Why is Communication essential?
Success is associated with good communication. You have so much knowledge, but if you fail to express this knowledge in front of interviewers, your knowledge is useless, as you will not get the job. The same happened when I did a job interview; I didn’t get the job, and the interviewer asked me to leave. So, improving communication skills is very important in life.
What is communication?
Communication is sharing information, ideas, feelings, and emotions. It can be face-to-face talking, presentations, seminars, speeches, etc. Communication can be done in 3 ways: verbal, nonverbal (body language), and written. You have to practice all three for improving communication skills. When you mix these 3, you become a public speaker.
Benefits of improving communication skills:
1. If you have good communication skills, your relationships will improve, whether it can be romantic or family.
2. You can express your feelings and present yourself to interviewers.
3. It can increase your income.
4. It can improve your professional relationships.
5. It can make you productive.
6. It can increase your decision-making.
7. It can make you an effective leader.
8. When you have good communication skills, you become confident.
Verbal Communication
It includes active listening, asking open-ended questions, using the right tone and language, effective presentation, choosing correct vocabulary, knowing whenever up and down the volume, pausing at the right moment, emphasizing the right points, etc.
10 Techniques for Improving Verbal Communication Skills
1. Practice Active listening: You learn a lot when you are a good listener. When you listen and communicate with a good communicator, you start observing them and learn their body language while they are speaking, and eventually, you start copying them.
2. Speak clearly and confidently: You should not be confused while speaking. When you are underconfident, you can’t communicate well. But when you are prepared and know what you will speak, you will feel confident and always maintain eye contact.
3. Tone and pace should be right: You should know when to speak fast when to speak slow, and in what tone. How do you know whether your tone and pace are right or wrong? You can know this by looking at the expression of your listener, whether he or she is understanding or not. You can ask him or her if he or she understands.
4. Don’t use technical words: Avoid using technical terms. People should understand what you are saying. Use simple words and language.
5. Speak to the point: Don’t elaborate more than needed. Speak to the point.
6. Practice Public Speaking: Prepare the content for your chosen topic and start practicing. You can do it with your camera or in front of the mirror.
7. Your body language should be right: We will discuss this in the coming sections.
8. Understand the cultural differences of people: If you want to be an effective communicator, you should never hurt others’ feelings, culture or religion.
9. If you get any criticism, feedback, or suggestions, note it down. This will help you in improving communication skills.
10. Read and Write consistently: When reading and writing, you prepare the content and increase your knowledge. If your knowledge is great, you will speak confidently while communicating.
Non Verbal Communication
It is more important than verbal communication. Non-verbal communication works 70 to 80% of any communication. It includes body language, facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice, and how people behave when we talk. We can read people by observing their body language. In the same way, people can also read us by our body language.
Ten Techniques for Improving non-verbal Communication Skills
1. Practice Right Posture: Observe how you sit at your home and how you walk; if your shoulders are down, avoid duck walking. Be conscious about your posture and try to practice the right posture. You can do pushups; it will help you to correct your posture. If you can’t do it on the ground, do wall pushups.
2. Eye Contact: It reflects your confidence. If you can’t maintain eye contact, the other person will not take you seriously. Making eye contact builds trust.
3. Facial Expressions: These express emotions, whether you are happy, sad, interested, or confident. Try smiling in the relevant communication. Speak confidently. Express your interest when the other person is speaking.
4. Hand Gestures: When you use your hands in communication, you express interest and energy.
5. Maintain proper distance: It depends on your relationship with the person you are communicating with. If you are your best friend, you can put your hand on their shoulder, but if he or she is someone professionally connected, you should maintain a proper distance from them. It portrays your whole personality, and it is very important.
6. Tone: Tone is very important. You express your emotions, energy, confidence, and intention with the tone. Your tone should match the communication.
7. Dress sense: Dress up according to the situation. If you are going to a function, you can wear casual clothes; if you are going to an interview, wear formal clothes.
8. Understand Cultural Differences: Different cultures have different practices. So, respecting everyone’s culture tells you how effective you are as a communicator.
9. Practice mirroring: Observe your posture while communicating; you will learn how others see you. Mirroring can help you in both verbal and non-verbal ways. Record your video speaking and observe how you are looking.
10. Active listening: It can help in verbal and non-verbal communication. You observe other’s body language while you are listening and respond accordingly.
Written Communication
It includes writing emails, memos, and reports, proofreading, editing, grammar, punctuation, tone, writing style, using graphics in writing, using digital tools, and writing in social media posts.
Ten techniques for improving written communication skills
1. Avoid difficult words and write to the point: Use as much simple language as possible. Don’t try to impress; try to express yourself clearly.
2. Use proper grammar and spelling: When you are writing, it’s more important to check grammar and spelling. It can be ignored when speaking but not when writing. Try to write properly in WhatsApp and write full spellings and sentences. You can use online tools to check grammar and spelling.
3. Tone: You should never be harsh in your writing. Example: Instead of “Send me this” write “Please, send me this” or ” Requesting you to send me this”. Use respectful words.
4. Proper formatting: Use proper headings and bullet points in writing. People get to know what the paragraph is about by reading headings.
5. Use active voice: Always use active voice. Example: Instead of ” A report is written by me” write ” I have written a report.”
6. Write clearly: Don’t use difficult words; write clearly to convey your message.
7. Use example: Use example in writing; you can also use this in verbal communication. People understand clearly when using examples.
8. Editing and revising: Using tenses, grammar, spelling, word limit and then revising. When doing editing, use the Pomodoro technique. Don’t do editing continuously for a long time; it will reduce your writing ability.
9. Understand your audience: Write according to your audience. Understand your audience and write in their language.
10. Read and Write Consistently: When reading and writing, you prepare the content and increase your knowledge, which helps you practice. Practice makes perfect.
Public Speaking
It includes how to communicate confidently in front of people, how to deliver speeches and presentations, whether it is in college, school, meetings, etc, and how to engage with the audience. Both verbal and non-verbal communication are important in public speaking.
Ten techniques to improve public speaking
1. Practice: The more you practice, the more you will be perfect. The secret to public speaking is practice. The number one public speaker said that he was always worried before public speaking. He was never 100% confident. Do practice.
2. Be prepared: Confidence comes from knowledge. Research the topic you want to be presenting. Make outlines and be prepared for speech.
3. Engage with your audience: Try asking some questions. E.g. how many people are from Delhi, Mumbai, etc.? How many people find this interesting? Ask if people find this boring. How many people attended my session before? The audience should focus on you if you are a good public speaker. If they are not attentive, then you have to make them attentive.
4. Body Language: Your hands should not be in pockets, your shoulders should be straight, and your arms should not be crossed. All points of nonverbal communication are applicable here.
5. Speak clearly and slowly: Clear communication is very important. There should not be any confusion.
6. Pauses: You should know when to pause, whether small or long. Practice makes you learn when to take pause. This makes us understand whether the energy we want to deliver to the audience is delivered. How people react to the pause is very important.
7. Connection with audience: We are not talking about engagement here. To connect with the audience, start with your storytelling; when you tell a story, the audience relates with the story, and you create a common ground. You can crack a joke so the audience can feel your naturality; how are you? Keep in mind the feelings and emotions while connecting.
8. Deep breathing ten times, meditate for 5 minutes, listen to your favourite music, and drink some water before public speaking. Visualize how well you deliver a speech and how the audience enjoys it.
9. Take feedback from your trusted ones.
10. Learn consistently: Attend sessions of the person you want to be or speak. You will learn a lot. You will get their public speaking skills. Practice their body language. Watch their videos.
Five books for improving communication skills
1. The Art of Dealing With People by Les Giblin
2. How to Talk to Anyone by Leil Lowndes
3. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
4. The King’s Grammar for English Grammar by Sanjay Kumar Sinha
5. How to Develop Self-Confidence and Influence People by Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie
Next action steps for improving communication skills:
1. Read books daily and write
2. Make a video and post it on Instagram
3. Make content ready for 1 minute daily and record a video of yourself speaking.
4. Keep in mind all the points.
5. Get feedback from a trusted friend.