How to develop my communication skills

How to develop my communication skills describes four elements of communication so that you would understand how to be an effective communicator. The video below describes these four elements of communication, or you can read the summary below.

Communication is the transfer of information between you and another person. Effective communication means that the parties involved, you and the other person understand each other. Below are four components of communication, and understanding each of these components would make it easier for you to develop your communication skills.

How To Develop My Communication Skills

 1. Your message.

Before you start a conversation with anyone, obviously you need to have a message. However, there a few things to consider if you want your message to achieve its objective. First, you need to identify the purpose of your message. Do you want to inform, persuade, or instruct your audience? Once you identify the objective of your communication, it would help you gain more clarity on how to express yourself. You also want to ensure that you are not vague or confusing when you speak. For example, don't make a mandatory order sound like a suggestion. Remember to consider the receiver's knowledge, exposure, and experience when crafting your message.

2. Your medium of communication.

Your medium of communication plays an important role in how you communicate. You can communicate face-to-face, via audio messages using a phone, written form such as email and text. Sometimes you can have a company-wide video or audio conference call. When writing to other people, they don't have the luxury of interpreting your emotions. Whether you communicate by writing or by speaking, you must avoid any form of ambiguity so that people understand you clearly and you can avoid misinterpretations.

3. Your audience.

Your audience is the person or group receiving your message. When you communicate, your audience would need to decode and to translate the information you give. Therefore, the receiver must be open and unbiased in other to get the context of the message. The person sending the message must consider the education, knowledge, experience, and exposure of the receiver. In a face to face conversation, pay attention to the body language of your audience. Do they look confused or angry? Then you know you need to dig deeper to understand what your audience is feeling.

4. Analyze Feedback.

Getting feedback is the opportunity you have to cross-check if your message was understood. No matter how much you try to get it right, sometimes you would get it wrong. The feedback you get would also help you to understand how the receiver decodes and interprets your message. When you have a better knowledge of how the other person perceives your communication, you are better equipped to improve your conversations.

A good practice is to ask for summaries from your team after your meetings.
The summaries should include what is expected from each person and when the tasks should be completed. In a survey conducted, only 46% of attendees say they leave a meeting with a clear understanding of what to do next

Which one of these four components do you need to improve on to become a better communicator? Effective communication is essential to excel as a professional. Employee engagement and productivity is enhanced with good communication therefore it is crucial to learn how to communicate better.


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