8 Ways You Can Improve Your Communication Skills

  

And in today’s complex and quickly evolving business environmentwith hundreds of different communication toolsfully or partially remote teamsand even multicultural teams spanning multiple time zoneseffective communication has never been more important — or more challenging.

Thusthe ability to communicate might be a manager’s most critical skill. 

The good news is that these skills can be learned and even mastered. 

These eight tips can help you maximize your communication skills for the success of your organization and your career.

1. Be clear and concise

Communication is primarily about word choice. And when it comes to word choiceless is more.

The key to powerful and persuasive communication — whether written or spoken — is clarity andwhen possiblebrevity. 

Before engaging in any form of communicationdefine your goals and your audience. 

Outlining carefully and explicitly what you want to convey and why will help ensure that you include all necessary information. It will also help you eliminate irrelevant details. 

Avoid unnecessary words and overly flowery languagewhich can distract from your message.

And while repetition may be necessary in some casesbe sure to use it carefully and sparingly. Repeating your message can ensure that your audience receives itbut too much repetition can cause them to tune you out entirely. 

2. Prepare ahead of time

Know what you are going to say and how you are going to say before you begin any type of communication.

Howeverbeing prepared means more than just practicing a presentation. 

Preparation also involves thinking about the entirety of the communicationfrom start to finish. Research the information you may need to support your message. Consider how you will respond to questions and criticisms. Try to anticipate the unexpected.

Before a performance reviewfor instanceprepare a list of concrete examples of your employee’s behavior to support your evaluation.

Before engaging in a salary or promotion negotiationknow exactly what you want. Be ready to discuss ranges and potential compromises; know what you are willing to accept and what you aren’t. And have on hand specific details to support your casesuch as relevant salaries for your position and your location (but be sure that your research is based on publicly available informationnot company gossip or anecdotal evidence). 

Before entering into any conversationbrainstorm potential questionsrequests for additional information or clarificationand disagreements so you are ready to address them calmly and clearly.

3. Be mindful of nonverbal communication

Our facial expressionsgesturesand body language canand often dosay more than our words. 

Nonverbal cues can have between 65 and 93 percent more impact than the spoken word. And we are more likely to believe the nonverbal signals over spoken words if the two are in disagreement. 

Leaders must be especially adept at reading nonverbal cues. 

Employees who may be unwilling to voice disagreements or concernsfor instancemay show their discomfort through crossed arms or an unwillingness to make eye contact. If you are aware of others’ body languageyou may be able to adjust your communication tactics appropriately.

At the same timeleaders must also be able to control their own nonverbal communications. 

Your nonverbal cues mustat all timessupport your message. At bestconflicting verbal and nonverbal communication can cause confusion. At worstit can undermine your message and your team’s confidence in youyour organizationand even in themselves. 

4. Watch your tone

How you say something can be just as important as what you say. As with other nonverbal cuesyour tone can add power and emphasis to your messageor it can undermine it entirely.

Tone can be an especially important factor in workplace disagreements and conflict. A well-chosen word with a positive connotation creates good will and trust. A poorly chosen word with unclear or negative connotations can quickly lead to misunderstanding. 

When speakingtone includes volumeprojectionand intonation as well as word choice. In real timeit can be challenging to control tone to ensure that it matches your intent. But being mindful of your tone will enable you to alter it appropriately if a communication seems to be going in the wrong direction.

Tone can be easier to control when writing. Be sure to read your communication onceeven twicewhile thinking about tone as well as message. You may even want to read it out loud or ask a trusted colleague to read it overif doing so does not breach confidentiality. 

And when engaging in a heated dialogue over email or other written mediumdon’t be too hasty in your replies. 

If at all possiblewrite out your response but then wait for a day or two to send it. In many casesre-reading your message after your emotions have cooled allows you to moderate your tone in a way that is less likely to escalate the conflict.

5. Practice active listening

Communication nearly always involves two or more individuals.

Thereforelistening is just as important as speaking when it comes to communicating successfully. But listening can be more challenging than we realize. 

In her blog post Mastering the Basics of Communicationcommunication expert Marjorie North notes that we only hear about half of what the other person says during any given conversation. 

The goal of active listening is to ensure that you hear not just the words the person is sayingbut the entire message. Some tips for active listening include:

• Giving the speaker your full and undivided attention
• Clearing your mind of distractionsjudgementsand counter-arguments. 
• Avoiding the temptation to interrupt with your own thoughts.
• Showing openpositive body language to keep your mind focused and to show the speaker that you are really listening
• Rephrase or paraphrase what you’ve heard when making your reply
• Ask open ended questions designed to elicit additional information

6. Build your emotional intelligence

Communication is built upon a foundation of emotional intelligence. Simply putyou cannot communicate effectively with others until you can assess and understand your own feelings. 

“If you’re aware of your own emotions and the behaviors they triggeryou can begin to manage these emotions and behaviors,” says Margaret Andrews in her postHow to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence.

Leaders with a high level of emotional intelligence will naturally find it easier to engage in active listeningmaintain appropriate toneand use positive body languagefor example.  

Understanding and managing your own emotions is only part of emotional intelligence. The other part — equally important for effective communication — is empathy for others.

Empathizing with an employee canfor examplemake a difficult conversation easier. 

You may still have to deliver bad newsbut (actively) listening to their perspective and showing that you understand their feelings can go a long way toward smoothing hurt feelings or avoiding misunderstandings.

7. Develop a workplace communication strategy

Today’s workplace is a constant flow of information across a wide variety of formats. Every single communication must be understood in the context of that larger flow of information.

Even the most effective communicator may find it difficult to get their message across without a workplace communication strategy.

A communication strategy is the framework within which your business conveys and receives information. It can — and should — outline how and what you communicate to customers and clientsstakeholdersand managers and employees. 

Starting most broadlyyour strategy should incorporate who gets what message and when. This ensures that everyone receives the correct information at the right time. 

It can be as detailed as how you communicateincluding defining the type of tools you use for which information. For exampleyou may define when it’s appropriate to use a group chat for the entire team or organization or when a meeting should have been summarized in an email instead. 

Creating basic guidelines like this can streamline the flow of information. It will help ensure that everyone gets the details they need and that important knowledge isn’t overwhelmed by extraneous minutia. 

8. Create a positive organizational culture

The corporate culture in which you are communicating also plays a vital role in effective communication. 

In a positive work environment — one founded on transparencytrustempathyand open dialogue — communication in general will be easier and more effective. 

Employees will be more receptive to hearing their manager’s message if they trust that manager. And managers will find it easier to create buy-in and even offer constructive criticism if they encourage their employees to speak upoffer suggestionsand even offer constructive criticisms of their own. 

“The most dangerous organization is a silent one,” says Lorne Rubis in a blog postSix Tips for Building a Better Workplace Culture. Communicationin both directionscan only be effective in a culture that is built on trust and a foundation of psychological safety.

Authoritative managers who refuse to share informationaren’t open to suggestionsand refuse to admit mistakes and accept criticism are likely to find their suggestions and criticisms met with defensiveness or even ignored altogether. 

Without that foundation of trust and transparencyeven the smallest communication can be misconstrued and lead to misunderstandings and unnecessary conflict.

Communicating with co-workers and employees is always going to present challenges. There will always be misunderstandings and miscommunications that must be resolved and unfortunatelycorporate messages aren’t always what we want to hearespecially during difficult times.

But building and mastering effective communication skills will make your job easier as a leadereven during difficult conversations. Taking the time to build these skills will certainly be time well-spent.