This is a very important skill you need to master in business and in your personal life.
Good communication skills ensure that people understand what you need from them and to get your message out clearly as well as you understand what others want from you. Be confident and assertive when talking to others and giving instructions to ensure there are no misunderstandings.
Here are some guidelines on how to master your communication skills;
Think before you speak
Don’t just say the first thing that comes to mind, especially when you are upset. Pause before you answer and just think what as well as how you are going to respond to avoid embarrassment or the other person taking what you say, the wrong way.
Treat others as your equal.
Treat everyone with respect and don’t talk down to anyone.
Listen
Do not just listen to formulate a response but listen to hear what people are actually saying to you. When someone is speaking to you, make sure you are concentrating on what they are saying to make them feel important and that they are being heard. When you are busy typing an email or text while the other person is talking, it shows them that you are not really listening and shows them what they are saying is not of much importance to you.
Be positive
Maintain a positive attitude and smile. Even when speaking on the phone, smile because your positive attitude can be heard and felt over the phone and is in many cases contagious, which will affect how the other person speaks and listens to you over the phone. People react better to a positive attitude.
No more acronyms
Remember who you are talking to when texting or emailing. Informal language like ‘TTYL’ or acronyms can lead to miscommunication as you cannot assume everyone knows what they mean, or it might have a different meaning to them. Therefore, keep the other person in mind when communicating to them and trying to get your message across clearly.
Pick up the phone
If you have a lot to say, instead of emailing, pick up the phone and call the person. Email is great to have something in writing but in some circumstances its better to have a verbal conversation.
Body language
Make sure you appear approachable and accessible by showing open body language. Do not cross your arms, make sure you make eye contact with the person or people you are speaking to in order for them to know you are paying attention. Don’t fiddle with your face or other objects. That is why it is important to always have your video on during video conference calls and request that the other members also show their faces, it just shows people honesty and makes people pay attention.
Check your message before you hit send.
Spell and grammar checkers are wonderful, but they are not foolproof. Double-check what you have written, to make sure that your message comes across correctly.
To the point
Be brief, yet specific. For both written and verbal communication, practice being brief and to the point, be specific and provide enough information for the other person/people to understand what you are trying to say. When responding to an email, make sure you read the entire email before you respond. Don’t ramble or give too much information in written or verbal responses.
Take notes
Write things down while you are in a meeting, and do not just rely on your memory. Compile a quick follow-up email to make sure you understand what was discussed.
Communicating effectively is a teachable skill. Following a few of the tips above, will enable you to master your communication skills.
We at WAPPoint try to ensure to get our message across to our customers by communicating via personalised email and phone calls and are always available if our customers want to pick up the phone and talk to a friendly voice. We do not believe in automated voice prompts or messages and long waiting queues when you want to speak to us. Should you ever want us to call you, let us know here: https://wappoint.co.za/contact-us/
