الدنيا مسألة .... حسابية ،،، خذ من اليوم .. عبرة ،،، ومن الأمس .. خبرة

أيمن محمد عبداللطيف محمد خالد

Aiman Mohamed Abdullatif  Mohamed Khaled

اختصاصي النطق واللغة

Speech and Language Specialist

10 Ways to Improve Your Communications Skills

March 20, 2013

Webster’s defines communication as “an act or instance of transmitting.” Communication is about effective expression, and is very much a skill that can be acquired and improved. For these purposes, we will concentrate on verbal communication, and specifically the improvement thereof.

Communications skills are necessary for success in virtually any endeavor. Those who possess high levels of skill in communicating with others have an advantage in the marketplace of information and ideas. Unlike many other skills, effective communicators can take their expertise anywhere. Like any other skill, it must be practiced diligently to maintain and improve.

While there are numerous methods for improving one’s communications skills, here are 10 suggestions for your consideration:

1. Always design your message to fit your audience. This focuses the use of your words and builds discipline and economy.

2. Always assume a lack of clarity. Whether providing verbal instructions, giving a performance review, or chairing a meeting, always ensure that your communication removes any confusion or ambiguity. Repeat as needed. Repeat as needed. Did I mention repeat as needed?

3. Give verbal presentations. Remember the book reports you used to give in class? The more you did, the better you got, right? Whether it’s a PowerPoint presentation on sales growth or a lecture on foreign affairs, get up in front of an audience and speak. Learn to deal with and overcome the nerves that precede; it’s rarely a fatal condition.

4. Become a better listener. Some of the best communicators are some of the greatest listeners. Conversely, some of the poorest communicators are often some of the worst listeners. Make a conscious effort to become a better listener. Listening is more than an interlude between your own sentences. Hear your audience. I assure you they will notice.

5. Get feedback from others. Ask friends or colleagues to critique your speaking for both content and delivery. Do you show impatience or frustration and thus limit your effectiveness? Are you too condescending or too inhibited? Ask for candid, constructive criticism. And don’t get offended; get better. Put the feedback to good use.

6. Find your voice. Pay attention to the tone of your spoken words. Modulate the pitch and volume of your voice, as appropriate. Choose your words wisely and enunciate them correctly. Develop a style of speaking that fits you.

7. Observe others. Find speakers who impress you with their abilities and study their differing styles. How well do they use humor? Do they show emotion? Are they inspiring? You don’t have to copy them, since you need a style that fits just you. You can certainly borrow, however. And you certainly should.

8. Make good eye contact. Look at your audience, whether an assemblage of hundreds or a single individual across a desk. You can become far more aware of how your message is being received by looking at, rather than looking past, your audience. This is common sense but so very often uncommon practice.

9. Be passionate. This is not to say you should be obnoxious or all-knowing. In fact, it is almost always better to be humble. It is to suggest, however, that your audience should feel your energy and enthusiasm, as appropriate.

10. Keep speaking. Keep developing your skills. Keep building your confidence. You will reap what you sow in this area of your life, as in others.

Good luck and good communicating!

Communication Skills

Communication skills (or the lack of communication skills) can have a large impact on your success in both your business and personal life. Communication skills learned at an early age will provide you with the skills that you need to interact successfully with a wide variety of people and situations, while a lack of communication skills will make it more difficult for you to get what you want out of life.

Here are the four major communication skills and how they impact your ability to communicate effectively.

Communication Skill #1 - Thinking

You may not recognize thinking as being a communication skill, but having a clear idea of symbolic internal reality (see the definition of communication) you want to convey to another person or group of people is the beginning of effective communication.

If you don’t have the idea straight in your own mind, don’t be surprised if others get a different idea from your communication than what you thought you intended to say.

Communication Skill #2 – Listening

Effective listening allows you to enter the reality of the other person and understand what their internal symbolic reality is. Only when you do this are you able to communicate effectively by understanding what they are sharing with you, even if it is very different from your personal perspective.

You can’t truly communicate with someone else of you don’t understand their internal reality.

Communication Skill #3 – Speaking

The third communication skill that leads to effective communication is your selection of words and the voice tones that you use when you speak them. While this may the part that most people concentrate on, research has revealed that nonverbal communication has more impact than the actual words that you use. In fact, the nonverbal portion of the communication can actually change the meaning of the words that you say.

Communication Skill #4 – Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication is the communication skill that usually receives little thought because it happens automatically. We actually learn to communicate nonverbally at a very young age ( a baby crying) and are able to communicate quite effectively using only nonverbal communication.

Here is more detailed information about nonverbal communication.