How to Improve your Communication Skills

Being able to communicate effectively and efficiently is one of the most important things in life. It is what will get you far both in your professional and personal endeavors and is vital for getting your message across and building relationships. Improving your communication skills is something many of us want to do. It could be that you are quite a shy person and you’re looking to become more outgoing, or it might be that you just want to improve this personality trait. No matter what it is, there’s no downside to improving your communication skills. Here we have put together some top tips to help you along the way.

Make sure you listen to others

Listening is the first and most important tool of communication. If you are constantly talking over people, not listening to them, and just waiting for your turn to say your piece, they will pick up on this. Instead, be conscious to listen and take in as much as you can, asking questions and responding to what they say. If you find it difficult to listen or their voices are muffled which is what is making it hard, it could be a good idea to look into your hearing health. Book a hearing test that can help assess your ears and give you back the confidence to participate in conversations and hear others well again.

Try and speak in person as opposed to via message where you can

In the digital age, it’s so easy to just message people on things such as Whatsapp, Facebook, or Instagram that you feel like you’ve kept in touch with them. While this is all well and good, you often can’t have a proper conversation and communication cues might be missed. It’s a good idea to make a conscious effort to speak in person to people. This might be by physically meeting up in the same place, or could even be through picking up the phone for a chat. [If you're looking to develop your voice and improve your confidence, check out Voiceplace.]

Think about your body language

Your body language can say a lot without you having to say a word, so it’s a good idea to work on this in order to better your communication with others. If you stand with your arms crossed you can seem like you are uninterested and unapproachable. You should also try and make eye contact whenever you can, as this will help you show that you’re engaged, listening, and interested in what the other person has to say. There are many body language cues that can help the way you come across to others.

These are just a few top tips for how you can improve your communication skills. Being effective at communicating with others is one of the most important skills you can have in life and it can help you succeed in a whole host of areas. Have you recently looked into how you can improve this? If so, what are some top tips you have to help people communicate better? Let us know in the comments below.