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Last Updated on February 20, 2019
Possessing effective communication skills is a powerful tool to have. Effective communication skills are essential to success in many aspects and areas of your life. There are a lot of jobs that require you to be a good communicator.
Strong communication skills help you enjoy better relationships with friends and family. Being an effective communicator will give you advantages in more ways than you can imagine.
Conversely, being poor at communicating will negatively impact your life.
Let’s take a look at how to master effective communication skills at work and home.
Probably a good place to start is to paint a picture of what clear communication is.
Effective communication is defined as verbal speech or other communication methods to get your point across. Sounds pretty simple, right? It does but there’s more to it than that.
It’s really about how all of us interact and communicate in every aspect of our lives. It’s the ability to say something at the right time; to be able to get multiple people on the same page in a group decision. It’s how that one friend of yours who plans most of the activities is able to get everyone to the same place at the same time.
Non-verbal communication is key to being effective as well. It’s the ability to have your body language say the right thing so the person you’re speaking to knows your listening.
Effective communicators don’t react to situations with high emotion. It means not having to say something all the time in every situation. You are even being an effective communicator when you show up to pick your daughter up from the mall when you say you will. You are communicating to her that she can rely on you.
Before we get too deep into how to be a master communicator, let’s take a look at your communication skills.
If you find yourself agreeing with a lot of these, you might want to sharpen your communication skills.
Let’s take a look at how being able to effectively communicate can help you at work and in your personal relationships.
The short answer is yes, of course you can improve your communication skills.
Improving or changing anything in your life takes some work and effort but it can be done. You have to keep in mind your starting point and your goal.
If you are not a very good communicator now and you want to be able to give a motivating speech to a large graduating class, you’d better get working.
On the other hand, if you get along fairly well in general but want to be able to improve your relationship with your boss or spouse by being able to master effective communication, you may just need some guidance and practice.
Either way, if you want to master effective communication skills at both work and home, it will take a little work and effort. Doing so will benefit you in many ways.
In general mastering effective communication skills will help you at both work and home. Let’s look at how to improve verbal, written, and body language communication skills. These will help you create better relationships everywhere you go!
Speaking is only half of the communication equation. Sharpen your listening skills so you are able to process what the other person is saying. You can then respond it a well-informed manner.
Check out these active listening guidelines to be a better listener.
Having regular eye contact with someone while you are having a conversation shows you care what they are saying. When you are looking at the floor or out the window it gives the impression that you aren’t paying attention.
Take a look at this advice on how to make engaging eye contact.
When you ask someone questions, you are able to clarify what they are saying to ensure you get the whole picture. If you don’t understand it fully, ask questions.
Do you know that it takes some skills to ask questions too? Here’s how to be good at asking questions.
Watch both yours and the other persons.
We all know if you have a conversation with your arms crossed the entire time, it gives off a bad vibe. Have open, engaging body language when speaking with someone.
On the flip side, if you see someone’s eyes glazing over while speaking to you, it’s probably a good idea to wrap it up.
Take a look at these top 20 body language indicators to learn more.
Sometimes this is easier said than done. If you communicate in an open, direct, and clear manner, it subtly shows people that you are confident in what you are saying.
It doesn’t mean you always have to be right but delivering your thoughts with confidence helps your case.
These tips will help you speak more confidently.
You don’t always have to be succinct in your communication. There is a lot of value in being able to tell a great story.
That being said, there are many instances where keeping it simple is very helpful. This is especially true at work in both verbal conversations as well as written like emails.
You should have a certain style when communicating with your boss. Another style of communication is better with your spouse and probably others with your kids or friends.
Know your audience to help you communicate the most effectively.
There is a massive amount of power in being empathetic. And I mean that in a very positive way.
Showing that you are empathetic and understanding to another person goes a long way to creating a great bond with that person. We all want to be understood. It’s that simple.
Think it’s a challenge for you? These 5 tips for empathetic listening will help you.
There have been a number of times when I’ve read an email that just came in and had an instant reaction to reading it. And I don’t mean a positive reaction. My less effective ways of dealing and communicating has been to send a scathing email back.
When I’ve communicated more appropriately, I’ve waited a while before I responded. This is true in verbal situations as well.
You’d think if you tell someone something that should be the end of it, right? Done deal. Not so fast.
I’m not recommending you tell someone the same thing 10 times in a row. With as many distractions as we all have these days, it’s generally a good idea to follow up on something you’ve communicated a few times if it’s important.
Having effective communication skills at both work and home will help you immensely.
At work, it helps you in your career in many ways.
Communicating well with your boss leads to a solid, symbiotic working relationship. You’re able to clearly articulate what you need to do your job well. You can share your vision and strategy with your boss and others. Good communicators are needed in management roles and leading others. Fostering an environment of effective communication leads to a great work environment.
At home, having effective communication skills will help you achieve the type of relationship you want with your spouse.
You are able to speak freely and openly about your feelings. You can share your wants and needs in a manner that your spouse understands. Your spouse will feel understood and supported by you which is a wonderful feeling to have. And being able to have a disagreement and work through it due to strong communication skills is amazing.
Look at how you can master effective communication skills at work and home to help create more satisfying relationships in all phases of your life.
Featured photo credit: NeONBRAND via unsplash.com