an agreement, have the other person demonstrate that they have the same understanding you do.

Have a misunderstanding now when it can be rectified. It’s easier to smooth out any misunderstandings immediately than later.

4. Listen.

Many misunderstandings are your own fault. One way to minimize your contribution to the problem is to put your listening ears on and concentrate on what’s being communicated to you.

Most people are very distracted. Work on your ability to focus on another person.

◦ This is a very valuable skill, and you can practice each day. Practice your listening skills during every conversation you have. After the conversation is complete, evaluate how you did.

5. Take a break when emotions are running high.

Misunderstandings are more likely to happen during times of heightened emotions. Take a break and have the conversation another time.

6. Be specific.

The devil is in the details. Vagueness leads to misunderstandings. Be specific when the details matter. Avoid forcing people to guess what you mean.

Just spell it out so anyone can understand what you’re saying. Being crystal clear is in everyone’s best interest.

7. Ask questions.

Think of anything you might have misunderstood and ask about it. Questions are a great way to ensure you’ve understood what was communicated to you.

You can also ask questions to verify you were understood.

◦ “Okay, so you need me to….?”
◦ “Just so we’re clear, it would help you if I….?”
◦ “So, you understand that I need you to pick up the kids at…?

Use questions to avoid miscommunication. Have a quick recap after an important conversation. And, practice your listening skills. They are invaluable in life.

Below are some of the self help books I've written that will help you develop these kinds of skills that you need in your personal development to become a well rounded and confident person in your personal life and in your career.

Workplace Solutions: Unlocking Your Potential with Self-Esteem and Positive CommunicationWorkplace Solutions: Unlocking Your Potential with Self-Esteem and Positive Communication

Workplace Solutions: Motivating Your Workforce and Negotiating for ResultsWorkplace Solutions: Motivating Your Workforce and Negotiating for Results$9.04

Workplace Solutions: Win-Win Negotiation for Women - Strategies for Getting What You Want in the WorkplaceWorkplace Solutions: Win-Win Negotiation for Women - Strategies for Getting What You Want in the Workplace$3.59

Workplace Solutions: Exploring Conflict Resolution and Dealing with Difficult PeopleWorkplace Solutions: Exploring Conflict Resolution and Dealing with Difficult People$9.90

#Books #selfhelp #selfimprovement

Did you find this post fun, informative and useful? If so, please share it with others!

What are your thoughts?
Agree or disagree?
Leave a comment below…

Cheers, Helene Malmsio

Related Reading: https://www.discoveryhub.net/self-development-plan-sample.html
 

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by: Helene

You know, being "a good talker" requires training and development in so many areas of your self development I hardly know where to begin.

Sometimes a simple classic like the chestnut evergreen "How To Make Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie can make all the difference in the life of someone who finds it hard to begin conversations, or wonders why they don't seem to be as "like-able" as the other people around them.

There are many good books available that focus on communication skills, including my own self help book series "Workplace Success" which cover self esteem, negotiation, motivation, and dealing with difficult people using assertiveness rather than aggressiveness.

Its worth your while to check out the resources in books, videos, seminars, personal coaching, and actual professional therapy, that best suit your learning style and life style.

Check out my books below, just click on the book that interests you, and while you are at Amazon, check out some of the other learning resources for your self improvement and professional development plan!

Workplace Solutions: Unlocking Your Potential with Self-Esteem and Positive CommunicationWorkplace Solutions: Unlocking Your Potential with Self-Esteem and Positive Communication

Workplace Solutions: Motivating Your Workforce and Negotiating for ResultsWorkplace Solutions: Motivating Your Workforce and Negotiating for Results$9.04

Workplace Solutions: Win-Win Negotiation for Women - Strategies for Getting What You Want in the WorkplaceWorkplace Solutions: Win-Win Negotiation for Women - Strategies for Getting What You Want in the Workplace$3.59

Workplace Solutions: Exploring Conflict Resolution and Dealing with Difficult PeopleWorkplace Solutions: Exploring Conflict Resolution and Dealing with Difficult People$9.90

Next I have some tips for you about some Small Ways to Work on Your Self-Development With Big Results

We can psyche ourselves out by taking on too much. It’s not necessary to move a mountain in a weekend to grow as a person. Doing a little bit each day is more than 99% of the people are willing to do.

You don’t have to be a superstar each day to become a superstar, you just have to be willing to take a step in that direction each day.

There are plenty of little things you can do that won’t tax your mind or body to any significant degree. The key is to continuously make progress.

Do the little things that lead to greater self-development:

1. Read something useful each night.

Head to bed 20 minutes early and spend the extra time reading something that will aid your self-development.

Twenty minutes per day is over 120 hours per year. You can learn a lot in that time.

2. Replace one bad habit with one good habit.

Pick one simple bad habit, perhaps drinking too much diet soda. Replace it with a positive habit, maybe drinking plain water.

Dropping one negative thing and adding a positive is a powerful strategy.

3. Practice patience.

We have a need for patience each day and plenty of opportunities for practice. Standing in line, waiting at the doctor’s office, sitting in traffic, and dealing with insufferable people

. Use the opportunities to practice being patient. Take a deep breath and relax.

4. Create a mission statement.

What is your life about? You might not have ever given it a thought.

How can you develop yourself in the right way if you don’t have a clear idea of what you want your life to mean? Put your thoughts down on paper.

◦ A mission statement can save you a lot of time. When you’re faced with a challenging decision, remind yourself of your mission. Not sure how to spend your day? Go back to the mission statement.

5. Prioritize your focus.

One way to accelerate your progress is to concentrate on fewer things. Cut back on the breadth of your ambitions and focus on the couple of most important things in your life.

Give the most important things the attention they deserve.

6. Try something new.

If you want to expand your comfort zone and gain a new perspective, try something new.

It might be going to a Korean restaurant for the first time, taking a pottery class, or joining a softball team.

Break out of your routine and give something new a try.

7. Forgive others.

Research suggests that nothing is more emotionally freeing than forgiveness.

No matter how terrible the transgression, you can help yourself out a lot by letting it go. Move on.

8. Review your day.

You’re making the same mistakes day after day and don’t even realize it. Record your mistakes at the end of the day and decide to never repeat them again.

It’s simple to do, but not easy. You’ll be surprised how strong your habits can be.

Avoid the belief that you must take on a spectacular task to develop yourself. Just focus on placing a brick each day.

Your wall of success will eventually become quite spectacular without you have to do anything spectacular.

The little things each day eventually make a huge difference. This is a comfortable way to approach life, too.

P.S. Liked this post? Be a sharer and spread the word on FaceBook or Twitter  
 
And I'd love to hear your views or suggestions too!  Just click the Comments link below and tell us your story - Thanks!


Cheers, Helene Malmsio

Related Reading: https://www.discoveryhub.net



#Books #selfhelp #selfimprovement

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